Pantera didn’t headline Minneapolis’ Target Center on Thursday night, but a reasonable facsimile of the groove metal pioneers did.
Lead singer Phil Anselmo was the first to admit it, announcing to the crowd early on that “everything we do is for Dimebag and Vinnie,” a reference to the late Abbott brothers, who founded the group under their stage names Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. Because, really, those two were the heart of Pantera, who broke up in 2003 amid ongoing problems between the brothers and Anselmo. (Dimebag was murdered onstage in 2004 by an unstable fan, while Vinnie died of heart failure in 2018.)
In 2022, Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown announced they were reuniting with the help of two high-profile metal veterans who also happened to be close to the Abbotts: Zakk Wylde, who is best known as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante.
Thursday marked Pantera’s first local arena headlining gig in two dozen years. (The foursome opened for Metallica last year at U.S. Bank Stadium and also played a last-minute show at First Avenue.) While, again, it wasn’t the “real” Pantera, the band still turned in a fierce and fiery 90-minute performance that kept the crowd of about 10,000 glowing.
Anselmo’s Rob Halford-inspired vocals sounded as strong and heavy as ever, as if the 57-year-old hadn’t aged a day since Pantera’s heyday in the ’90s. He fondly remembered first playing the area in 1990 and said Minneapolis was one of the first cities to embrace the band. And in addition to his impressive vocal stamina, Anselmo also found time to knock out a meaty guitar solo during “Goddamn Electric.”
Wylde and Benante proved to be perfect additions to the band, which wasn’t too surprising given they’re two of the most talented players in the genre. Benante in particular impressed the crowd with his muscular, yet precise, drumming. (Two dudes sitting next to me were raving about him all night.)
The bulk of the songs in the set list came from Pantera’s two biggest albums, “Vulgar Display of Power” and “Far Beyond Driven,” but the other three core records each got at least one track aired. The fans ate them all up, from “Hellbound” to “Mouth for War” to “I’m Broken” to “Walk.”
The spirit of Osbourne, who died last month at age 76, was palpable throughout the entire show, which included opening sets from Amon Amarth and King Parrot. The Prince of Darkness got shout-outs from all three acts, which wasn’t too surprising given that Pantera postponed a pair of shows after his death to allow time for grieving. I’m guessing Ozzy would have approved.
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