Release the Riffs - a Pantera review

A frequent criticism of my character that I encounter is related to my own, personal fiscal policy, particularly in relation to my many trips to live music. To put it simply, I spend large quantities of my limited disposable income on concert tickets, and this seems to irk people. ‘How much did you spend on those?’ or ‘You go to a lot of gigs don’t you, how much do you spend?’ or my personal favourite – ‘You’re going to Oasis twice? What a monumental waste of money.’

As a result, I have gained some good experience on the gig-going front. For this reason, I thought it best (for some reason) to put my experiences to the written word, despite no one expressing any desire or interest in me doing so. Narcissistic? Never. Perhaps this is a journey to justification. By reviewing and contemplating my experiences in front of musicians, perhaps I am finding even more worth out of the event than purely the enjoyment of the concert itself? It’s a stretch I concede, but one I am willing to robustly defend.

We begin our series with my most recent gig – Pantera at the Wembley OVO Arena (herein, the OVO) on February 25 February 2025. Nothing like a mainstream band to kick things off with.

The venue

I arrived at the OVO with a belly full of Nando’s and eyes full of wonder. Any football fan will surely agree it is hard not to be giddy approaching Wembley, despite the surrounding area being nothing to write home about and off the back of an hour-long journey from London Bridge. The arch looms over the neighbourhood like an old friend and you often find yourself reminiscing about England wins over the years.

The Big Brother

But football was not the occasion for this journey to HA9. Heavy riffs and long beards were my calling on this fine Tuesday.

I had never been to the OVO before, but had heard talk of many legendary gigs there, not least Dire Straits’ 12-night spanning residency there in 1985. From the outside, it has a classic but unremarkable look which is a far cry from some of the modern o2 academies you can find yourself in.

The journey in was relatively simple despite the classic Sent Round the Houses policy the stewards seemed to be employ. I was standing so was gifted a red wristband to identify me as a more hardcore fan than those wet wipes stuck in their ivory tower of seats (I stood towards the back and took no part in any moshing. Sitting would not have been that different from my experience). A brief alarm bell rang when I entered the OVO without being searched by a steward, nor were any of my standing brothers and sisters who entered at the same time as me. In an age of being frisked to enter lower league football matches or having to walk through a metal detector at Rowans Tenpin Bowl in Finsbury Park, this security felt incredibly lax. I cannot imagine the same approach will be taken when Wembley Stadium is raided by Britpop revellers this summer.

The Little Brother

The concourse of the OVO is something like a football stadium, lined with entrances to individual blocks and toilets lining the bar. However, you are not restricted by your section until you enter the actual arena, so you are free to roam the entire concourse while you wait for the acts. This gave me the opportunity to explore the venue which, while unremarkable, was a nice change. The downstairs atrium has some good paraphernalia to look at which does a lot to build the history of the place. It’s always good to know who’s treaded the boards of a venue and the OVO shows you in black, white and replica guitar.

The pricing situation is predictably galling. Pints find themselves around the dizzying £8.50, with an offer of a ‘two-pinter’ at £16.65 scant consolation. I do like the look of those double pints though. You feel like you could be in a bierkeller at Oktoberfest, oppose to north-west London on a cold Tuesday evening.

The crowd

Much like my trip to Dublin in the summer of 2024 to see AC/DC, you learn the plight of the female reveller pretty quickly. Lengthy queues for the men’s toilet are not something we are accustomed to as a gender who easily urinates whilst standing. At shows like Pantera, AC/DC and Iron Maiden, however, you and your majority male comrades are left with a sobering perspective of the female experience at largescale events. That’s not to say that this event wasn’t rife with female Pantera enjoyers – they are out in force.

This crowd has more beer bellies (myself included), patches and tattoos than many other in this fair land. People are here to fly their flag – and I love it (I resent the phrase ‘fly your freak flag. I think it has a patronising connotation despite its perceived positive message and I don’t care for it). Everyone I engaged with was incredibly friendly, which is a repeat experience I have had at heavier shows.

The support

The two support acts were the incredibly named King Parrot (imagine a parrot monarchy, wonderful imagery) and Power Trip. I missed King Parrot but caught one Power Trip song. Unfortunately, their blend of screaming and thrashy approach was too much for my blood, so I took refuge in the concourse until Pantera began.

Pantera

By way of brief history, Pantera were formed in Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers, Darrell and Vincent on lead guitar and drums respectively. They both better known by their nicknames – Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. A couple of line up changes in Pantera’s early days eventually settled on a four of the Abbott brothers, vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown.

After large success in the 1990s, Pantera disbanded officially in 2002 after a lot of infighting, tension and bad blood. Dimebag and Vinnie went on to form a new band, Damageplan. Unfortunately, tragedy struck on 8 December 2004 when Dimebag was shot dead during a Damageplan show in Columbus, Ohio. His death sent shockwaves through the metal community. Dimebag was easily one of the finest metal guitarists of his generation. His riffs would smash you in the face with unadulterated power, his solos technical masterpieces and even his quieter moments tinged with feeling and emotion.

