For years, talk of a “reunion” at the forefront of ’90s metal, PANTERA, talked, rumored, speculated… Again and again it failed due to disagreements between the remaining band members. However, after the second of the legendary Abbot brothers, Vinnie Paul, passed away far too young in 2018 (Dimebag Darrel was known to have been tragically murdered on stage in 2004), it “only” took a handful of years until Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo reunited to perform concerts again under the PANTERA banner in honor of the brothers.
Of course, there can no longer be a reunion in the true sense with the deceased, so capable and, above all, worthy representatives had to be hired to uphold the brothers’ legacy. On the guitar there was no way past Zakk Wylde, for Viennie’s drum stool you could see Charlie Benante from ANTHRAX win.
Various stops of the European tour this summer were already sold out. In close proximity to Vienna, Budapest offered the opportunity to experience one of the, let’s call it from now on, “tribute” concerts. There, the Barba Negra is a well-known location for medium-sized concerts and turned out to be a fine open-air area with a tent roof… very nice. At 6 p.m. sharp, the immense queue of people was let through the gate onto the site. Started at 7 p.m TEETH MARKS the local support band, who didn’t have much to add to the already charged mood with their groove.
At 20:00 the huge PANTERA curtain fell and they served up a massive three-beat with “A New Level”, “Mouth For War” and “Strength Beyond Strength”. Phil Anselmo’s voice was great and for the tribute concerts he adapted his singing again to the “Vulgar Display Of Power” era. The audience ate out of his hand and thanked him with hellishly loud PANTERA chants after every song. Hit followed hit, with each song the mood heated up more and more.
Zakk and Charlie delivered a perfect adaptation of Abbot’s guitar and drum parts without putting an overtly personal stamp on them. The brutal “Fucking Hostile” was followed by a brief off tape of “Cemetery Gates”, only to be followed by a visual memorial to the brothers during “Planet Caravan”. Lovingly compiled clips from the past PANTERA days showed the brothers how they lived, full of joie de vivre, fun and madness. Pure goosebumps and some water collected in the corners of my eyes!
Then came the band’s super hit “Walk”. And “Cowboys From Hell”, intended as an encore, was made the penultimate song by the Hungarian audience, who euphorically roared for another song. The band came back on stage with “Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit” (the song wasn’t on the set the day before)… visibly touched by so much positive energy.
Setlist PANTERA:
A New Level
Mouth For War
Strength Beyond Strength
Becoming
I’m Broken
Suicide Note Pt. II
5 Minutes Alone
This Love
Use My Third Arm
Fucking Hostile
(Cemetery Gates)
Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH)
Walk
Domination / Hollow
Cowboys From Hell
–
Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit
It was a celebration… a celebration of one of the most well-known and influential metal bands and their music, a celebration of the legacy of Dimebag Darrel and Vinnie Paul, and a celebration for the fans of PANTERA, be they the lucky ones who are old enough then and now to have seen today, or those who only got this pleasure with the current tour and got what comes as close as the PANTERA of that time, as the circumstances allow. And the statements of the former fan group it was “hard ass” am Original.
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