
First reported as a rumor byĀ BLABBERMOUTH.NETĀ last night, it has now been confirmed thatĀ ANTHRAXĀ drummerĀ Charlie BenanteĀ andĀ OZZY OSBOURNEĀ guitaristĀ Zakk WyldeĀ are the musicians who will joinĀ PANTERA‘s surviving members on a reunion tour.
WyldeĀ andĀ Benante, along with singerĀ Philip AnselmoĀ and bassistĀ Rex Brown, will tour asĀ PANTERA, headlining a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts.
According to
Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band’s founders, drummerĀ
Vincent “Vinnie Paul” AbbottĀ and guitaristĀ
“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, as well asĀ
Brown, who last year saidĀ
WyldeĀ wouldn’t tour withĀ
PANTERAĀ if a reunion were to happen. It’s unclear what changed his mind.
BenanteĀ andĀ WyldeĀ have both voiced their appreciation forĀ PANTERA‘s musical legacy on a number of occasions in recent years. Back in June 2018, just one day after the death ofĀ Vinnie Paul,Ā BenanteĀ toldĀ SiriusXMĀ about the first time he met theĀ PANTERAĀ drummer: “The very first time, it was the first time we ever were in Texas. And those guys [PANTERA] were there. We played at this club, and I believeĀ PANTERAĀ were the opening band. A mutual friend of ours, who everybody knows now āĀ RitaĀ [Haney, longtime girlfriend ofĀ Dimebag] ā she kind of was the conduit to grouping us together to become friendly. We’ve known those guys since 1985, and just the two of them,Ā DarrellĀ andĀ Vinnie, after you met those two, it was like you had a friend in Texas, both of them, and they just made the experience so much better, and you immediately bonded. So throughout the years, we just remained friends.”
BenanteĀ went on to draw a parallel betweenĀ PANTERAĀ and another legendary rock band which featured siblings who achieved notability together.
“I always equated DimeĀ andĀ VinnieĀ as, like,Ā AlexĀ andĀ EddieĀ fromĀ VAN HALEN; I always thoughtĀ PANTERAĀ was likeĀ VAN HALENĀ reborn,” he said. “They had a guitar player, who was a hero. The drummers were fucking awesome, but the thing aboutĀ VinnieĀ that, I think, not a lot of people know ā maybe they do ā but from a technical side of things,Ā VinnieĀ made thoseĀ PANTERAĀ records sound like that. He was the guy behind it all who was turning the knobs, EQing shit so that his kick drum wasn’t fighting withĀ Darrell‘s fucking chunky guitar. He was a lot of the brains and the glue that held that band together and, basically, pushed that band.”
In 2019,Ā Anselmo, who has spent the past few years playing aĀ PANTERA-centric set with his solo band,Ā THE ILLEGALS, told Chile’sĀ Humo NegroĀ that he would consider getting together withĀ WyldeĀ andĀ BrownĀ and performingĀ PANTERA‘s classic songs in concert. “Well,Ā ZakkĀ is a busy man,” he said. “He does his own band, he does stuff withĀ OzzyĀ and all that stuff. We spoke about it maybe one time. And I think everybody āĀ everybodyĀ ā is⦠I guess they’re like me. Keep an open mind about it. We’ll see. But I know from all the hard work with [Anselmo‘s]Ā THE ILLEGALSĀ [project] here to make those songs right, all of us, we would have to take time off and really practice together and get everything perfect. So it’s a lot of work. And I’m doing a lot of bands, man, right now. [But] if everything was lined up, I would do it ā sure. Fuck yeah! Why not?”
ZakkĀ was also open to the idea, tellingĀ “The Cassius Morris Show”Ā in October 2019: “WhenĀ Saint VinnieĀ was still around, they were talking about it then. I mean, the way I always looked at it is it’s aĀ PANTERAĀ celebration and an honor. I mean, every night I’m playing withĀ Ozz, we honorĀ Saint RhoadsĀ [lateĀ OzzyĀ guitaristĀ Randy Rhoads]. I’m playing theĀ RandyĀ stuff every night, and I’m blessed and it’s an honor to do it. Basically, we’re paying tribute toĀ RandyĀ every night ā keeping his music alive.
“If we got together and we ended up doing it, it would be like⦠I just look at it like if Eric ClaptonĀ went out and was withĀ MitchĀ [Mitchell,Ā Jimi Hendrix‘s drummer] andĀ NoelĀ [Redding,Ā Hendrix‘s bass player] and singing and playingĀ Jimi‘s songs, and he’s honoringĀ Jimi, ’cause that was his buddy.
