The highly anticipated Pantera tour is about to kick off, with drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax) and guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) filling the legendary shoes of late brothers Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell, respectively. They join classic members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) in the lineup, with the shows marking the first Pantera concerts in more than 20 years.
In celebration of the Pantera tour, Heavy Consequence and Modern Drummer are hosting a contest in which a lucky fan can win tickets to a South American show and meet Charlie Benante (enter here and find more details below). We’re also premiering an exclusive video interview between Modern Drummer publisher David Frangioni and Benante, who opens up on how the tour came together.
“Basically, the Pantera thing has always been about the celebration — celebrating the brothers Vinnie and Darrell, celebrating the music, and, of course, celebrating the fans,” begins Benante in the video above. “That’s exactly what we talked about, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
He adds, “I can take this back many, many years ago to my first meeting those guys in the mid ’80s. We just always had a great friendship, a great bond. For me, losing both of those guys, I took it very deeply. Especially with Darrell, we were very good friends, we would talk all the time. I miss both of those guys so much.”
Benante continues, “So, when this opportunity came about, Rex and Philip called me, and the first thing I said was, “Absolutely.” Because I know what it means to me on an emotional level, and I know what it meant to them.”
The metal veteran goes on to praise the sound that Pantera created, calling Dimebag one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived.
He’s especially excited for the fans who never got to see Pantera back in the day, saying, “This is a chance for kids who weren’t even born to come and be a part of it.”
As far as his approach to the shows, Benante explains, “For me, personally speaking, I love Vinnie, I loved the way Vinnie played. Vinnie had a certain style, Vinnie had a certain sound to his drums. Now, I am not playing in this version of Pantera as myself. I’m playing as Vinnie would play it. So, if you close your eyes, you’re gonna hear it sound like Vinnie. I have a different kit configuration. I tune the drums just like Vinnie, so it’s gonna be spot on. So, I’m excited about doing that. … It has to sound right.”
Benante also shares memories of hanging out with Dimebag and Vinnie, and talks about the importance that Pantera had on ’90s metal, among other topics. Watch the full interview above.
The Pantera tour kicks off with a Latin American leg beginning December 2nd at the Hell & Heaven festival in Mexico City, and runs through a December 18th show in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
As mentioned, Heavy Consequence is teaming up with Modern Drummer to offer a lucky fan the chance to win tickets to a show and meet Charlie Benante.
Enter the contest below by choosing the South American date and city of your choice (December 9th through December 18th, in bold below). Transportation is not being provided, so make sure you pick a city that is close to home or in a location where you plan on being at the time of the concert. The contest ends December 6th.
Pantera will also be touring Europe in May and June of 2023, as well as supporting Metallica in North America in 2023 and 2024.
Pantera’s 2022, 2023 and 2024 Tour Dates (bold = eligible for contest):
2022:
12/02 – Texicoco, MX – Hell & Heaven Metal Fest
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
