See Photos From Pantera’s First Reunion Show

Pantera launched their reunion tour on Friday at Texcoco, Mexico’s Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, marking their first show since 2001. You can see photos from the performance below.

Classic-era members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown were joined by Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, who paid tribute to the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott, respectively. The band played classics such as “I’m Broken,” “5 Minutes Alone,” “Walk,” “Cowboys From Hell” and “Domination,” as well as a cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan” and the Reinventing the Steel album cut “Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit.”

Wylde reflected on the genesis of the reunion in a recent interview with Ole Englund. “Phil called me up one night and he was just like, ‘Zakk, I was talking with Rex. We’re thinking about doing this. We wondered if you would want to honor Dime,’” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Well, of course! How am I gonna say no? Send me the songs and the set list so I can start learning this stuff, man!’” The guitarist added that whenever he got stumped, “I’d go onto YouTube and just see all these other amazing players playing the stuff.”

Pantera will round out the year with several more festival appearances throughout Latin and South America, then resume touring in May in support of Metallica on the M72 tour. When asked about the possibility of new music from the reconstituted lineup, Benante said he couldn’t predict the future but also wouldn’t rule out the prospect.

“Creatively, if we are just flowing and getting going, and things are starting to be really good, musically speaking, you never know what could happen,” the drummer told Bravewords. “I’ve got tons of riffs. But we’re putting the cart before the horse. I like the positivity there, but I don’t know how people would react to that either at this point. I think first, let’s get out there and establish that we can play. I’m always open to the future.”