Pantera — at the least the new incarnation of the legendary band — played their first show in 21 years on Friday night (December 2nd). The long-dormant act performed a 15-song set at the Hell & Heaven festival outside Mexico City.
Classic members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) are joined by guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) and drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax) in the band’s revamped lineup. The latter two have the daunting task of filling in for late brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, respectively.
Pantera kicked off the set with “A New Level” and then launched into “Mouth for War,” both from 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power. After that, it was four straight songs from 1994’s Far Beyond Driven (“Strength Beyond Strength,” “Becoming,” “I’m Broken” and “Use My Third Arm”). In fact, the set was mostly culled from those two albums.
Other highlights included “Fucking Hostile” and their cover of Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan,” as well as “5 Minutes Alone,” “Cowboys From Hell” (which they had soundchecked the night before) and the set-closer “Walk.”
While the shows are being fully billed as Pantera, Vinnie Paul’s estate, along with Wylde and Benante, have been cautious to call the tour a “celebration,” and not a “reunion.” Certain fans have expressed discontent with the group being called Pantera, given the iconic legacies of Vinnie and Dimebag, but judging by the video footage of the first show, the band was met with overwhelming enthusiasm at the first gig.
The Hell & Heaven festival appearance kicked off a Latin American tour, which extends through a December 18th show at Knotfest Brazil in São Paulo.
Heavy Consequence has teamed up with Modern Drummer to offer one lucky winner two tickets and a meet & greet with Benante at one of the band’s upcoming South American shows. Enter the contest here or via the form below.
Pantera are also slated to play shows in Europe next year, in addition to providing support on Metallica’s 2023-2024 North American tour.
Enter the aforementioned contest and see fan-filmed video of the Hell & Heaven set, followed by the setlist and upcoming tour dates (with ticket links), below.
Win Pantera Tickets and a Meet & Greet with Charlie Benante
¡El momento esperado!
Al @foropegasomx llega @Pantera quienes inician en nuestro país su show mundial y el @HHOpenAir es el lugar para iniciar con ‘A New Level’.@ZakkWyldeBLS pic.twitter.com/EyyWKGYPWE
— LaCarteleraMx (@LaCarteleraMX) December 3, 2022
Pantera Hell & Heaven Festival Setlist:
01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I’m Broken
06. Use My Third Arm
07. Drag The Waters
08. This Love
09. Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit
10. Fucking Hostile
11. Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath cover)
12. 5 Minutes Alone
13. Cowboys From Hell
14. Domination / Hollow
15. Walk
Pantera’s 2022, 2023 and 2024 Tour Dates (bold = eligible for contest):
2022:
12/06 – Monterrey, MX – Monterrey Metal Fest
12/09 – Bogotá, CO – Knotfest Colombia
12/11 – Santiago, CL- Knotfest Chile
12/12 – Santiago, CL – Movistar Arena
12/15 – São Paulo, BR – Vibra São Paulo
12/18 – São Paulo, BR – Knotfest Brazil
2023:
05/26 – Sofia, BG @ Armeets Arena
05/27 – Bucharest, RO @ Metalhead Meeting Open Air Festival
05/30 – Budapest, HU @ Barba Negra
05/31 – Vienna, AT @ Gasometer
06/02-04 – Nürburgring, DE @ Rock Am Ring
06/02-04 – Nürnberg, DE @ Rock Im Park
06/05 – Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena
06/10 – Sölvesborg, SE @ Sweden Rock Festival
06/12 – Prague, CZ @ O2 Arena (Tix)
06/13 – Berlin, DE @ Verti Music Hall
06/15 – Copenhagen, DK @ Copenhell
06/21 – Hamburg, DE @ Edel Optics
06/22-24 – Oslo, NO @ Tons of Rock (Tix)
08/04 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium ^ (Tix)
08/11 – Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique ^ (Tix)
08/18 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium ^ (Tix)
08/25 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium ^ (Tix)
09/01 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium ^ (Tix)
11/03 – St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center ^ (Tix)
11/10 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field ^ (Tix)
2024:
08/02 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium ^ (Tix)
08/09 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field ^ (Tix)
08/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium ^ (Tix)
08/23 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium ^ (Tix)
08/30 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field ^ (Tix)
^ = supporting Metallica