 | Written by Alex Stojanovic Photography by Marta Chilina (C) 2024 All rights reserved by MetalMasterKingdom.com PANTERA w/ Lamb Of God and SNAFU @ Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON, Canada February 26, 2024 |
Ever since December 2022 when the first Pantera show in 21 years happened in Mexico, demand to see this celebratory tribute skyrocketed through the roof across the globe, and rightfully so. Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown could not have found two more proper guys than Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante to fill the shoes of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul! To all the doubters out there, I understand that Pantera is such a personal experience for all, but Phil and Rex were just as much a part of Pantera as the brothers were, and they have every right to go out and play and celebrate the songs they recorded. Plus, those songs still resonate with people, and people want to hear those songs. It's obviously not the "REAL" Pantera, but it's the best tribute version of the band, and the furthest thing from a "cash grab". This is a celebration of the music, the legacy, and the fans!
2023 saw the band tour in full force around Asia, Europe and North America, which included festivals, a bunch of headline dates and dates supporting Metallica, and fans were delighted beyond belief. I had the opportunity to see the band when they played Toronto at the Budweiser Stage last summer. Having become a Pantera fan a few years after the tragic loss of Dimebag, to finally have the opportunity to hear those legendary songs live with two prime members of the band, and two other legends who were close to the brothers and the camp, was such a special and moving experience. It was not only one of the best shows of 2023, but one of the best shows I've ever seen. With that being said, the celebration contiinues with further touring in 2024 planned. The first leg of the year was a short headline run across North America, and I was rather surprised to see Toronto on the list so soon after the last gig, but hey, all the musicians go in the direction of demand.
The main part of the bill was exactly the same as last time with Pantera and Lamb Of God. The only difference was the opening act. They kept with the tradition where select smaller bands that are signed to Phil's label: Housecore Records, got the opportunity to share the bill with the two bands on select dates. Last time, we got Child Bite and this time, it was SNAFU. Toronto was the only repeat city from the previous run on this tour, and was the second last show on the trek. The tour made a stop at the Scotiabank Arena on February 26, which was a rather mild Monday night. Fans of all ages, including first-timers and people who saw the tour the past summer, and had the opportunity to see the "real" Pantera back in the 90s, gathered to witness the Cowboys From Hell make their return!
2023 saw the band tour in full force around Asia, Europe and North America, which included festivals, a bunch of headline dates and dates supporting Metallica, and fans were delighted beyond belief. I had the opportunity to see the band when they played Toronto at the Budweiser Stage last summer. Having become a Pantera fan a few years after the tragic loss of Dimebag, to finally have the opportunity to hear those legendary songs live with two prime members of the band, and two other legends who were close to the brothers and the camp, was such a special and moving experience. It was not only one of the best shows of 2023, but one of the best shows I've ever seen. With that being said, the celebration contiinues with further touring in 2024 planned. The first leg of the year was a short headline run across North America, and I was rather surprised to see Toronto on the list so soon after the last gig, but hey, all the musicians go in the direction of demand.
The main part of the bill was exactly the same as last time with Pantera and Lamb Of God. The only difference was the opening act. They kept with the tradition where select smaller bands that are signed to Phil's label: Housecore Records, got the opportunity to share the bill with the two bands on select dates. Last time, we got Child Bite and this time, it was SNAFU. Toronto was the only repeat city from the previous run on this tour, and was the second last show on the trek. The tour made a stop at the Scotiabank Arena on February 26, which was a rather mild Monday night. Fans of all ages, including first-timers and people who saw the tour the past summer, and had the opportunity to see the "real" Pantera back in the 90s, gathered to witness the Cowboys From Hell make their return!