The Abbott family was unfortunately not relieved of tragedy, as Vinnie died of a heart attack in 2015. A true powerhouse of rhythm, his death similarly sent a shockwave through the community forged by the Abbott brothers.

Pantera as a concept was, understandably, left in a bind. They had not performed together since their breakup and now their two founding members were dead. However, in 2022 it was announced the band would reunite, with Brown and Anselmo as the representatives of the band proper and Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante standing in on guitar and drums respectively. This decision was derided by some sections of the Pantera fanbase (and their critics) whilst some welcomed a fresh start and the opportunity to hear their favourite songs again. Wylde was a particularly good choice – he had been firm friends with Dimebag and viewed the gig as a chance to pay tribute to an old comrade. And that is what this show was, in parts: a tribute to two legends of the 90s metal scene. Before the band took the stage at the OVO, a video played with some of their best moments from their heyday, with the Abbott brothers front and centre of those clips.

The set itself (unchanged from the rest of the tour, their first in Europe for over 20 years) is effectively a greatest hits run. With no new music on the horizon or having been released, there were no nasty surprises here. Cowboys From Hell, which closes the main set before the encore, is easily the standout. Yes, it’s the most famous, but there’s a reason. This track punches you in the gut now like it did every time you’ve heard. Floods is also a highlight, with poignant visual tributes to the Abbott Brothers and an incredible outro solo from Wylde which is simply mesmerising. The lightshow throughout the set was amazing and really made you feel immersed in the Pantera experience. 5 Minutes Alone was another favourite, along with Walk. Walk saw members of King Parrot and Power Trip come out on stage with none other than Jason Mamoa, who was a surprise to be sure but a welcome one. He seems to have been elected as the ambassador for heavy music, which is certainly no bad thing in an age where these bands are fighting for attention against more mainstream pop options.

A criticism of this set is that Domination is not played in full, merely the breakdown riff at the end of Hollow. That breakdown is one of the greatest in heavy music and it would be good to have it receive the full respect it deserves. However, I admit that picking a setlist for this must have been a nightmare, particularly when you consider that Cemetery Gates was omitted.

As good as the three behind him were, Zakk Wylde is the star of this show. He is such a seasoned professional after decades fronting, backing and featuring in some of rock and metal’s biggest acts – and this show is no different. He is a looming presence on stage, not least due to his muscular stature and enormous hair/beard combination. On the screens he was often interloped with images of Dimebag, making sure you did not forget that his place on that stage was ultimately as a tribute to a fellow, fallen metal soldier.

All in all, a fantastic showing from the Texan headbangers, who’s heavy riffage and face melting solos feel as fresh now as the first time you heard them. While this iteration of Pantera has received criticism for only featuring two members and no founding members, it is important to remember that for many of us, we never had the opportunity to hear these songs live. Would I rather that the Abbott brothers had been on that stage? Yes. Did I enjoy hearing some of the best metal songs of the 90s and have a great time? Yes. Legacy is a peculiar thing, particularly when it comes to line up changes. Oasis will face these criticisms whatever lineup they end up with this summer. Lynyrd Skynyrd travel the world with no original members whatsoever. ZZ Top are down to two of their famous three. Guns N Roses are a strange amalgamation of arguably three of their key members but missing some key others. In an age where our favourite stars are disappearing either through death, illness or conflict with band mates, it is important for the torch to be kept alight and for the next generation to be inspired. And I would say this version of Pantera are doing a pretty good job of just that.

The product(?!)

Yes, a product review in a review of a gig. This show saw my debut with ear loops. With Oasis breathing down my neck for this summer, preserving my ears has never felt so important – and for £30, these ear loops felt like a good idea. I am naturally in no way affiliated with them, but the link is as follows: https://www.loopearplugs.com/products/experience?variant=48379533590863&currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=22030465806&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_term=&gadid=&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=22030465806&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=pla&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_plt=gp&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1Meu2NbpiwMVGplQBh3bDwNEEAQYAiABEgJoB_D_BwE

These nifty little chaps do a fine job in stifling the sound, so you lose around 50% of the power and volume of the music (this is not an actual statistic, just based on me experimenting with them in and out). You strangely lose virtually all crowd noise and cannot hear yourself, which is a real concern if you are belting a song and have no idea of your volume. I think some reviews overegg how much of the sound they preserve. I certainly felt I had missed some of that raw power I would have otherwise had. At the end of the day, it was better than coming home with ringing ears and I will use them again for loud, indoor events.

All of the photos featured in this blogpost are my own. Tune in soon for my next review - Jack White at Birmingham's o2 Academy. See you then!