In a new interview with The Vinyl Guide Podcast, drummer Charlie Benante spoke about his participation in PANTERA‘s return.
PANTERA, consisting of Phil Anselmo on vocals, Rex Brown on bass, Zakk Wylde on guitar, and Charlie Benante on drums, is set to headline major festivals in North America, South America, and Europe. Additionally, they will be performing their own headline concerts and supporting METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2024. This marks a significant moment for PANTERA fans, as it is the first time the band’s surviving members have come together for live performances in over two decades.
According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band’s founders, drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who previously said Wylde wouldn’t tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It’s unclear what changed his mind.
Benante now said: “For me, the PANTERA thing is a very special thing. I think it’s one of those opportunities to a) honor your friends, b) play some songs that you love, and c) give the audience a chance to hear these songs in this environment again, some who had never seen PANTERA before. And yes, I know this isn’t the original PANTERA. I have to be a f**king idiot to not know that. This version of PANTERA is, of course, with Zakk and myself, and we are staying true to what the band was.”
When asked whether Vinnie ever discussed the prospect of performing with PANTERA again or revisiting those songs during his lifetime, Charlie remarked: “I never had a full conversation with him about it, because it was never something that would be brought up when I was together with him. When we were together, we talked about different things — never reforming the band again. And that was it. His brother wasn’t there. So, I don’t know. I did hear at one point Vinnie was open to do it again, but I don’t know if that was real or not. And that was it.”
Regarding the potential for the current PANTERA lineup to release a live recording from their ongoing tour, Benante commented: “Yeah. We talked about that. We’ll see. We record a lot, and it’s probably just spending time with it and see what shows are good, or take a song from this show or a song from that show and compile it for a live record. I would love to do that.”
Last November, Anselmo and Brown discussed PANTERA‘s return to the live stage during their appearance on the seventeenth episode of “The Metallica Report.”
Anselmo said: “It’s empowering. It is incredibly beautiful, and you feel so much love when you’re up there. And if you take it in, it’s a great feeling, man. These days, man, that’s where me and Rex, you know, we get to dig the shows more.”
“When we were younger, we were at war and when we were on stage; we were just angry and at war, man. Now it’s — the songs are there. I can concentrate on singing the fricking songs, number one. Geez, that’s a relief for me, man. I don’t have to break my fricking body in part anymore.”
Anselmo and Brown also addressed the addition of Charlie and Zakk as members of the PANTERA team.
Anselmo noted: “Them two dudes, so enthusiastic. And they got their damn thing and they got their own damn legacy, both of them, without us. It’s an honor to play with them. They’re the nicest frickin guys in the world, man. I’m just so… [Laughs] Zakk, he’s a crack-up, man. He’s a sweetheart. And fricking Charlie, we’ve known Charlie since ’87, man. It’s a long time.”
Rex added: “The way [Charlie] plays Vinnie‘s parts is uncanny. I don’t think there’s any drummer out there that could play the way that Vinnie did. I would close my eyes, because I was trying to get tight, and sometimes if I close my eyes, I can hear a little better; I think I can. And there’d be a tear of joy just coming down, because that was so close to what Vinnie and I used to play. So you have the foundation.”
When the interviewer mentioned that the 2023 PANTERA lineup has the spirit of Vinnie Paul and Dimebag inside it, Philip responded: “Only thing I can say is, man, I know for a damn fact Vince and Dime would want us to do this, hands down. They would want the PANTERA brand or the legacy to go on. And I don’t know what you believe in, but sometimes, you know, you would like to think that them old fellas are looking down on us, giving us the thumbs-up.”
