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The surviving members of Pantera are selling out shows across South America. The opening date in Chile moved to a much larger venue.
Vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown are on an official Pantera reunion tour featuring Zakk Wylde on guitar and Charlie Benante on drums. The group has yet to announce any North American dates, but high demand means some dates are being scheduled for different venues.
Posting on their official social media, Pantera shared this message: “Our upcoming headline show at Caupolican Theater, Santiago, sold out so quickly that we decided to move the show to Movistar Arena on 12/12. And Sepultura is now on the bill as well.” The original venue seated just 5,400, while the new venue will seat over 17,000. Some Pantera fans are taking issue with this being marketed as a reunion tour when iconic members Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul are no longer with us.
It’s worth noting that the current lineup did receive the blessings of both Dime and Vinnie’s estates. Other dates slated for the group include festivals in Latin America. Wylde says he sees the tour as a celebration, rather than a reunion–no matter how it is being marketed to fans. The general consensus on social media seems to be that fans are happy to see the celebration, regardless.
‘It’s Phil, Rex, and two of their buddies getting together to honor Dime, Vinnie, and all their achievements. It’s a celebration of Pantera and all the mountains they conquered. That’s the way I look at it,” Wylde told Ultimate Guitar about the upcoming shows. The first headline performance is at Mexico City’s Heaven & Hell Festivals. They’ll also be hitting up Knotfest in Colombia, Chile, and Brazil in December too.
Meanwhile, several smaller touring artists have had to cancel entire legs of their tours due to struggling with the cost of touring–especially in Europe.