PANTERA. What a band. What a history.
Founded in 1981 in Arlington, Texas by the Abbott-brothers, PANTERA became a cult band, and one of the most successful bands in the early nineties and disbanded in 2003, after frontman Phil Anselmo was sucked in and swallowed up in a swamp of drugs and alcohol, which made him fell out with all the other members, while the band stagnated musically. Shortly after, in 2004, Dimebag Darrell was murdered live on stage and in 2018, Vinnie Paul died far too early at the age of 54.
Meanwhile, Phil Anselmo only drew attention to himself with his drug and alcohol escapades and a series of fascist and racist incidents.
When the first rumors and two years later, in 2020, the official announcement of a PANTERA reunion was made, fans and critics were divided and tempers ran high.
Zakk Wylde, who had always been on a very short list of preferred guitarists, kept canceling until he changed his mind (for unknown reasons). The final line-up with Charlie Benante on drums eventually has been given a green light by the estates of the band’s founders, on the condition that it was NOT a reunion, but tribute shows. Some might remember that Vinnie Paul had always vehemently rejected a reunion of the band during his lifetime and he also never reconciled with Phil Anselmo.
So, there was and is a lot of criticism of the band's current status, its members and their intentions. It should be clear to everyone that there is still money to be made with the name PANTERA, regardless of which banner they sail under.
In the NH camp too, there was discussion about whether PANTERA should be given a stage in the magazine these days, mainly due to Phil Anselmo and his fascist and racist statements and actions (which he succinctly blamed on alcohol and drugs when this led to quite many consequences and cancellations).
However, it should also be made clear here that it was only the person Phil Anselmo who made such kind of political statements. Neither PANTERA itself nor any of Phils other bands, nor any of the musicians involved have ever been participated, made or supported such outpourings.
The discussion about whether and where to draw the political line musically is more topical than ever. Just look across the pond and at the behavior and statements of various musicians since Trump has been back in power, or right out the door and around the corner when it comes to domestic and European bands, labels and venues.
On my walk from the car park to the venue I could marvel at the 5 or 6 huge tracks standing behind the hall - which suggested a big stage production - and the 4 or 5 nightliners. I have no idea, if the crew was really that big or if some people needed more private space, who knows...
And here I was, standing in the :: Mitsubishi Electric Hall :: in Duesseldorf, to celebrate the heroes of my youth and watching the spectacle up close. And I was not alone ;) In addition to the almost 7500 fans, the who's who of the North Rhine-Westphalian metal music scene was also present. I've rarely seen so many familiar faces from labels, booking and promo agencies, magazines and media of all kinds together in one hall ;)
The venue was not sold out, there were still a few tickets available at the box office. Well, with 100 Euros the ticket prices were quite steep, not to mention the VIP and meet & greet deals. The merchandise also made me gasp: shirts 45 euros, long-sleeve 60 euros and the zipper 85 euros. Of course, this could also be due to the merch cut. Big venues like to rip up to 25% off the bands. Nevertheless, the shirts sold like hot cakes.
The biggest annoyance of the evening was - once again - the Mitsubishi Electric Hall itself. The organization there is simply a complete disaster! The parking too. 10 euros parking fee are now due, whether in front of the door or in the car park 1.5 km away. If you're not there an hour before the doors open, you're left out and can look forward to expensive parking tickets afterwards (after having stuck in the traffic jam around the venue for an hour or so). Beer was 6.50 euros plus a 3 Euro cup fee. I didn't even look at the food.
The second band, POWER TRIP, was withheld from the photographers until we intervened. We weren't picked up as announced (photographers are sooo evil and aren't allowed to move around the venue alone with their equipment) and when we walked off on our own and stood in front of the photo pit, the lady who was supposed to have picked us up and accompanied us, gave us a hard time and called us photographers annoying (by the way, nice counter by the Rock Hard photographer ;)). We were then “looked after” by another person. Geez...
Oh, by the way, we weren't allowed to watch one of the support acts live! Nobody cared that one or the other photographer also had to write about the concert.
:: pics :: KING PARROT ::
Well then... let's have some fun! :) We started with the crazy Australians from :: KING PARROT ::. Both opening acts were only given minimal space on stage. The guys couldn’t care less - half naked and overflowing with energy, KING PARROT raged across the stage in typical grindcore mania. Singer Youngy supplied the first rows with plenty of water, much to the chagrin of most of the photographers. I already know these dudes and their shows (just let me hint at the Battle Of The Bays tour with Obituary, Exodus, Prong and KING PARROT opening at the Turock Essen, an all-destroying killer show ;)), saw it coming and was therefore spared ;)
It had been quiet around the grindcore maniacs for quite a long time, the last album was released in 2017. But, KING PARROT didn't come empty-handed and presented three brand new tracks from their new and fourth record A Young Person's Guide To, which will be released on May 6th via Housecore Records (owned by Phil Anselmo).
Yep, that was indeed a very entertaining set, made for a lot of laughs and fun as hell! So!
