Via a conversation on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante spoke to their involvement regarding the upcoming 2023 Pantera shows. It was confirmed a couple weeks ago that Wylde and Benante would be stepping in for the roles of guitarist and drummer, respectively.
During their conversation with Eddie Trunk, the two musicians spoke to being invited to be part of these shows and paying tribute to Pantera’s legacy. At one point Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante are asked how they will approach their roles in the band; specifically, how Wylde will approach playing the guitar parts created by the late Dimebag Darrell, and how Benante will approach playing the drum parts created by the late Vinnie Paul. Per Wylde, this is what he had to say (as transcribed by Blabbermouth):
“You approach it the same way as you do when I’m playing with Ozzy. Obviously I’ve gotta learn [Randy] Rhoads’s stuff and I’ve gotta learn Jake’s [E. Lee] stuff, and when I was doing the [Black] Sabbath stuff, you learn it and do it as faithful as you can. Charlie’s gotta learn all of Vinnie’s parts. You approach it as if you’re in a cover band. When we do the Zakk Sabbath stuff. I don’t start changing lyrics midway through ‘War Pigs’. You learn the songs — so that’s what you do.”
Benante added:
“I can’t go do this as the drummer from Anthrax because it would be a different sound completely. So the way I’m gonna do that is if you close your eyes, it’s gonna sound like it’s Vinnie, basically. And that’s how it’s gonna be… The sound is gonna sound exactly like him.”
How excited are you for the upcoming 2023 Pantera shows? Below we have included several other stories pertaining to these shows.
A Preview Of ‘Pantera’ In 2023? Watch Phil, Rex, + Zakk Play ‘I’m Broken’ in 2014
‘Maybe I agree with the fans’: The Darkness Singer Questions Pantera Tour News
‘Obviously, it’s not Pantera’: Zakk Wylde Talks About Being Part Of Upcoming Pantera Shows