Rita Haney, the longtime girlfriend of late PANTERA guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, and LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe joined PANTERA on stage this previous Thursday (August 17) on the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas to carry out the band’s traditional tune “Stroll”. Fan-filmed video of their look will be seen beneath.

Dimebag and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, fashioned PANTERA within the mid-eighties in Texas. The band recorded 4 unbiased albums earlier than their 1990 main label debut, “Cowboys From Hell”, launched a heavier sound and made them a favourite with metallic followers. 1994’s “Far Past Pushed” debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with out good thing about a industrial hit single.

The group splintered in 2002 following the departure of risky lead singer Philip Anselmo. Dime and Vinnie regrouped with DAMAGEPLAN, releasing the band’s debut album, “New Discovered Energy”, in February of 2004.

Dimebag, one of the beloved and revered musicians in onerous rock, was shot onstage throughout a DAMAGEPLAN live performance on December 8, 2004 on the Alrosa Villa membership in Columbus, Ohio by a 25-year-old ex-Marine named Nathan Gale. Gale murdered a complete of 4 individuals and wounded three others earlier than being killed himself by police officer James D. Niggemeyer, who arrived on the scene minutes after Gale started his rampage.

DAMAGEPLAN was touring in help of “New Discovered Energy” on the time of the shootings.

Haney in 2011 referred to as on Vinnie and Anselmo to settle their variations in honor of Dimebag.

Vinnie and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA break up in 2003. However the relationship obtained much more acrimonious when Vinnie not directly blamed Philip for Dimebag‘s dying, suggesting that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print simply weeks earlier might need incited Dimebag‘s killer.

Haney instructed the producers of “Behind The Music Remastered: Pantera” that she forgave the singer after they discovered themselves unexpectedly nose to nose at a live performance in California.

The reformed PANTERA kicked off its U.S. headlining tour with LAMB OF GOD on July 28 at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.

PANTERA‘s 2023 lineup contains two surviving members from the band’s traditional formation, Anselmo and Rex Brown (bass),together with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Anselmo and Brown, together with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a lot of main festivals throughout South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging a few of their very own headline live shows. They can even help METALLICA on a large North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

In response to Billboard, the lineup has been given a inexperienced gentle by Dimebag and Vinnie Paul‘s estates.

In 2017, Haney criticized Brown‘s guide as stuffed with inaccuracies and has described the PANTERA bassist’s portrayal of Vinnie Paul as “fairly hateful.”

Requested in an interview with Steel Forces for her opinion of Rex‘s 2013 memoir, “Official Fact, 101 Proof: The Inside Story Of Pantera”, Haney stated: “Good lord… It is not good to write down a guide when you do not bear in mind issues, and you’ve got different individuals telling you in your ear, ‘That is the way it went down,’ when it did not. I obtained to chapter three, and I felt like I wanted to get a highlighter out for issues I knew had been incorrect. [Laughs] I do know the place Rex is at the moment, and the place is head is. I do know he regrets a variety of the issues which can be in that guide. It is form of a… I do not know. How are you going to write a guide when there’s shit you do not bear in mind?”

Haney additionally commented on the truth that “Official Fact” appeared to color the PANTERA drummer in a very unfavorable gentle.

“It appeared [to be a] potshot, like, ‘Let’s attempt to take some potshots and stab at you,'” Rita stated. “And yeah, it was fairly hateful. It is the pot calling the kettle black. How are you going to throw stuff on the market once you’re simply as responsible or responsible of worse issues? Among the stuff just isn’t yours to inform, or yours to guage. And yeah, it was fairly shitty, I might say. I do know [Rex] has regrets about that. If he would not, he must.”

In February 2020, Haney stated she would “undoubtedly” be in favor of Anselmo, Brown and Wylde teaming up for a PANTERA tribute tour. A number of days later, Brown weighed in on her feedback, writing on Twitter: “I wanna ensure that ppl perceive what I am about to tweet.. It is lower than Rita to say what’s going to occur, solely what Philip & I say…I am in!! Dig?!?!?”

Rita mentioned the potential of the PANTERA members and the OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist paying tribute to Dimebag and Vinnie Paul whereas talking to “The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Present” on the crimson carpet of the Ronnie James Dio tenth Memorial Awards Gala on the Avalon in Los Angeles. She stated: “I do not assume there might be a PANTERA reunion, however I believe that his two remaining brothers, Rex and Philip, in the event that they needed to honor Darrell and Vinnie, so far as the place I am coming from and what I consider Darrell would consider — as a result of he was probably the most forgiving person who I do know — I consider that he can be honored. It is form of a cliché to say, however he really can be grateful that he meant that a lot to them. And I believe in the event that they wanna honor their fallen brothers with a tribute, I believe that that is nice. However so far as making an attempt to say put PANTERA again collectively, PANTERA tribute, this and that, no — that is distasteful with out these different guys. However I believe as a tribute, it will be a extremely good thing. As a result of I do know, from a fan’s level, if I hadn’t been capable of see them play or hear these songs — the songs, they imply a lot to me; I can think about [they do to] different individuals as nicely. I believe it is nice that they will no less than see it carried out, and by individuals that really love ’em. So, yeah, I believe it will be a extremely cool factor.”

When requested to make clear if she would “be okay with a tour,” she responded: “I undoubtedly would. I might wanna be at each present. [Laughs]”

Vinnie handed away on June 22, 2018 at his different residence in Las Vegas on the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged coronary heart, in addition to extreme coronary artery illness. His dying was the results of power weakening of the guts muscle — principally which means his coronary heart could not pump blood in addition to a wholesome coronary heart.