Charlie Benante Says He Gets Hate for Being in Pantera
Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but there are lots of metalheads that aren’t thrilled about this Pantera tribute that’s been making the rounds. And to say there’s been a mixed reaction to Charlie Benante on drums and Zakk Wylde on guitar would be a bit of an understatement. In fact, things have been so contentious that Benante says he’s tired of all the hate he gets.
The Anthrax drummer shared his experience with internet trolls and general assholes on social media during an interview with Consequence.
“I don’t go looking for things [online]. There’s people who send me [negative comments], and I’m like, ‘Why did you send me this?’ Why ruin my day?’ And I think these people who [make] these comments, I don’t think they realize how much of an effect they can have on people. Whether or not you hate the situation, why can’t you find some sort of restraint? I’ve never seen more of it in my life than I’ve seen in these past couple of months of people judging.”
Despite the negativity, Benante said he’s still confident in his playing and what he did to prepare for being in the band.
“I spent just a lot of time on Vinnie’s parts [but] more importantly the tones that Vinnie had. I wanted it to sound like Pantera. That was my thing, and my drum configuration is different from the Anthrax one because I wanted to challenge myself to play those parts like he played them, in that configuration. But yet, people still have to find some problem in that.”
Whether you like it or not, this iteration of Pantera’s going to be around for a bit. They’ve already completed a number of European festivals (despite some recent cancellations) and are getting ready for some domestic festivals before jumping onto Metallica’s upcoming North American tour. Be sure to check out the dates and locations below to see if you can catch Pantera live.
2023 Pantera Tour Dates:
May 20 – Daytona, FL – Welcome To Rockville*
Jul. 13 – Cadott, WI – Rockfest*
Jul. 15 – Mansfield, OH – Inkcarceration*
Jul. 28 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion At Star Lake
Jul. 29 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Jul. 31 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater#
Aug. 02 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Aug. 04 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium^
Aug. 05 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
Aug. 06 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion At Montage Mountain
Aug. 08 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater At Lakeview
Aug. 09 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Aug. 11 – Montreal, QC – Olympique Stadium^
Aug. 12 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Aug. 15 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Aug. 17 – Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug. 18 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium^
Aug. 20 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Aug. 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Aug. 25 – Inglewood, CA – SoFi Stadium^
Aug. 26 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Aug. 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
Aug. 31 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Sep. 01 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium^
Sep. 03 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma*
Sep. 07 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
Sep. 08 – Gilford, NH – Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion
Sep. 10 – Alton, VA – Blue Ridge Rock Festival*
Sep. 12 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sep. 14 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater At Virginia Beach
Sep. 15 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Sep. 23 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life*
Oct. 07 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock*
Nov. 03 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome At America’s Center^
Nov. 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field^
