US rock fans received the closest thing they’ll get to a full Pantera gig any time soon, with Phil Anselmo delivering a set full of nothing but his old band’s songs in Los Angeles.
2018 marked the 15th anniversary of Pantera’s untimely breakup. Pioneers of the groove-metal genre, the Texas rockers existed from 1981 until 2003, with the late Abbott brothers – ‘Dimebag’ Darrell and Vinnie Paul – serving as the group’s only constant members.
In the years since their breakup, frontman Phil Anselmo has found himself fronting a number of bands, including Down, Superjoint, and – since 2011 – Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals. Now, the latter group has delivered a set full of nothing but Pantera tracks.
As Blabbermouth reported on Friday, Phil Anselmo first broke the news of this cover gig during their show in San Diego on Thursday.
“Let me ask you a question. Who’s filming?” Anselmo asked the crowd. “Who’s gonna upload to YouTube later? Tell me the truth. You’re gonna do it? Who’s gonna upload to YouTube? You? Tomorrow night, full Pantera set from beginning to end. That’s right. Spread the word, Los Angeles.”
While Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals have slipped a few Pantera songs during gigs in the past, the group took to the stage at Los Angeles’ Viper Room on Friday night to perform the historic set.
Kicking things off with Far Beyond Driven‘s ‘Use My Third Arm’, the band performed an eleven-song set that saw them rip through classic tracks like ‘Walk’, ‘This Love’, and the unrelenting ‘Fucking Hostile’.
Featuring an appearance from Child Bite’s Shawn Knight during ‘I’m Broken’, the band streamed the set on their Facebook page, with fans equally expressing their excitement at the show, and lamenting the loss of one of metal’s greatest bands so many years ago.
While Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals eschewed classic singles like ‘Cowboys From Hell’, ‘Cemetery Gates’, and ‘Planet Caravan’, this is a textbook example of ‘beggars can’t be choosers’, with fans lucky enough to have witnessed this amazing set.
Check out Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals performing a Pantera set:
Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals @ The Viper Room, Los Angeles, USA 16/11/18 Setlist
‘Use My Third Arm’
‘Mouth For War’
‘Becoming’
‘Walk’
‘Death Rattle’
‘I’m Broken’ (feat. Shawn Knight)
‘This Love’
‘Fucking Hostile’
‘Hellbound’
‘Dom/Hollow’
‘A New Level’
