The 2026 Rock For Ronnie Concert /Fundraiser.
In Support of The Stand Up And Shout Dio Cancer Fund
Featuring: Lita Ford, Dio Disciples, Led Zepagain, Legs Diamond, Whole Lotta Rosies, Jason Charles Miller & Saints Of Sinners
The Autry Museum, Los Angeles, CA – 5/31/26
Review/Pics: Will
It’s been less than a month since the 16th Anniversary of Ronnie’s passing and every year, whether it’s the Rock for Ronnie or the Bowl for Ronnie, one thing is crystal clear: The Love for RJD hasn’t faded an ounce.
Dio, Sabbath & Rainbow shirts and patches were all over the backs of the fans that packed the park on yet another beautiful day in the shadow of The Autry Museum.
The annual event once again served up a stellar lineup of talent that started at 11am and ran until around 6:30pm when the last notes from the All-Star Jam faded off into the Lions Enclosure at the LA Zoo in Griffith Park.
Before the music kicked off and while the patrons were securing their spots on the grass, there were plenty of opportunities to keep busy.
Outside of the Official RJD Merch there were plenty of options for clothing and art to fit everyone’s tastes.
One of the most popular spots, this and every year, was the Auction Booth that had some incredible items to bid on including Signed Pictures, VIP Concert Experiences, Tour Jackets, CD and Vinyl Bundles, a bunch of different themed Gift Baskets along with numerous miscellaneous items.
Also on display at the silent auction were some amazing items that were to be offered at a live auction from the stage later in the day. Those included an Epihpone Les Paul signed by George Thorogood, a violin with Metallica logo that was used during their S&M (Symphony & Metallica) show; a beautiful Holy Diver guitar designed by PBS Guitar Builder to the Stars Jim Cara which Lita Ford played and signed during her set and the “item of the day”, a Lakland bass signed by Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler.
Unlike most of my other posts, the one thing you WON’T find here is a review of the bands. Everyone was there to express their love for the legendary singer.
Each act shared their stories, professed their gratitude, gave their all, and raised their horns for Ronnie.
Due to a delay in the stage set up, the first few bands had to shorten their sets. It didn’t stop any of them from rocking their hearts out.
Saints Of Sinners
Joel, Jett and Justin from LA’s Saints of Sinners kicked off the musical portion of the day.
After SoS finished, Host Eddie Trunk brought out Ronnie’s wife, Wendy Dio, to say a few words of welcome and thanks to the growing crowd. Eddie then introduced Argentinian vocalist, Ari Kamin (Steven Adler) who delivered the National Anthem.
Legs Diamond
When the lineup was first announced I had to do a double take when I saw that Legs Diamond were slated to play. Was this the same Legs Diamond from the late 70’s?! Well, turns out, mostly, yes it was!
The 3 original members (who have been there since ’75) are lead guitarist, Roger Romero, rhythm guitarist, Michael Prince and drummer, Jeff Poole. They have been joined by bassist Adam Kury and singer, Keith England.
Whole Lotta Rosies
Whole Lotta Rosies are an all female AC/DC Tribute Band from LA. The Rosies are Melanie Sisneros bass guitar, Trudi Keck Starr rhythm guitar, Hisako Ozawa lead guitar, Tyler Browne on vocals and Kevin Hughes on drums.
They performed a kick ass selection of hits from one of the greatest Rock Bands around.
Jason Charles Miller
Jason Charles Miller has become a fixture at the Rock for Ronnie. He and his band have graced the stage for the past 4 years. Always a welcome addition!
Led Zepagain
Next up were LA favorites, Led Zepagain, one of the WORLD’s premier Zeppelin Tribute bands. They’ve received accolades from the great Jimmy Page himself who credited their accuracy and authenticity.
Swan Montgomery (Plant), Anthony David Thymiakos (Page), Doug Baker (Jones) & Scott Brooks (Bonham) electrified the Autry Park Crowd with a selection from the Legendary band.
After Zepagain, it was time for Dr. Kapoor (Ronnie’s Dr.) to come out and say a few words about the cancer research being carried out. Two of the Dr’s who are currently part of the ongoing trials also spoke about the importance of the ongoing research and hopefully the end result being a vessel for early cancer detection.
Wendy then presented a Check for $25,000 from the Dio Cancer Fund to the University of California to help further fund their research.
Dio Disciples
The newest version of the Dio Disciples performed for the first time together. Wendy recently announced that “The new lineup will be with Simon Wright (on drums), as usual, Bjorn Englen on bass, as usual, Scott Warren on keyboards, as usual, and the two vocalists will be Oni Logan, who used to be in LYNCH MOB, and Robin McAuley, who was in Michael Schenker‘s band. And on guitar will be Rowan Robertson, who used to play in the DIO band, with [the] ‘Lock Up The Wolves’ [album].”
Simon Wright who is recovering from a hernia operation, was on the scene, but not able to yet play, so Ex-Whitesnake, Ex-Dead Daisies drummer, Brian Tichy filled the drum seat for their set.
The Disciples setlist included a greatest hits selection that encompassed Ronnie’s solo years as well as his time in Sabbath and Rainbow.
Lita Ford
It was finally time for the Queen of Heavy Metal, Lita Ford to grace the stage. Lita adorned in a silver bodysuit, looked and sounded fabulous.
If you’ve seen Lita before, you’ll know she has a killer band behind her in Patrick Kennison (guitar), Mårten Andersson (bass) and the beast, Bobby Rock (drums).
Lita and band ripped off a set of her classics that started with “Gotta Let Go” and included among others, “Playin’ with Fire“, “Can’t Catch Me“, “Kiss Me Deadly” as well as covers from Elton John (“The Bitch is Back“), Alice Cooper (“Only Women Bleed“) and from her first band, The Runaways (“Cherry Bomb“).
Among the highlights of the set was her duet with Patrick on the Ozzy collaboration, mega-hit, “Close My Eyes Forever“.
Lita spoke warmly and affectionately about Ronnie, reflecting on his contributions to music, and the lasting impact he had on those who knew him. She also touched on the devastating effects of cancer, noting that it is a disease that reaches far beyond the individual diagnosed. Whether through family, friends, coworkers, or loved ones, nearly everyone has been affected by cancer in some way.
Before their set the whole band took time to pose with a Fan.
All-Star Jam
After Lita, the last act of the day peppered the stage with a mass of talent for the day’s finale; The All-Star Jam.
The bevy of artists included:
For more information, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/RJDSUASCF/
https://twitter.com/DioCancerFund
https://www.instagram.com/diocancerfund/
Related
3rd Annual Ride for Ronnie (2017)
