Last night (November 2) at the Hell & Heaven Metal Festival at Foro Pegaso in Toluca, Mexico, a freshly half reunited, yet newly reconstructed Pantera played their first under the band’s banner in over 20 years. The four-piece consists of surviving members bassist Rex Brown and vocalist Philip Anselmo as they were joined by guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante. The announcement of a Pantera reunion had fans divided when it was first announced back in July of this year due to the fact that the two brothers and founding members of Pantera, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. Although there have been reports that Brown and Anselmo did seek and gain approval from the family of their lost bandmates.
If there was any question as to how genuine Brown and Anselmo were in their pursuit, it was put to rest after they premiered a touching tribute video to Dimebag and Paul. Along with the video, fans could see the silhouettes of the two brothers painted on Benante’s bass drum throughout the show. You can see their tribute video below.
While there were moments to remember their past, the new Pantera wasted no time reintroducing themselves. The band’s setlist spanned their career as they pulled songs all from Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display of Power, and Far Beyond Driven with one track from 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill. The band covered “Planet Caravan” by Black Sabbath and included their infamous “Domination/Hollow” melody the band has been performing since the late ’90s. The setlist featured some of their most powerfully recognized songs and reminded the world why the Pantera name still holds weight.
The new lineup of Pantera has recently been announced as a supporting act on Metallica’s massive 2023 stadium tour. Along with those shows, the band will be bouncing around festivals and one-off headlining shows globally. You can check out their full set of future dates, last night’s setlist, and footage from their reunion show below:
Dates: https://pantera.com/tour/
