Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart - Live in Philly 1986 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 1, 2013

When Ronnie James Dio died on May 16, 2010, it sent shock waves through a large and sometimes rabid fan base. Dio had been diagnosed with cancer just a few months previously, but the initial reports were that he was responding well to chemo and other treatments. Worry started to creep in when Dio’s tour dates were canceled and then almost unbelievably suddenly, Dio’s death was announced to the heartbroken public. Dio remains one of the most iconic hard rock vocalists of all time, one whose power and agility carried him through decades of performances and led to an amazing number of successful collaborations with high profile bands which Dio drifted in and out of during his long, if too quickly ended, career.

This 1986 concert finds Dio and his band (Vinny Appice on drums, Jimmy Rain on bass, last minute replacement Craig Coldy on guitar and Claude Schnell on keys) moving through a career spanning retrospective of Dio hits, all to a frankly kind of quaint looking stage show that offers the requisite battery of lights along with some medieval trappings, including a huge red eyed dragon. Dio had a special place in his heart for Philadelphia (he had previously filmed another concert there), and that comes through quite winningly throughout this often viscerally exciting concert. While there’s still sadness over the untimely demise of Ronnie, concert videos like this can help to keep his legacy alive, not just for longtime fans, but for new generations who will come along and discover the often awesome power of Dio’s voice.

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart - Live in Philly 1986 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart—Live in Philly 1986 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Vision, an imprint of Eagle Rock Entertainment, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. There's not much technical data provided with this release, but I'm assuming this was sourced from 16mm (if some enterprising reader knows for sure, drop me a line and I can update the review if I'm mistaken). With that understanding, there should be reasonable expectations set for what this high definition presentation can offer. There's no denying that the wide shots and even midrange coverage often looks fuzzy and even unfocused at times. That said, there is copious close-up footage here, and that tends to look rather good, at least by comparison. The stage lighting doesn't help matters, and there's some persistent crush, with the players sometimes disappearing into the dusky backgrounds. But the historical importance of this concert should outweigh and purely technical limitations of the source elements.

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart - Live in Philly 1986 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart—Live in Philly 1986 features what is advertised as remastered audio in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 formats. Both of these tracks are incredibly vivid, with abundant clarity and really nice delineation of the hard driving rhythm section and Dio's soaring vocals. Fidelity is excellent, though dynamic range is relatively limited to the head banging end of the spectrum.

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart - Live in Philly 1986 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Sacred Heart Tour Featurette (480i; 1:49)


• Interview '86 (480i; 6:38)


• Interview with Ronnie & Craig (480i; 18:47)


• Rock 'n' Roll Children Music Video (480i; 5:05)


• Behind the Scenes (480i; 9:24)

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart - Live in Philly 1986 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart—Live in Philly 1986 is a wonderful concert program that finds Dio and his band in really good form. The songlist is also inviting, covering some well known pieces from Dio's career as well as a couple of unexpected selections. The video element here isn't fantastic, but that's easily overcome by excellent audio and some equally excellent supplements. Recommended.