Late great PANTERA lead guitarist, Dimebag Darrell Abbott, a Texas native, was shot to death on the stage at point blank range during an evening concert at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio on December 8, 2004. The killer, a mentally ill former Marine, stormed the stage during the opening song by Darrell’s new band project coincidentally named: DAMAGEPLAN.
What Darrell meant to the hard rock/heavy metal music world is not easy to put into words. By the time his first band, PANTERA, disbanded for good in 2003, he was already a legend. Widely considered the heaviest band in the world, PANTERA had sold millions of records, at a point in the 90’s when metal music was all but forgotten, having been pushed aside for grunge. A lifer for this kind of music, Darrell and his brother Vinnie Paul had founded the band together in the early 80’s as an answer to their love for VAN HALEN. What a lot of people don’t know is that nothing came over night for PANTERA. Dime and his bro Vinnie has already put in ten plus years performing at the local clubs in Fort Worth, Texas such as Joe’s Garage, where they gained a great reputation for throwing down a totally dominating live show. The best part is how Dime would hang out afterwards and buy drinks for his fans as if they were his family.
In fact, Dimebag’s last words to his brother that night before the tragic event took place was: “Van Fucking Halen!” The statement symbolized two brothers (much like Eddie and Alex) who rocked the world hard. Dimebag was the most proud of that fact above all else.
We must remember the brave souls who fought to try and save Dime’s life that night on the stage but were also killed during the senseless rampage. Jeff “Mayhem” Thompson, Damageplan’s security, Erin Halk, Alrosa club employee and a loyal fan named Nathan Bray. They each died a hero that night and are not forgotten.
Eleven years later, nothing in the world has changed. Mentally ill people around the United States continue mass shootings that take the lives of one too many. Worse yet, Jihad terrorists now use the same exact venue to do their harm against Christians, as we all recently witnessed with the horrifying mass murder of over 90 people at the Bataclan Music Theatre In Paris, France. Just like Dimebag, innoncent people were cowardly targeted and shot one by one.
If there’s one thing that Dimebag should be remembered for, besides his incredible musical prowess, it’s his fun loving nature and being the dude that simply wanted to see people happy and loving life.
“As the opening guitar riff to “Cowboys From Hell” came out of the speakers, I knew we had found the band we were looking for to come on tour with us. This was like a new kind of Judas Priest meets ZZ Top meets Van Halen divided by Slayer equals its own kind of thing.” – Sebastian Bach, Ex-SKID ROW
“He will be sadly missed.” – Tony Iommi
“Darrell was a very, very sweet guy, very upstanding, very quiet in his own way, immensely talented. PANTERA was a very, very important band. And I’m sure all the fans are going to miss him very much. I know I do.” – Gene Simmons
“The first time I heard Pantera, I thought, Jesus Christ! I still think that, to this day.” – Zakk Wylde
“If he were still alive, I’d damn well know him, because of our love for each other. He was one of my best friends on this planet, and best friends – especially those with strong personalities and integrity – butt heads sometimes. But we always found a compromise. I know for a fact that we would’ve made more music together. There would’ve been more Pantera tours. There would’ve been more albums. Then, when I think about it, the reality of his death collapses that entire pipe dream, and once again the heart is crushed.” – Philip H. Anselmo
“He made such a huge impact that it’s hard to even measure…” – Marzi Montazeri
“I respect the Pantera fans with all my heart. They’ve been so great to us for so long.” – Dimebag Darrell
“Bottom line: You’ve got Hendrix, you’ve got Van Halen, you’ve got Rhoads and you’ve got Dimebag Darrell. His influence will be felt forever. And he was the most genuine, kindest guy you ever met.” – Zakk Wylde
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