PANTERA appearances at German rock festivals canceled following outcry over accusations of racism

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PANTERA’s appearances at two rock festivals in Germany this spring have been canceled following an outcry over previous racist remarks by singer Philip Anselmo.

The reformed band with surviving PANTERA members Anselmo and Rex Brown (bass) along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) were scheduled to perform at Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, two simultaneous rock concerts. festivals, which will take place from June 2 to 4 at Nürburgring and Nürnberg, respectively. However, after intense discussions with artists, partners and fans, the festival promoters have decided to remove PANTERA from the poster.

“The PANTERA Band will not be performing at Rock Im Park and Rock Am Ring 2023 as advertised,” Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park organizers said Monday night (January 23) on Twitter in identical statements.

Most of the backlash is due to Anselmo giving a Nazi-style salute when he performed at the January 2016 “Dimebash” event at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood honoring the late guitarist of PANTERA “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. He also appeared to say ‘white power’ as he made the gesture, but later claimed he was joking about drinking white wine backstage and reacting to audience members up front who he said were mocking from him.

There has been additional criticism regarding the fact that Rock Am Ring takes place in Nuremberg (known in its English form as Nuremberg), where Hitler’s supporters held a series of mass Nazi Party rallies between 1933 and 1938.

Calling on organizers Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park to cancel PANTERA appearances at festivals, Germany’s Green Party told Nuremberg City Council that Anselmo “repeatedly and deliberately made Nazi gestures and shouted slogans racists”. Rka Lrincz, spokesperson for the Greens Against Racism and Right-wing Extremism, added that “the premises of the former Nazi Party” were “deliberately misused for the staging and reproduction of a racist and inhumane ideology “. The Green Party has asked the organizer, Argo Konzerte GmbH, to reconsider its invitation to PANTERA and to cancel the group’s performances at Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, which are generally considered to be an event with an almost identical lineup. It is considered the largest annual music festival in Germany and one of the largest in the world.

In May 2019, Anselmo was invited by the British Kerrang! magazine if he thinks the “Dimebash” debate is something he’s moved past. He replied: “I feel like it’s ridiculous. I made a quirky joke and ‘Boom!’ It’s like I’m literally Hitler! I’m not. I take each individual one at a time, like any logical individual would. I have love in my heart. Over the years , I have learned to take the first show love and put good faith above all I get along well with everyone If there is any doubt about my political leanings, people should ask get it out of my head I was raised amid dazzling surroundings [cast of characters] from the theater, from the psychiatric hospital, from all walks of life, of all colors, creeds and genders. It’s absurd to me that anyone these days can judge someone on the color of their skin, their heritage or their religion. I’m a harmless guy. I am a reactionary, not a troublemaker.”

In the days following the “Dimebash” incident, MACHINE HEAD’s Robb Flynn, who performed PANTERA songs with Anselmo at the event, released an eleven-minute response video in which he denounced Anselmo as a “big bully” and a racist. He concluded by saying that he would never play another PANTERA song again. ANTHRAX’s Scott Ian, who is Jewish, posted a statement on his official website saying “Philip’s actions were vile” and invited Anselmo to donate to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Former PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who hadn’t spoken to Anselmo since the band broke up in 2003, was dismissive when asked for a comment on the singer’s salute to white power. “I can’t speak for him,” Vinnie said in a 2016 interview. what it was about. And it’s sad.”

In 2017, Anselmo criticized “fake journalism in the metal community” for suggesting he was racist due to his actions at “Dimebash”.

In the weeks following the “Dimebash” incident, Anselmo’s DOWN project canceled a number of shows, including Hellfest in France, Dutch festival FortaRock and Download in the UK. The singer wrote an open letter to the Hellfest organizers in which he said it was not the right time for DOWN to tour. He also revealed that he suffered from a recurring knee injury and needed rehabilitation.

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