Heaven's On Fire |Dimebag Darrell

Dimebash 2023

August 23rd 2023

I walked the venue with Rita by my side, seeing familiar faces as we maneuvered through the crowd of people. Today was a special day for our family. Today we were at our third annual Dimebash, celebrating Darrell and his huge part in the metal community. I have been here for over an hour and have met fans that have faithful from the very beginning, sharing their stories of Darrell and their tribute tattoos to the beautiful man.

I spoke with old friends and then made my way towards the stage that was set up for tonight. I needed to look for my son since tonight was special for another reason. "Sabian!" A voice called. I looked over and saw a man wave for my attention, with a woman standing right next to him. I couldn't help but smile and approach the two. "Hey! Thank you for coming out tonight!" I greeted them both and gave each a hug. Darrell's fans were special and always held a place in my heart, so I made sure to always share my appreciation towards them when I could.

The man looked to the woman, sharing a smile before looking back at me. "You may not remember us." The gentleman spoke. I knotted my brows when he reached into his coat pocket and held out a single photo. "27 years ago I went on my first date to see a certain band live. After the show, those two kids got to exchange some words with both you and Dimebag." The man explained as I grabbed the photo. There in the photo was two smiling teenage kids with Darrell and I standing next to them. This man was that kid! I looked up at the man and right away recognized him. "Oh my god, it's you!" I choked and went in for another hug. The man nodded and laughed at my excitement.

I looked back down at the old photo. "What ever happened with these two?" I asked, looking back at the two that stood in front of me. They shared another smile, "They got married and started a family." The woman answered. "Wait...this is both of you! Oh my god you two have grown!" I gushed. These two kids were now adults themselves and had a family. "We named our oldest Darrell." They shared. I raised my hand to my mouth, I was in complete shock. I returned the photo and hugged both once again. Seeing these two still together after 27 years had made my night. They pulled out a camera and we posed for an updated picture to add to their collection.

I turned to Rita while we headed towards the back of the stage, "Where is Eddie?" I asked my dear friend. "Eddie is with Grady." Rita explained. Once we turned a corner, Grady was seen talking with Eddie who looked nervous. Eddie was finally 18 and was taller than me, at this point, he had taken on his Father's looks completely as facial hair started to show on his young face. The music community had even made comments on the eerie resemblance that the teenager held to the legendary guitarist. Fans who remembered young Dimebag Darrell would always tell Eddie in how it was like seeing him once again. At first Eddie didn't know how to handle the feedback that he was given but with his family by his side, he finally understood that they just missed his Father. Eddie knew that the world also mourned along with him when Darrell left this world.

"Hey sweetheart. You ok?" I approached the two, seeing Eddie taking advice from Uncle Grady. Grady held his promise and taught Eddie all he knew when it came to playing, spending hours watching old video's of Darrell playing and also allowing Eddie to develop his own sound. Grady was Eddie's teacher and Eddie trusted him completely. "Yeah, no just nervous." Eddie sighed as he rolled his head from side to side. At times it was like I was seeing Darrell all over again.

I smiled at my son, I couldn't help but be proud of the young man he had become. Eddie was no longer that little boy who ran through the hallways of venues in what ever city we were in, screaming while his Uncle Riggs chased him. Goodbye to the days of dancing around the house with him on my hip. Our home that was once filled with little boy laughters were now filled with constant guitar playing. Eddie was a musician and I soon noticed that he was writing his own materials. Just like I once did.