(of course I sneaked in the hall and watched the band, even if not the whole set)
Band: Matthew „Youngy“ Young (vox), Ari „Mt. White“ White (git), Andrew „Squiz“ Livingstone-Squires (git), Matthew „Slatts“ Slattery (bass), Todd „Toddy“ Hansen (drums)
Setlist: Get What Ya Given, Epileptic Butcher, Disgrace Yourself, Dead End, Bozo, Target Pig Elite, Bite Your Head Off, Ten Pounds Of Shit In A Five Pound Bag, Hell Comes Your Way, Shit On The Liver, Fuck You And The Horse You Rode In On
:: pics :: POWER TRIP ::
Before :: POWER TRIP :: there was the aforementioned “no-photos” chaos. But the band also had to fight some difficulties. First, singer Seth's microphone didn't work, then the cable was somehow too short, the sound was shit... and, and, and... Fortunately, everything was quickly solved.
POWER TRIP is also currently facing a lot of criticism. Because the band is playing (tribute) live shows again, with their old friend as their new singer, four years after frontman Riley Scott Gale shot himself to death with a fentanyl overdose in 2020. But the band did so without consulting Gale's family. And, in particular, because Riley Gale turned down tour requests from Phil Anselmo after the Dimebash 2016 incident (as support for for Superjoint Ritual).
No one is talking about tribute shows anymore... But I haven't read anything about the band's future either.
Musically, POWER TRIP largely stuck to their 2017 sophomore album Nightmare Logic, the following single and two tracks from their debut Manifest Decimation.
Here, too, there was a wild, energetic show with powerful riffs and pounding groove that hardly kept anyone in their seats. Singer Seth Gilmore does a good job, there's nothing to complain about. It remains to be seen whether he will follow in Gale's footsteps as a songwriter and creative spirit and whether POWER TRIP will (be able to) continue in this formation and under this name in the future. In any case, this evening's show was a blast!
Band: Seth Gilmore (vox), Blake Ibanez (git), Nick Stewart (git), Chris Whetzel (bass), Chris Ulsh (drums)
Setlist: Soul Sacrifice, Executioner's Tax (Swing Of The Axe), Firing Squad, Hornet's Nest, Nightmare Logic, Drown/Crucifixation, Waiting Around To Die, Manifest Decimation
:: pics :: PANTERA ::
Before the grand final with :: PANTERA ::, there were surprising shenanigans with Zakk Wylde in the photo pit, who high-fived the first rows with a funny mask and a He-Man figure(?).
Right after, there was film material flickering on the huge side-screens, giving insight of the backstage life of old PANTERA tours and festival appearances, which were dominated by lots of alcohol, drugs and all kinds of nonsense. The focus was, of course, on the Abbott brothers and it was very painful to look into the young faces of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. I think many still wonder today what might have been, if not...
The Abbott brothers were always present, throughout the entire show, whether on the drums or on the big LED screens.
And then the curtain fell...
For the PANTERA show, the question naturally arose as to which songs would be played live. Well, the setlist was no secret and wasn't changed because there was plenty of fire and the lighting was set up accordingly. Of course, the setlist is debatable and there will probably be no consensus, unless PANTERA play all the songs in a weekly event. An album every night or so ... ;)
Anyway, the stage setting was pretty impressive and sound and light show were simply fantastic. Drummer Charlie Benante was barely visible behind his kit, while Phil Anselmo was as cheerful as a lamb and generally very reserved on stage. But that could also be a matter of age ;) His voice has certainly suffered over the years, but not to the extent that it impaired the enjoyment of the music. But he can still pull a face and look angry ;) Zakk Wylde is just... Zakk Wylde. He did his thing, just like you know him from all his bands. And Rex Brown? He somehow always faded a bit, looked a bit lost on the big stage.
The show as a whole was gigantic! PANTERA presented themselves as an absolute force to be reckoned with, tearing the Mitsubishi Electric Hall apart and thrilling the fans. The songs, the groove... simply awesome!
Phil Anselmo honored the young audience as the new generation of metalheads... I actually didn't see that many young people, but a lot of old ones... Well, I'm old myself ;) I saw PANTERA live back in the 90s. I keep thinking, where? Here in the so-called Philips Hall back then? Gruga Hall? Hah!...Yeah! I remember. PANTERA had opened for Judas Priest (and Annihilator) on the Painkiller tour back then. As far as I know, that was the first time PANTERA ever crossed the pond. And then again in 92, actually in the Philips Hall (the name of the Mitsubishi Hall before) as Megadeth's support act. And certainly a few more times afterwards ;)
And what about the old vibes now? No, the show tonight wasn't like it used to be in the past. But I don't think anyone expected that either. As already mentioned, the groove is there, the power too, but it's just... different. It was a tribute show, in the truest sense of the word, and a very respectful one. I wouldn't say that PANTERA had a lot of fun on stage, the guys looked far too tired for that (after all, they are between 56 and 62). But they played with commitment. You never got the feeling that they were bored and playing a set just to make money.
All in all, it was an awesome show! The old magic of PANTERA still shines through and it's just a fucking great fun to experience songs like Walk, Cowboys From Hell and Fucking Hostile live again and to bang your head into a stiff neck. Was it worth the 100 bucks? Yes, I would pay it for such a killer show!
Band: Phil Anselmo (vox), Rex Brown (bass), Zakk Wylde (git), Charlie Benante (drums)
Setlist: A New Level, Mouth For War, Strength Beyond Strength, Becoming, I'm Broken, Suicide Note Pt. II, 5 Minutes Alone, This Love, Floods, Walk, Domination/Hollow, Cowboys From Hell // Fucking Hostile
