RITA HANEY, WENDY DIO Talk About Success Of 'Dimebash 2010' Event (Video)

Artisan News Service conducted interviews with late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney and Ronnie James Dio's wife/manager Wendy Dio at last month's Dimebash 2010 event, which was held in honor of Dimebag at the world-famous Key Club on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. You can now watch the report below.

When asked about the success of this year's Dimebash, Haney said, "It was amazing — I mean, overwhelmingly amazing. It sold out in ten days. When we put the tickets up [for sale], we didn't even have a lineup, so it was kind of scary putting it together. But just knowing that everybody would come together in [Dimebag's] honor was enough... I think people want it, people wanna remember . . . I mean, it was a day and a half, or two days before [this year's Dimebash] that [some of the musicians taking part in the event] didn't even know what songs [they would be] playing yet. We were scrambling to get everything together. I was just amazed that within the first two days how many people committed and said, 'Yeah, I'm in.' It was amazing."

On November 5, Haney presented a donation of over ten thousand dollars raised from Dimebash 2010 to Wendy Dio in Studio City, California for the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, a charity in memory of Ronnie James Dio to help find a cure for stomach cancer, which took his life in May of 2010. In addition, a DVD of the event was shot and recorded for near-future release with proceeds from the disc's sales also going towards the fund.

"When I found out that Dimebash was going to donate the proceeds to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, I was very, very touched — I was speechless," Wendy Dio told the Artisan News Service. "I thought it was such a wonderful, generous gift, and Ronnie would have been really proud."

Created by Wendy, the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund is committed to the early detection and prevention of cancer through facilitating access to medical screening and medical educational programs. The fund supports programs designed to integrate medical knowledge into local communities such as cancer screening programs, education on nutrition in cancer prevention, exercise and overall wellness. The goal of the fund is to reduce the risk of developing life-threatening cancers by offering access to preventative medical services. Furthering the commitment for patients to access to quality medical care related to cancer, the fund seeks to assist families burdened by the cost of caring for loved ones with cancer.

Dimebash 2010 was held on October 29. The all-star lineup that shared the stage included hard rock and heavy metal titans: Lemmy of MOTÖRHEAD; Dave Grohl of FOO FIGHTERS; Joey Jordison of SLIPKNOT and ROB ZOMBIE; Simon Wright from DIO; Brent Smith, Zach Myers and Eric Bass of SHINEDOWN; Kerry King and Dave Lombardo of SLAYER; Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel of MACHINE HEAD; Chuck Billy from TESTAMENT; Chris Howorth and Maria Brink of IN THIS MOMENT; Joey Vera of ARMORED SAINT; Tony Campos of STATIC-X; Gerry Nestler of PHILM; John Boecklin of DEVILDRIVER. This sold-out night was hosted by radio/television personality Jose Mangin, a veteran of several Dimebag events.

Photo galleries from Dimebash 2010 event can be found by following the links below:

* RockConcertFotos (Rehearsals)
* RockConcertFotos (Concert + Backstage)
* JensJudas
* DirtJunior.com

Check out video footage from Dimebash 2010 at this location.

Photo below courtesy of Metal Assault