It’s hard to think of American heavy metal without thinking of Pantera. Their story is not for the faint of heart. This is a band that survived the onstage murder of guitarist and founding member Dimebag Darrell in 2004, the loss of his brother and drummer Vinnie Paul to heart failure in 2018, years of addiction, and fallouts between members. So when Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown, Zakk Wylde, and Charlie Benante took the stage last night in West Palm Beach for the final show of their The Heaviest Tour of the Summer, their presence stood as a testament to resilience and the enduring power of their music.
It’s safe to say the nearly 20,000 fans at the iThink Financial Amphitheatre felt something close to grace when the opening chords of “Suicide Note Pt. II” ripped through the night air. The show’s intensity was exactly what fans came for, with mosh pits breaking out on the amphitheatre’s muddy lawn. The setlist mixed iconic tracks like “Cowboys From Hell,” “Mouth for War,” and “5 Minutes Alone” with deeper cuts that rewarded the die-hards.
This has been a rough year for metal fans. Ozzy Osbourne died in July, and Brent Hinds of Mastodon was killed in a motorcycle accident just last month. “The Prince of Darkness” was a mentor to Pantera — who performed at Black Sabbath’s final concert, Back to the Beginning, in Birmingham, England. Anselmo took a moment during the set to dedicate a song to the “amazing fuckin’ Osbourne.” In fact, the band postponed several tour dates to mourn the loss of the British legend…