Pantera, King Parrot @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 19/3/2024
It’s only fitting that The Great Southern Trendkill does their own headline show in our country’s south. South Australia that is.
A reunion, or a tribute? Some say cover band. The ticket says Pantera and we are all here to be engulfed in these songs played here for the first time in twenty two years.
Phil and Rex are joined by Anthrax sticksman Charlie Benante and the enigmatic Zakk Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne fame. A powerhouse of talent to throw down the enormity of a set list, a sound, an emotion of a whole generation.
Before then, Melbourne’s King Parrot, fresh themselves from supporting Pantera across America, rush the stage like a rabid dog. It’s fresh seeing a band go from playing clubs here to now playing an arena stage. They are typically not overawed either, their aggressive heavy junk attack of riffs, snarls and drum fills sounding enormous in a way that says ‘I’m an outsider and I don’t give a fuck’ in glorious sneering victory.
However we all know why we are here, and as a montage of the home videos, crazy antics and famous friends is displayed on the giants screens, the anticipation and noise levels reaches a crescendo. The curtain drops and A New Level unloads to ear deafening volumes.
Moving into Mouth For War and Strength Beyond Strength, the band sounds good, almost flawless. Concerns about how much Wylde’s own unique style would clash with Dimebag’s quickly forgotten as the man delivers song after song.
Phil doesn’t move as much as he use to however his presence looms large, delivering what is needed and when. The crowd for their part know every word and don’t let anyone down when it’s their turn.
Becoming rattles hard, Benante’s drumming almost effortless and he has the crowd eating out of his hands as he changes tempo for Throes Of Rejection.
Chants of Pantera ring around the venue before the insane guitar and time changes of Suicide Note Part 2 and then the fist pumping 5 Minutes Alone are unpackaged before us.
The set list is anthemic and the crowd participation doesn’t stop as Phil conducts the crowd to sing ‘no more head trips’ during This Love and Wylde brings his own salsa to the solo.
One of the loudest cheers for the night ultimately is saved for Walk and it’s, again, anthemic chorus which brings the boys from King Parrot on stage.
There’s still time for that solo from Domination to morph into the neck hurting, hair swinging riff of Hollow, mobile phone heaven of Cowboys From Hell before Anselmo – donning a King Parrot shirt proudly – finishes with an incendiary Fucking Hostile in a wall of flames.
The concerns of playing songs so ingrained in metalheads lexicon and not having those original members play them, – in a band that demands loyalty – weighs heavily of the members to do it justice. I for one have held judgement however the choice of Benante and Wylde has served them well. As individuals and as a band, they show their subtly, respect and talent to honour what’s before and still crush an arena sized venue where everyone was ecstatic. That’s a powerful legacy.
Live Review By Iain McCallum