| SNAFU Photo credit: Marta Chilina / (C) 2024 MetalMasterKingdom.com | Kicking off the night was SNAFU, which is an acronym for Situation Normal All Fucked Up, from Detroit. They took the stage to a sparse crowd (as per usual for any show, but especially for a Monday night), but had a much more respectable reception compared to Child Bite last summer, who also just happened to be from Detroit. Their sound was very much in the groove/thrash style. The two guitarists shared lead vocal duties, with the bassist throwing in backing vocals. One of the two guitarists was sporting thick dreadlocks and a thick beard, which made him look like a cross between Chris Barners and Brian Fair. During their 0.5 hr set, they treated us all to a shortened cover of Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire", which included the famous intro playing on the P.A. before kicking into it. During the song, you could hear that the drummer got lost in the timing, but managed to get back on track without derailing the performance. I'm sorry, the musician in me couldn't help but notice that, and I thought "That is how you do it!" If I had to choose between SNAFU and Child Bite, I'd have to pick SNAFU! |
| Next up was Lamb Of God. I just have to say that it was very nostalgic seeing the band again at Scotiabank, given that the first time I saw Lamb Of God was at the same venue in 2009 when they supported Metallica on the Death Magnetic Tour. Ah yes, good times! Given that they brought pyro out the last two times I saw them, I was expecting them to do the same this time around, but there wasn't a single pyro blast during their set this time, which honestly took me by surprise a little bit. Opening with "Memento Mori", they had absolutely no issues whipping the crowd into a frenzy (I mean, it's Lamb Of God; how can you not?). What's amazing is that song is coming on only 4 years old, and it seems to have already taken on a life of its own, and sits alongside their biggest hits. Their set included a couple of changes from last time. For instance, they pulled out a couple of cool classics like "Hourglass" and "Vigil", while also touching on the big setlist staples like "Walk With Me In Hell", "Now You've Got Something To Die For", "Ruin", "Laid To Rest" and the ultimate closer "Redneck". That marked time #7 for me seeing Lamb Of God, with many more to come! | LAMB OF GOD Photo credit: Marta Chilina / (C) 2024 MetalMasterKingdom.com |
| PANTERA Photo credit: Marta Chilina / (C) 2024 MetalMasterKingdom.com | Come 9:30, and it was time for the main event: Pantera! Just like last time, the hit-packed setlist kicked off with the one-two punch of "A New Level" and "Mouth For War". It's worth noting that the setlist was pretty much exactly the same as last time, except for one song that swapped since then, and was a couple of songs shorter. The band bludgeoned the crowd with fan-favourite after fan-favourite like "Strength Beyond Strength", "Becoming", "I'm Broken", "5 Minutes Alone", "This Love", "Walk" and "Cowboys From Hell". For the tribute segment to Dime and Vinnie, a video montage of the brothers just being themselves rolled on the rearview screens while the band prepared to kick into the only song that was new on this tour, and that was "Floods". Hearing Zakk play the solo and the outro to the song while the montage was rolling almost brought me to tears, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Given that the band was in Toronto, Charlie Benante always feels the need to sneak in a Rush tease, so the band treated the crowd to a snippet of "Spirit Of Radio". I just have to say that I never heard a Rush song sound that heavy before. I wonder how it would've sounded if Phil sang the lyrics. |
For "Walk", all the members of Lamb Of God and SNAFU joined the band on stage to sing the chorus, which was followed by the medley of "Domination" and "Hollow", and the main set ended with "Cowboys From Hell". After taking a moment to get end-of-tour pictures with all the bands and crew members, the band went into the encore with "Fucking Hostile", and the show ended with Phil asking the crowd to sing along to "Limelight" and "Stairway To Heaven", thus closing off what was a truly metal Monday in Toronto.
Okay, now I have to let the fan in me have its moment in here. If I could've made a couple of setlist suggestions, I would've swapped out "Suicide Note Pt. II", since they played it last time, for either another Great Southern Trendkill cut like "Drag The Waters", or something else off Cowboys From Hell like "Primal Concrete Sledge", "Cemetery Gates" or even "Heresy". I only say that because those were the least-focused albums of the set. A song from Reinventing The Steel would also have been a nice addition to make it another complete collection of songs from the gold era.
With all that being said, it was a real treat to get to witness Pantera once more after seeing them for the first time this past summer. I look forward to next time; whenever that maybe. I encourage anyone to go out and see Pantera when you get the chance. If you've never seen them before, or if you saw them back in their heyday, this tour is more than just a celebration. It's an experience! Dime and Vinnie may no longer be with us, but their spirits were definitely present, and everyone felt it. Even with them painted on Charlie's kick drums raising glasses of Blacktooth Grins made it feel like they were there giving their approval of the celebration and having a great time! GETCHA PULL!
Okay, now I have to let the fan in me have its moment in here. If I could've made a couple of setlist suggestions, I would've swapped out "Suicide Note Pt. II", since they played it last time, for either another Great Southern Trendkill cut like "Drag The Waters", or something else off Cowboys From Hell like "Primal Concrete Sledge", "Cemetery Gates" or even "Heresy". I only say that because those were the least-focused albums of the set. A song from Reinventing The Steel would also have been a nice addition to make it another complete collection of songs from the gold era.
With all that being said, it was a real treat to get to witness Pantera once more after seeing them for the first time this past summer. I look forward to next time; whenever that maybe. I encourage anyone to go out and see Pantera when you get the chance. If you've never seen them before, or if you saw them back in their heyday, this tour is more than just a celebration. It's an experience! Dime and Vinnie may no longer be with us, but their spirits were definitely present, and everyone felt it. Even with them painted on Charlie's kick drums raising glasses of Blacktooth Grins made it feel like they were there giving their approval of the celebration and having a great time! GETCHA PULL!
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