Heaven's On Fire |Dimebag Darrell

Dimebash 2023

August 23rd, 2023

  Walking through the venue with Rita as I saw some familiar faces within the crowd we maneuvered through. Today was a special day for our family. Today we were at our third annual Dimebash, celebrating the one and only Darrell and his huge contribution within the metal community.

  Being here for an hour has allowed me to meet faithful fans that were there from the very beginning. Each of them shared their stories of Darrell, every one of them filled with laughter. It was amazing to see the guitarist still making people smile even when he is no longer here. What blew me away was the few tribute tattoos of the beautiful man that were shown. Every tattoo showing his true character.

  When I wasn't spending time with fans, I was hanging around and talking it up with old friends. Felt good to see them again, some had been years since we have last seen one another. I was super excited for tonight's events.

  I was looking for my son as I headed towards the stage when I heard someone call out my name. "Sabian!" the voice shouted above the chatter. Looking towards the direction the voice came from; I spotted a man waving for my attention with a woman right next to him. Smiling, I approached the two. "Hey guys! Thanks for coming out tonight!" I greeted just as I hugged them both. My husband's fans had always held a special place in my heart, so I always made sure to show them my appreciation for them whenever I could. How could I not? They helped me keep his memory alive.

  The man smiled to the woman who stood at his side before the two of them looked back at me. "You may not remember us..." he led on. Confused, I watched him as he reached into his coat pocket and held out a single photo. Accepting the picture. "27 years ago, I went on my first date to see this kick ass band play live. After the show, both you and Dimebag shared a few words to those two kids. Making it the most memorable date ever for those kids," he explained while I looked at the photo.

  There in the picture was two smiling teenage kids with both me and Darrell on either side of them. The memory rushed me, causing me to snap my head up in amazement. This man was that kid! "Oh my god! It's you!" hearing myself choke. I couldn't help myself when I went in for another hug, causing the man to start laughing at my excitement.

  I looked back down at the well-worn out photo. "What ever happened with these two?" I asked, looking between him and the woman. Again, they shared a smile. "They got married and started a family." the woman answered this time. My eyes bugged, "wait...this is both of you! Oh my god, you two have grown!" These two kids in the photo were now grown adults. The man drew his wife closer. Seeing the familiar look on his face. I too had seen that look on Darrell's face, especially when it came to me. It was pride.

  "We named our oldest Darrell," they shared. In shock, I raised my hand to my mouth to surprise the small cry. I returned their picture, hugging them both one last time. Seeing these two still together after 27 years truly made my night. I offered to take a more recent photo with them before wishing them the best. Thanking them for coming once again just as I turned and made my way towards the back of the stage.

  I glanced around, "where is Eddie?" asking my dear friend as she too looked. "I was told he was with Grady," Rita explained. It didn't take no longer than 5 minutes when we had finally spotted Grady talking to a nervous Eddie.

  Eddie had turned 18 and was officially taller than me. At this point Eddie had taken on his father's looks completely. Facial hair began sprouting on his young face. The metal community clearly saw the very eerie resemblance that the teenager held to the legendary guitarist. Fans that were able to remember the young Diamond Darrell would share with Eddie in how it was like seeing his father again. At first Eddie didn't know how to handle that type of feedback, it made him confused. Eventually with his family by his side, he finally understood that they just missed his father was all. Eddie knew that the world mourned along with him when his father was taken from us all.