Drummer Charlie Benante is featured in an in-depth interview with Knotfest, discussing his day job, Anthrax, as well as the state of music today and his involvement with Pantera. Following is an excerpt.
On performing with Pantera
Benante: "The Anthrax thing, I just go back into my old skin. I just get up there and it’s like muscle memory. With Pantera, it’s more on the grid. You know, I can’t really experiment like I do in Anthrax with the Pantera thing. I’m sticking to the exact fills, the exact sticking that Vinnie (Paul) would do and I play a different kit than I do with Anthrax with Pantera. The kit configuration is like Vinnie. So it’s more of a challenge to me to play those songs like that. Because if I played the songs with my Anthrax kit, it just wouldn’t come out right. I wouldn’t feel right about it."
"And for me doing the Vinnie thing, I’m trying to do it as close to Vinnie as possible, because that is so much of that Pantera sound. The aggressiveness of those drums, the way they’re tuned: they cut through the rest of the instruments in the band."
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Pantera, one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, have announced their long awaited return to the stage. They will be touring North America this summer with Lamb Of God as special guests.
One of the most anticipated tours of 2023, this celebration tour includes original members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown, joined by Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums). In December 2022, they kicked off the highly anticipated return in Mexico City to incredible reviews.
Produced by Live Nation, the 20-city tour kicks off on Tuesday, July 28 in Burgettstown, PA at The Pavilion at Star Lake making stops in Milwaukee, Toronto, Austin, Denver, and more before wrapping up in Bristow, VA on September 15 at Jiffy Lube Live.
Fans can also see Pantera at their recently announced support dates during Metallica’s North America Stadium tour dates in 2023 & 2024 and headlining major rock festivals in 2023 including Rockfest, Inkcarceration, and more.
Tickets for the North American tour go on sale starting Friday, January 27 starting at 10 AM, local time on LiveNation.com. Citi is the official card of the Pantera tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, January 24 at 10 AM, local time until Thursday, January 26 at 10 PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit citientertainment.com.
May
20 - Daytona, FL - Welcome to Rockville*
July
13 - Cadott, WI - Rockfest*
15 - Mansfield, OH - Inkcarceration*
28 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
29 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
31 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater#
August
2 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
4 - East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium^
5 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
6 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
8 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
9 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
11 - Montreal, QC - Olympique Stadium^
12 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
15 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
17 - Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
18 - Arlington, TX - AT&T Stadium^
20 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater
23 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
25 - Inglewood, CA - SoFi Stadium^
26 - Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
29 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
31 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
September
1 - Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium^
3 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma*
7 - Bangor, ME - Maine Savings Amphitheater
8 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
10 - Alton, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Festival*
12 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
14 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
15 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
23 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life*
October
7 - Sacramento, CA - Aftershock*
November
3 - St. Louis, MO - The Dome at America’s Center^
10 - Detroit, MI - Ford Field
* Festival date
# Support act TBD<
^ Pantera support for Metallica dates
Pantera got its start in Arlington, TX with its best-known lineup, consisting of founding members drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell, along with bassist Rex Brown and vocalist Philip Anselmo. Pantera is credited with the development and popularization of the groove metal subgenre. To date, the group has sold 20 million records worldwide and has received four Grammy nominations.
