Pantera will not be part of the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park line-up in June 2023 after all. The reason for this is a several-year-old controversy surrounding Pantera frontman Philip H. Anselmo. The organizers are reacting to the sometimes severe criticism of the past few days.
“The band Pantera will not perform at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park 2023 as announced,” says the social media accounts of the two festivals. “In the last few weeks we have had many intensive discussions with artists, our partners and you, the festival fans, continued to deal with the criticism together and decided to take the band out of the program.”
In the last few weeks we have had many intensive discussions with artists, our partners and you, the festival fans, continued to deal with the criticism together and decided to take the band out of the program.
— Rock am Ring (@rockamring) January 23, 2023
Hitler salute as a reason for unloading
At a concert in 2016, Anselmo yelled “White Power” into the microphone several times and later apparently stretched out his arm in a Hitler salute. Anselmo later apologized for his behavior, saying he was drunk. Pantera, one of the most important metal bands of the 1990s, disbanded in 2003.
There shouldn’t be a real reunion: guitarist Dimebag Darrell was murdered at a performance in 2004. His brother, drummer Vinnie Paul died in 2018. The reunion is essentially a tribute act, with Anselmo and original bassist Rex Brown joined by guitarist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, formerly Ozzy Osbourne) and drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax). will. The reunion attracted a lot of media attention.
Criticism of the organizers and the Toten Hosen
In the past few days, many internet users have been critical of Pantera’s participation in the two festivals. At first, the organizers had declared that they still wanted Pantera to perform. “In several conversations we have received credible assurances that Phil Anselmo’s conduct in 2016 in no way reflects the band’s views and that he sincerely and deeply regrets his actions. Phil Anselmo has repeatedly apologized publicly for his behavior and statements. We then decided to give the band Pantera a chance and thus fulfill the dream of countless rock fans to experience Pantera’s work live again,” the statement said. Now you have changed your mind.
Especially the Toten Hosen (one of the headliners) had to take criticism for playing at the same festivals as Pantera – there is no doubt about the attitude of the Toten Hosen, as the band has always positioned itself clearly against the right. Now the pants are responding with two statements: “To make it short: the video, which shows the obviously drunk Anselmo in 2016 giving the Hitler salute and shouting a racist slogan, is repulsive and disgusting. Although he apologized soon after for his underground behavior and has since maintained that he is not racist and that he learned from his behavior at the time, the question remains as to how credible his apology is and how to deal with this issue around frontman Campino.