U.S. Pantera fans have been waiting for this.
Last night (May 6th) the Texas groove-metal juggernaut finally played their first stateside show with the band's new lineup: core members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown joined by Black Label Society shredder Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante. The momentous gig went down at the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally in Panama City, Florida; until that performance, Pantera's comeback run had hit Mexico, South America and Japan but not the group's home country.
In addition to being the first U.S. show of the comeback run, the Thunder Beach performance also marked Pantera's first stateside concert in 22 long years — since July 25th, 2001, to be precise, when the band's Extreme Steel Tour hit the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.
Understanding the magnitude of the occasion, Anselmo, Brown, Wylde and Benante pulled out all the stops, even mixing up the setlist with the addition of the most extreme cut in the Pantera catalog, The Great Southern Trendkill's "Suicide Note Pt. II," which the new lineup hadn't performed before. Notably, the setlist didn't include "War Nerve," despite Benante recently sharing rehearsal video of the group practicing it.
Check out the full 11-song setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm) below, as well as fan-filmed videos of the historic performance. Pantera's next stop is the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona, Florida, on May 20th — maybe fans will get "War Nerve" there. Stay tuned.
Pantera setlist, 5/6/23:
Mouth for War
A New Level
Strength Beyond Strength
Becoming (with "Throes of Rejection" outro)
I'm Broken (with "By Demons Be Driven" outro)
This Love
Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
Suicide Note Pt. II
Walk
Domination/Hollow
Cowboys From Hell
