Watch: Pantera Finally Played a Show and It Sounds Pretty Good
It’s been over 20 years since they last performed, but a new iteration of Pantera took the stage at the Heaven & Hell Fest last night in Mexico and we’ve finally got performance footage to pour over. Our friends over at Metal Injection were on the scene to capture some of the action and from what you can hear in the clips below, they sounded pretty good.
Obviously, Zakk Wylde sounds like Zakk with all the pinch harmonics falling out of his ass on stage, but he certainly knows how to play the damn songs. The rhythm section is tight as hell, but that’s what you get when you combine surviving Pantera member Rex Brown with Anthrax‘s insanely talented (and obscenely underrated) drummer Charlie Benante. And perhaps the biggest wild card in the room, Phil Anselmo, sounds great, which is a bit of a relief. Dude sounds awesome despite his getting up there in age, so that’s fucking awesome to hear.
According to those on the ground, Pantera’s setlist was pretty damn killer and was as follows:
- “A New Level”
- “Mouth for War”
- “Strength Beyond Strength”
- “Becoming”
- “I’m Broken”
- “Use My Third Arm”
- “Drag the Waters”
- “This Love”
- “Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit”
- “Fucking Hostile”
- “Cemetery Gates”
- “Planet Caravan”
- “5 Minutes Alone”
- “Cowboys From Hell”
Now, we all know this isn’t a Pantera reunion but the estate of the late Vinnie Paul issued a statement further explaining how the band’s list of shows, including those they’ll open for Metallica, are not a reunion.
“There can never be a PANTERA reunion without Vinnie and Dime. However, there is no better way to celebrate and honor Vinnie and Dime’s legacy, than to bring the music of PANTERA directly to the fans. We are honored that Charlie and Zakk, their very close friends and musical brothers, will share the stage with Philip and Rex, to unleash the power of PANTERA live around the world.”
With the successful return last night, I know I’m chomping at the bit to see these guys in person. Luckily, they’re gonna be hitting a TON of places over the next couple years, the dates of which you can check below. And who knows? Maybe we’ll get some new material too.
Confirmed Pantera dates so far:
12/02 Toluca, MEX – Foro Pegaso (‘Hell & Heaven Metal Fest‘)
12/06 Monterrey, MEX – Monterrey Metal Fest
12/09 Bogotá, COL – Knotfest Colombia
12/11 Santiago, CHL – Knotfest Chile
12/12 Santiago, CHL – Movistar Arena
12/15 São Paulo, BRA – Vibra São Paulo (feat. Judas Priest)
12/18 São Paulo, BRA – Knotfest Brazil
05/26 Sofia, BUL – Armeets Arena
05/27 Bucharest, ROM – Metalhead Meeting Open Air Festival
05/30 Budapest, HUN – Barba Negra
05/31 Vienna, AUT – Gasometer
06/02-04 Nürburg, GER – Rock am Ring
06/02-04 Nuremberg, GER – Rock im Park
06/05 Lodz, POL – Atlas Arena
06/08-10 Hyvinkaa, FIN – Rock Fest
06/10 Solvesborg, SWE – Sweden Rock Festival
06/12 Prague, CZE – O2 Arena
06/13 Berlin, GER – Verti Music Hall
06/15 Copenhagen, DEN – Copenhell
06/21 Hamburg, GER – Edel Optics
06/22-24 Oslo, NOR – Tons Of Rock
07/02 Bologna, ITA – The Return Of The Gods Festival
08/04 East Rutherford, NJ – Metlife Stadium (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
08/11 Montreal, QC – Stade Olympique (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
08/18 Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
08/25 Los Angeles, CA – Sofi Stadium (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
09/01 Phoenix, AZ – State Farm Stadium (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
11/03 St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
11/10 Detroit, MI – Ford Field (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
2024:
08/02 Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
08/09 Chicago, IL – Soldier Field (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
08/16 Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
08/23 Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
08/30 Seattle, WA – Lumen Field (feat. Metallica & Mammoth WVH)
