LIVE: PANTERA – Tampa, FL, USA – February 5, 2024

Venue: Amalie Arena

City: Tampa, FL

Dates: February 5, 2024

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

Pantera… the metal band of legendary proportion that ceased to exist before I picked up a camera to cover shows and one I never thought I would witness.  While I had seen Vinnie Paul with Hell Yeah, unfortunately St. Dime was no longer with us.  It took some time, but Phil and Rex were finally able to work past the demons and the mess and recruit a couple players to tour the music of Pantera with one mantra – ‘For The Fans. For The Brothers. For Legacy.’ The tour landed in Tampa, FL at Amalie Arena and I was there with camera in hand and a smile on my face.  Openers Nest took their time on stage seriously and made no waste of a single moment.  They plowed through their set delivering a crushing punk metal sound and vibe that merely whetted the metal appetites in the packed arena.  Next up were metal stalwarts Lamb Of God.  Armed with a catalog of heavy tracks to aurally assault the crowd with, the band took no time launching into “Memento Mori” and “Walk With Me in Hell” whipping the audience into a frenzy and merely setting the stage for what was to come, not only  in their set but the remainder of the show.  It has been a long time since I saw LOG as anything but a headliner, but it was obvious they were as excited to be on this tour as any other.  Pulling out other metal songs that will be classics in time like “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” and the one-two punch of “Ditch” and “Ruin,” the band demonstrated not only why they are one of the bigger metal bands on the scene, but why they were the perfect fit for this tour.  After the final sounds of “Redneck” rang through the sound system and venue, the final changeover of the evening began.

A huge banner bearing the name PANTERA covered the front of the stage and as the crew finalized the setup, you could feel the pulse and pressure inside the arena begin to reach a fever pitch… just the first of many that would hit through the remainder of the evening.  A video montage paying respect to Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul as well as the rest of the band and their legacy introduced the headlining set and we were off an running.  Original members frontman Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown led the charge to the stage while guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante took their respective spots on stage and unleashed the sonic fury that is Pantera with “A New Level” kicking the dust off and refreshing the memory of everyone in attendance as to why the legend exists.  “Mouth for War” and “Strength Beyond Strength” kept the metal party rolling as the camera whirred and clicked in the photo pit.  Anselmo stalked parts of the stage like a caged animal while Wylde cranked through riffs and solos paying homage and respect to Dimebag’s playing.  As songs like “I’m Broken” and “Suicide Note Pt. II” ebbed and flowed through the sound system, there was no mistaking how locked in Brown and Benante were in anchoring the set without dragging it down.  The setlist was a perfect mashup of fan favorites, hits, and classics that have supported the term legendary as far as Pantera is concerned.  The pairing of “This Love” and “Floods” is a cool morphing of songs that demonstrate how well the band grasped (and still does) the different textures they were able to create musically.  The ‘softer’ side of rock and metal may not be what the guys were known for, but they were able to pull it off when needed.  Arguably one of the bands biggest tracks “Walk” was as punishing tonight as it is on any recorded version I have heard and featured a brief appearance from Fozzy’s Chris Jericho for a portion of the track.  Rolling through the rest of the setlist, the band pushed “Domination” and “Hollow” together before closing out the main set with “Cowboys From Hell.”  After the final note and all the bows, the band took a brief moment before coming back out to shut the door on the evening with “Fucking Hostile.”  In Phil’s words, Pantera ended the night making it ‘official’ by closing with the final line from “Stairway To Heaven.”

PANTERA SETLIST: A New Level – Mouth for War – Strength Beyond Strength – Becoming – I’m Broken – Suicide Note Pt. II – 5 Minutes Alone – This Love – Floods – Walk – Domination / Hollow – Cowboys From Hell – Fucking Hostile

LAMB OF GOD SETLIST: Memento Mori – Walk With Me in Hell – Hourglass – Now You’ve Got Something to Die For – Resurrection Man – Ditch – Ruin – Contractor – Vigil – Laid to Rest – Redneck

COMPLETE SET OF PANTERA PHOTOS

PANTERA LINKS:

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TOURDATES

COMPLETE SET OF LAMB OF GOD PHOTOS

LAMB OF GOD LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

X – TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

TOURDATES

COMPLETE SET OF NEST PHOTOS

NEST LINKS:

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries