Three shows of the former Pantera reunion tour were canceled this week, apparently following an incident in 2016 when frontman Phil Anselmo gave a Nazi salute and shouted “white power” at a concert.
According to Consequence , the venerable Texas metal band, which hasn’t toured in over 20 years, pulled out of Germany’s Rock Am Ring and Rock Am Park festivals earlier this week. The festival promoter said the decision was made “after extensive discussions with the artists, our partners and you, the fans of the festival”, citing public dissatisfaction with Pantera’s booking as the reason for the group’s cancellation.
Now, the band’s 31 May show at Vienna’s Gasometer venue has also been cancelled. Like Roc Am Ring and Roc Am Park, the promoter of the Austrian show did not provide a clear reason for the cancellation, writing only that refunds were available to ticket holders.
According to Blabermouth, the German registrations for the group came at least in part from the German Green Party. At a recent Nürburgring city council meeting, party spokesman Anselmo criticized the repeated use of Nazi slogans and ideology and said it was irresponsible to book the group, given that Rok im Park was held in the former Zeppelinfeld. Nazi Party Support Platform. Rock Am Ring and Rock Am Park are separate festivals that share the line-up of Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK.
The Guardian has contacted Pantera representatives for comment.
Anselmo After a performance celebrating the life of slain Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott in 2016 was taped by Dimbash, he ended the set with a Nazi salute and ended the set. After a video of the incident went viral on YouTube, Anselmo said he was initially joking about the white wine served to the players at the festival and told his critics, “Some of you need to get thicker skin.” He later issued a full apology, saying, “Anyone who knows me and my true nature knows that I don’t believe in anything.”
The 2016 incident was not the first time Anselmo had been accused of racism. In the year In 1994, an MTV reporter asked him about issues of racism in his lyrics, and a year later, Anselmo told a crowd that Pantera shows were “a white thing.” Writing for the Guardian about the incident at the time, Dom Lawson said “the consensus in the metal world seems to be that Phil Anselmo is a racist” and “has some form in this unpleasant environment”.
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