Pantera Confirmed To Headline Japan’s Loud Park Festival In 2023
Pantera will headline the 2023 “comeback” edition of Japan’s Loud Park festival. The two-day “limited” event will take place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and 26 March at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.
The reformed Pantera played their fourth concert without bassist Rex Brown on December 18 at Knotfest Brasil at Sambódromo Do Anhembi in São Paulo, Brazil. The Knotfest Brasil gig took place six days after Rex confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss the band’s performance at Knotfest Chile in Santiago on December 11. Filling in for him at Knotfest Brasil gig — and other recent shows — was Cattle Decapitation bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with singer Philip Anselmo in both Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals and Scour.
On 12 December, Brown released the following statement via Pantera’s social media: “I caught a very mild strain of Covid, but because of our own protocols, I simply do not wanna risk getting my brothers or the crew sick!! I’m feeling better & am on my way to a speedy recovery. Merry Fckn Christmas & see you all next year!”
On 11 December, Chilean radio station Futuro reported that Brown flew from Bogotá, Colombia, where Pantera performed at Knotfest Colombia on 9 December, back home to the United States to quarantine, thereby missing the remainder of the Pantera shows in South America.
Joining surviving members Brown and Anselmo in Pantera’s reformed lineup are guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) and drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax).
The new Pantera iteration made their live debut on 2 December at Mexico’s Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and also performed on 6 December at Monterrey Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico.
It was first reported in July that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the Pantera banner. In addition to Loud Park, the band will headline a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts. They will also support Metallica on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.