Pantera Brought A New Level Of Legacy To Houston

Thursday night, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion hosted yet another kick-ass show to officially end the summer of 2023 with metal legends Pantera and Lamb Of God. As I scrolled through Facebook the morning of the show, it was all everyone was talking about and so many people were stoked to be attending. When Pantera announced this “Tribute” tour at the beginning of the year, many fans did not know exactly how to react to it, many couldn’t get past the fact that two very important founding members were no longer with us… so how could Pantera be back? There’s no denying that these fans had their reasons behind questioning this tour, but once it soaked in a little, and the announcement of who would be filling in those voids for this tour was made, I believe everyone started to understand the reasoning and allowed for more excitement. . The last time Pantera as a whole was able to play one last time was in August of 2001 in Yokohama, Japan. I, myself, was only eight years old, so for me, this “tribute” show was the best taste of Pantera I, and many people around my age, was ever going to get. So in all honesty, I was absolutely thrilled that they went through with this Legacy Tour.

Texas’s very own Brutal Death Metal Band Flesh Hoarder had the honor of opening the night with intense growls, mosh pits, and epic headbanging. I’m pretty sure they were the first ‘Brutal’ band to ever play at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, and what made it obvious was observing the workers and security guards’ reaction. It. Was. Hilarious. These dudes really know how to grab you by the throat with their vicious riffs and the obvious growls. As I looked behind me, most of the crowd was loving it… all I could see was swarms of heads nodding along to the violent yet brilliant set. All in all, Flesh Hoarder showed no mercy and started off the night with a brutal punch to the face.

Next up was my personal fav, Lamb Of God. My excitement and anticipation was at an all time high the entire day for this band to blast through my ears again… and as expected, they did just that. As they emerged from behind their giant banner while it tumbled to the ground, “Memento Mori” was blasting through our ears and it was time to get wild. Incredible front-man Randy Blythe with that normal rage of energy was already pacing back and forth from each end of the stage and pumping everyone up with those immaculate screams. Lamb Of God has always been known to deliver the most monumental performances and that’s one of the many reasons I will never NOT attend their shows. The overall energy these guys bring to the stage is just unreal… They’ve also been doing this for decades and yet they still manage to thrive more and more each show. During their ten-song set, Lamb Of God played a vast majority from old jams to their newest hits including “Walk With Me In Hell”, “Resurrection Man”, “Ruin”, and even “Contractor”. Fans were screaming from the top of their lungs to each song (myself included) and overall having a blast. Finishing their set with “Redneck”, Lamb Of God had everyone up and out of their seats and gave one hell of a performance just before welcoming Pantera to the stage.

Finally it was time for what most attendees were there for and eager to witness… PanFuckingTera. The buildup of this show was intense to say the least. EVERYONE was stoked for what was yet to come… and it was finally time. As many know by now, Pantera’s new lineup features core members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown, joined by Charlie Benante (Anthrax) and Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) who are playing in place of the late, great Abbott brothers, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. Everyone was curious of how they were going to sound but knowing how talented Wylde and Benante are… it was clear if anyone would be able to fill the shoes of the late abbott bros, it would be them.

Behind another large banner with “Pantera ” in big bold lettering with some lovely marijuana leaves, stood Pantera waiting to emerge in front of the crowd. After a minute, they dropped the banner and instantly played “A New Level”. Yall wouldn’t believe how much screaming there was from the crowd. It was really the most thrilling thing I’ve witnessed in a hot minute. The energy, the rage, the excitement, was absolutely unreal. I have goosebumps just talking about it, it was simply incredible.

Anyways, Continuing with so many hits including “Mouth For War”, “Suicide Note Pt 2” (my personal fav) and of course “Fucking Hostile”. These guys were crushing it. There wasn’t one note, one sound, one beat… that wasn’t on point. They sounded incredible. It’s hard to even come close to explaining it. I have never in my life felt so much energy within a crowd before. Also to mention it was a good 103 degrees outside, everyone was dripping in sweat, but still rocking out regardless of how miserable it was. Emotions then filled the air once “Planet Caravan” – a Black Sabbath cover -filled the pavilion along with a heart tugging throwback video being played on each side of the stage as tribute to Vinnie and Dimebag. At this point almost everyone was getting teary eyed, and it was simply the most beautiful tasteful tribute Ive ever watched. And all along, that was the main goal for Phil and Rex, making sure everyone knew that everything that was happening during this show was in honor of the Abbott brothers.

Joining on stage to “Walk” was Lamb Of God’s – Randy Blythe along with an even more special surprise guest Rita Haney, the long time girlfriend of Dimebag. Everyone knew who she was the moment she walked on stage, and the crowd went completely nuts. 99% of the crowd knew every single word to sing alongside them and it was the loudest Ive ever heard. Even back in the lawn section was echoing back up to the front of the stage.

Finishing their fifteen song set with encores “Slaughtered” and “Revolution Is My Name”, Pantera (and friends) really outdid themselves with this show. I am 100000000% impressed with how tight they all sounded. They exceeded every expectation I had and more, and it is definitely a show I will recommend to everyone. It was an unforgettable experience with top notch sound, radiating energy, and a shit load of fire. All for the fans. For the brothers. For Legacy.

Pantera