Watch: VINNY APPICE Performs BLACK SABBATH And DIO Classics With SABBATH KNIGHTS In San Diego

BLACK SABBATH/DIO drummer Vinny Appice performed with his ultimate BLACK SABBATH/DIO show, called SABBATH KNIGHTS, Friday night (December 20) at Brick By Brick in San Diego, California. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of Eclipse).

Joining Appice in SABBATH KNIGHTS are Jim Crean on vocals, Jimmy Caputo (CACTUS) on bass, and Artie Dillon (SLAMM) on guitar.

Last year, Vinny told Rock Show Critique about how SABBATH KNIGHTS came together: "Well, see, I started doing this by fluke, actually. Five years ago, six years ago, I went to Europe and they wanted me to come to Europe. So they put together a band there, and we did all BLACK SABBATH 'Mob Rules' album songs, a couple of old SABBATH [tracks], a couple old DIO [cuts]. And I wound up doing three tours over there. So I thought, 'This is pretty cool.'"

The legendary 67-year-old drummer, who has played with BLACK SABBATH, DIO and HEAVEN & HELL, continued: "I had a lot of fun playing this music because it's fun to play, first of all. And it's just a fun time. It's not a new band trying to break and sell records and become big. This is a great evening of music. So I wanted to do it here in the U.S. I did do a couple of dates down in South America and everything went well. So talking to Jim, I said, 'Why don't we put this together?' 'Cause Jim is one of the few singers that could sing [songs originally recorded by] Ozzy [Osbourne] and [Ronnie James] Dio. I've done a couple of shows in Ohio, I've done this, and we actually had two singers — the Dio singer and the Ozzy singer. So not many singers could sing Dio very well, and Jim could blow it out, man. He's great. We played together in a show called 'Drum Wars' with my brother Carmine. That's how we met Jim, and we've done a lot of stuff together. So we decided to put our heads together, and let's get some gigs and put a setlist together."

Regarding his SABBATH KNIGHTS bandmates and the group's setlist, Vinny said: "We've got a great band. We've got Artie Dillon on guitar, who's from the East Coast, Jim Caputo on bass. And we've all played together before, so this is a really, really tight band. It's music from SABBATH — mainly Ronnie and I's era — and then some old stuff and some DIO."

Added Jim: "Like Vin said, we've got a great band. Jimmy and Artie are amazing, professional musicians. And, of course, we've got the best drummer in the world, Vinny Appice."

On the topic of being billed as a "tribute" band, Vinny said: "There's all these tribute bands, and some of these bands do really good. And I'm, like, 'Wow,' all these SABBATH bands and stuff. So if you call it a tribute, I call it a 'tribute plus one'. And I'm the plus one, because I played in the band. So I just thought, that could that could work too. But it's not really tribute. I mean, I was in the bands and played all this music, so it's going to be just a great night of music, and I think people will enjoy it and we're gonna kick ass."

Last year, Vinny spoke to Backstage Pass about why he thinks there is a renewed interest in seeing him perform classic songs from SABBATH and DIO. He said: "When I played here [in the U.S.], places were packed and people loved it as well. Because I'm the only guy now from the original [BLACK SABBATH] band that's out there. Tony [Iommi] and Geezer [Butler], no more. Ozzy [Osbourne], it seems like no more. And I was the only other drummer in the beginning; I made some of the albums with them. So I think that the time is perfect now for me that I still wanna do this, go out and play — play this stuff. People wanna hear it."

Back in December 2021, Vinny spoke to the "All Access Live! With Kevin Rankin" podcast about his unique and powerful drumming style which has anchored the rhythm and power live and in the studio for the music of DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, LAST IN LINE, AXIS, Rick Derringer, John Lennon and more. He said: "I always say 'I go where no man has gone before' where some of these fills start. See, I play in the song. Whatever I do, I get into the song. I don't play on top of the song. I hear a lot of drummers can play on top of the song and they're just playing the song. I'm inside of that song, and that's the way I hear the stuff. It's kind of like an artist painting pictures, and I'm in there putting the colors in it. And I just hear it like that — fills that could go over the bar, maybe a bar and a half. And they start in an odd place. And luckily, that worked for me with SABBATH. SABBATH, I didn't do quite as much because SABBATH was so legendary, you had to keep that in your mind that this is BLACK SABBATH and there's a certain way to play fills that are a little darker maybe — not so much snare drum; more dark stuff. And then with DIO, anything went. And Ronnie [James Dio] never had a problem with me playing… nor did SABBATH; they never said 'don't play a fill there' or anything like that. And Ronnie, I'd play over his vocal line. We kicked each other in the ass. When I hear him starting to go, I go, 'Woah, dude.' Now something comes out of me that got inspired; he inspired me. We fed off each other, absolutely."

Appice went on to say that his recorded parts change and evolve when he is performing the songs live. "Like one night, [DIO] played 'The Last In Line', and at the third verse, [Ronnie] goes, 'And you never, never, never come home.' And then one night, he kept it going. He went, 'Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never…' He kept it going. And I just heard that and I followed him," Vinny said. "And we went, 'That was cool, dude.' And we still do that. I'm playing with LAST IN LINE now with Vivian [Campbell, former DIO guitarist]. And we do that. Andy Freeman [LAST IN LINE singer] and I, we worked it out so that part's in there.

"See, I'm always listening," Appice continued. "Drummers, you've gotta listen to what's going on on stage. I don't close my eyes and space out. I look around. I'm scanning the stage. If I'm hearing somebody playing something, maybe I'll jump on it. And that keeps it really exciting. That's why I don't play the same stuff every night. Certain fills are the same. But then I go kick in the ass as much as I could."

Vinny has recorded and co-written songs on several dozen albums and CDs, including many multi-platinum records. Vinny's drumming can also be heard on numerous movie soundtracks, including "Wayne's World 2", "Heavy Metal", "Iron Eagle" and "Bedazzled". Vinny, the author of drum instruction book "Rock Steady" and DVD "Hard Rock Drumming Techniques", has performed incredible powerhouse drum clinics around the globe. Numerous books have been written about BLACK SABBATH and DIO with the authors always mentioned Vinny's drumming style.