Pantera Plays First Reunion Show: Set List, Videos
The reunited Pantera — with classic-era members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown joined by Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante — played their first show on Dec. 2 at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Texcoco, Mexico.
You can see photos and videos from the performance and the full set list (via setlist.fm) below.
The 30,000-capacity crowd was in fine voice as the Pantera logo dropped to reveal the four musicians starting into "A New Level." A series of their most revered tracks followed, including "Becoming," "Use My Third Arm," "This Love," "Fucking Hostile," "Walk" and "Cowboys From Hell." They revitalized their cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan," which was preceded by "Cemetery Gates" playing over the speakers to tee up the final phase of the show.
"It's a very iconic moment here," Anselmo told the crowd at one point.
News of the reunion was revealed in July, when Pantera announced it had received a green light from the estates of drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, the late brothers who co-founded the group in 1981. Vinnie died of an enlarged heart in 2018 at age 54; Darrell was shot and killed onstage in 2004 while performing with his post-Pantera band Damageplan, of which Paul was also a member.
Friends with the Abbott brothers since 1986 when Pantera opened for Anthrax, Benante said his intention was to remain faithful to Vinnie Paul's groovy, pulverizing drumming style on the reunion trek. "I can't go do this as the drummer from Anthrax, because it would be a different sound completely," Benante said. "So the way I'm gonna do that is, if you close your eyes, it's gonna sound like it's Vinnie, basically. … The sound is gonna sound exactly like him."
Wylde, on the other hand, warned fans not to expect him to emulate Dime's style. "No matter what I do, it's going to sound like me," he told Guitar World. "I can practice all I want and stay as faithful as I want, but I am never going to escape that. It's like if Randy Rhoads were to play Eddie Van Halen's 'Eruption': No matter what he did, it would sound like Randy playing, not Eddie. You're never going to mistake Randy for Eddie or Eddie for Randy, and it's the same thing here with me playing Dime's stuff."
Pantera will round out the year with several more festival appearances throughout Latin and South America, then resume touring in May in support of Metallica on the M72 tour. While some commentators reacted to the show on social media by retaining the position that the Pantera name shouldn’t be used in the absence of the Abbotts, a significant number of others appeared to have been convinced by the video clips, with many saying they were ready to attend an upcoming performance.
Watch Pantera Perform ‘A New Level’
Watch Pantera Perform ‘Becoming’
Watch Pantera Perform ‘Drag the Waters’
Watch Pantera Perform ‘Fucking Hostile’
Watch Pantera Perform ‘This Love’
Watch Pantera Perform ‘5 Minutes Alone’
Watch Pantera Perform ‘Walk’
Watch Pantera Perform ‘Cowboys From Hell’
Pantera, 12/2/22, Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, Texcoco - Set List
1. “A New Level”
2. “Mouth for War”
3. “Strength Beyond Strength”
4. “Becoming” (with "Throes of Rejection" intro)
5. “I’m Broken” (with "By Demons Be Driven" intro)
6. “Use My Third Arm”
7. "5 Minutes Alone"
8. “This Love”
9. “Yesterday Don't Mean Shit”
10. “Fucking Hostile”
11. “Planet Caravan”
12. “Walk”
13. “Cowboys From Hell”
14. “Domination” / “Hollow”
Pantera Live in Texcoco, Dec. 2, 2022
Anthrax's Scott Ian on Whether Rock Is Dead