With an announcement that couldn’t have been timed more perfectly, it looks like the over two-decade wait Pantera fans have endured hoping to see the band once again in a live setting is finally over.
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According to reports, the band’s surviving members, singer Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown have signed a deal to begin booking a run of North American tour dates. The news comes just weeks after the four-year anniversary of late drummer Vinnie Paul’s passing, and Anselmo’s 54th birthday.
“We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic band and bringing their music back to the fans,” Artist Group International agent Peter Pappalardo said in a statement.
It is still up in the air regarding who will replace guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell, who was murdered on stage in Ohio in 2004. His brother, Vinnie Paul, passed in 2018 from heart disease.
Back in 2019 and in fact even earlier despite reluctance from Paul, Anselmo had toyed with the idea of a reunion with Brown, Paul, and guitarist Zakk Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne fame, but unfortunately nothing ever panned out.
The last Pantera show took place in August of 2001 in Yokohama, Japan. Dimebag announced the group's official breakup in November 2003, blaming Anselmo for the split. In the time since, Phil has performed sets of Pantera songs with his backing band the Illegals, telling Revolver magazine in 2021, "I always play a couple of Pantera songs here and there, and that's fine.” Adding, “when we started doing this, it was right after Vince passed. And it was a tough decision...we're never going to be another Pantera, but we can give it a spirited go and do the best we can and really encourage the audience to celebrate with us."
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