Article and Photos: Courtney Thomassen
Sunrise, FL — It was a happy New Year for South Floridian metalheads when Pantera’s 2024 North American Tour kicked off at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise early February. This continuation of the group’s Fall tour sees the return of special guest Lamb of God along with a few opening acts split between the month-long run.
St. Louis metal band Nest, slated to provide support for the opening dates of the leg, was first to perform at 7:00PM. The band delivered a heavy hitting set of 10 songs, including 2024 track “WHAT’S THE ISSUE?” off their upcoming album Endeavors, scheduled for release in mid April. After closing with a cover of ZZ Top’s “Cheap Sunglasses,” the lights rose on an arena that was surely filled with some new Nest fans.
A large black curtain shrouded the stage as the changeover began in preparation for Lamb of God. Murmuring throughout the venue turned into loud roars as the lights went out and the rolling guitar riff of opening number “Memento Mori” was heard coming from the still covered stage. As the screams of “Wake up!” signaled the end of the intro, the curtain dropped to reveal Randy Blythe (vocals), John Campbell (bass), Mark Morton (guitar), Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums) mid performance. An impressive display of lights behind and above the stage perfectly matched the vivacious atmosphere, flashing and spinning as Blythe jumped from the drum riser and mosh pits opened on the floor. The band’s 11 song set spanned their entire discography and, while the crowd was excited for new tracks like “Ditch” from 2022’s Omens as well as old, the standout was closing track “Redneck.”
Once more a curtain was dropped in front of the stage for the final changeover, though this time Pantera was plastered across the sheet in large, red text. The crowd’s excitement was palpable as fans chatted in the front of the pit, some vocalizing that their wait to see a live Pantera set had been decades-long. Cheers rang out from the seats positioned stage left as guitarist Zakk Wylde, who has been touring with the band since their 2022 reunion, ran out and climbed onto the barricade to briefly greet fans. As Wylde high-fived those along the gate on his way back, spirits were high and remained so when again the lights in the arena dimmed. Projections of pot leaves shone over the curtain as an introduction video played on the screens situated on both sides of the stage.
Once the opening track “A New Level” ended, frontman Phil Anselmo took a moment to shout out late bandmates Vincent Paul Abbott and Darrell Abbott (Dimebag Darrell). “Every note we play is for Dimebag and Vince,” the singer said before introducing the next song, “Mouth for War.” The loss of the Abbott brothers, each tragically passing while the band was on hiatus, has been central to the reunion. During the first live performance of the song “Floods” since 2001, a tribute video honored the late musicians. The rest of the set consisted of a mix between popular tracks like “Walk” and “Cowboys From Hell” and self-proclaimed deep cuts like “Suicide Note Pt II.” Anselmo took time between each song to speak, giving thanks to fellow long-time member Rex Brown (bass), touring members Wylde and Charlie Benante (drums), and to the fans. Overall the night felt truly like a celebration of the music, balanced with the level of tribute the band’s history deserves.