“No one’s replacing anybody. No one’s replacingĀ Randy RhoadsĀ ā he was a one-off. Just like no one’s replacingĀ Jimi HendrixĀ and no one’s replacingĀ DimeĀ ā orĀ Vinnie.
“If [LED]Ā ZEPPELINĀ was going out, and ifĀ Jason‘s [Bonham] playing drums, no one’s replacing his father. What they’re doing is celebrating his father’s greatness and what he achieved and all the mountains he conquered withĀ ZEPPELIN. It’s more of a tribute and a celebration than it is… You can’t replace any of these people I’m talking about ā they’re all legendary guys. But, yeah, you’re just celebrating all their achievements ā that’s all.”
In April 2021, RexĀ toldĀ EonmusicĀ that he andĀ PhilipĀ still get offers for aĀ PANTERAĀ tribute tour. “But if you don’t have the other guys in the band, it’s not going to sound the same,” he said. “If we were ever to do something like that, it would have to be spot-on, or I wouldn’t do it. It would be a tribute.”
WhenĀ EonmusicĀ interviewerĀ Eamon O’NeillĀ added that he wasn’t about to ask the usual question about a reunion withĀ Zakk WyldeĀ taking the place ofĀ Dimebag,Ā RexĀ offered: “It’s going to come up, and it wouldn’t beĀ Zakk Wylde, I guarantee you that. I’ve just put it out there so we can get on past it.”
In February 2020,Ā HaneyĀ said she would “definitely” be in favor ofĀ Anselmo,Ā BrownĀ andĀ WyldeĀ teaming up for aĀ PANTERAĀ tribute tour. A few days later,Ā BrownĀ weighed in on her comments, writing onĀ Twitter: “I wanna make sure that ppl understand what I’m about to tweet.. It’s not up toĀ RitaĀ to say what will happen, only whatĀ PhilipĀ & I say…I’m in!! Dig?!?!?”
RitaĀ discussed the possibility of the formerĀ PANTERAĀ members and theĀ OZZY OSBOURNEĀ guitarist paying tribute toĀ DimebagĀ and his brotherĀ Vinnie Paul AbbottĀ while speaking toĀ “The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show”Ā on the red carpet of theĀ Ronnie James Dio 10th Memorial Awards GalaĀ at the Avalon in Los Angeles. She said: “I don’t think there could be aĀ PANTERAĀ reunion, but I think that his two remaining brothers,Ā RexĀ andĀ Philip, if they wanted to honorĀ DarrellĀ andĀ Vinnie, as far as where I’m coming from and what I believeĀ DarrellĀ would believe ā because he was the most forgiving person that I know ā I believe that he would be honored. It’s kind of a clichĆ© to say, but he truly would be grateful that he meant that much to them. And I think if they wanna honor their fallen brothers with a tribute, I think that that’s great. But as far as trying to say putĀ PANTERAĀ back together,Ā PANTERAĀ tribute, this and that, no ā that’s distasteful without those other guys. But I think as a tribute, it would be a really great thing. Because I know, from a fan’s point, if I hadn’t been able to see them play or hear those songs ā the songs, they mean so much to me; I can imagine [they do to] other people as well. I think it’s great that they can at least see it performed, and by people that truly love ’em. So, yeah, I think it would be a really cool thing.”
When asked to clarify if she would “be okay with a tour,” she responded: “I definitely would. I’d wanna be at every show. [Laughs]”
Talk about a possibleĀ PANTERAĀ “reunion” intensified whenĀ AnselmoĀ regularly joinedĀ Wylde‘sĀ BLACK LABEL SOCIETYĀ to performĀ PANTERA‘s songĀ “I’m Broken”Ā duringĀ DOWN‘s 2014 stint on theĀ “Revolver Golden Gods Tour”. That buzz only got stronger afterĀ BrownĀ joined the jam on May 23, 2014 when the tour swung through Texas.
Up until his passing, VinnieĀ remained on non-speaking terms withĀ Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed forĀ Dimebag‘s death.
Vinnie PaulĀ andĀ DimebagĀ co-foundedĀ PANTERA. WhenĀ PANTERAĀ broke up in 2003, they formedĀ DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing withĀ DAMAGEPLANĀ at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio,Ā DimebagĀ was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members ofĀ PANTERAĀ were stealing his thoughts.
Source:Ā www.blabbermouth.net
Post comments (0)