Lzzy Hale had the opportunity to meet her idol Ronnie James Dio when Halestorm Heaven and Hell tour in 2009, a side project with the remaining members from Dio's time in Black Sabbath .
In a recent interview with the radio program Planet Rock (via Ultimate Guitar ), Hale confessed great admiration for Dio because of the artist's "behavior and message" and revealed the advice he received from him. "He made everyone feel like family. He didn't have to talk to all of us – but he did, and ended up taking us to [our trailer]," he said about the encounter.
Dio accompanied Halestorm to the parking lot and asked them to wait, as he was going to sign some autographs for fans present, but wanted to say goodbye to the band. Lzzy and the other members waited and watched while the musician took photos and gave autographs, never failing to fulfill any request from the fans.
When Dio returned to say goodbye, Lzzy remembers saying, "We would have totally understood if you were tired, it's two in the morning, you didn't need to come back for our sake."
Ronnie's response marked her forever. "Lizzie, this is a moment in time. You'll never remember all the places you've played and all the people you've met, but they'll always remember the day they met you for the rest of their lives. So you have to make it a good moment for everyone," he advised.
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