PANTERA celebrated what would have been late guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott‘s 57th birthday final night time (Sunday, August 20) in the course of the band’s headlining live performance on the Germania Insurance coverage Amphitheater in Austin, Texas.

Becoming a member of the 4 members of PANTERA on stage for a spherical of Dimebag‘s favourite drink — a “black-tooth grin”: whisky with solely “a splash of Coke” — and a “Glad Birthday” crowd sing-along have been musicians from assist act LAMB OF GOD and Dimebag‘s longtime girlfriend Rita Haney.

Video of the celebration might be seen beneath.

Dimebag and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, shaped 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 steel followers. 1994’s “Far Past Pushed” debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with out advantage of a business 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 laborious 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 folks 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 assist of “New Discovered Energy” on the time of the shootings.

Dimebag was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in Might 2007 in a ceremony attended by Vinnie Paul, their father Jerry Abbott and Haney, together with members of ALICE IN CHAINS, ANTHRAX, KISS, SLAYER and Ozzy Osbourne‘s band.

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 consists of two surviving members from the band’s basic 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 numerous main festivals throughout South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging a few of their very own headline live shows. They’re additionally supporting METALLICA on a large North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

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