If you’ve ever met one of your favorite musicians, then you know how exciting, and also nerve-wracking, that moment can be. A group of Pantera fans have shared their experiences meeting members of the band online, and quite a few had stories about late members Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.
A user wrote a post on the Pantera Reddit page asking if anyone had ever met any members of the band, and there were a little under 50 comments on the thread.
The top comment, which received the most upvotes of any of the other stories, was written by an individual whose sister apparently befriended the members of Pantera when they were still a local band in Dallas, Texas. They didn’t specify which year she met them, so it’s unclear whether it was before or after Philip Anselmo joined.
However, according to the comment, the sister remained friends with the band throughout the ’90s, so she and her sibling (the person who wrote the comment) got to spend time with them sometimes when they passed through on tour.
“They were all very nice! Rex [Brown] gave me his last cigarette once and signed the pack for me. Vin singed my promo photo ‘Phil rocks!’ (cuz my name is Phil too). Dime was just the nicest dude ever!” they continued. “I don’t have any pictures with them, cuz well, it was the ’90s and we didn’t carry a camera with us everywhere. I met Phil only once but he was also very cool and had no problem signing my cover of Vulgar. I still have the Vulgar cover signed by all four guys, framed of course. And the promo photo signed by the other three.”
Upon request, the writer of the comment shared a photo of the signed memorabilia they mentioned, as well as some guest and after show passes they received in the ’90s.
Another fan recalled the time they couldn’t get into one of Pantera’s shows in Baltimore, Md. in ’94 because they’d forgotten their ID. They were denied entry to the concert as a result, but managed to meet the members of the band anyway.
“I was pissed. Walking by their tour bus, I said fuck it and climbed aboard. There were a few people lingering about. Rex was in the back, Vinnie and Dime on the couch,” they wrote. “I told them this place sucked and they wouldn’t let me in. They gave me an autographed band photo, some beer, drumsticks, that was about it. About the coolest rockstars I ever met.”
Other fans had stories meeting the rockers when they were involved with different bands, such as Damageplan, Hellyeah, Down and Superjoint Ritual.
“Met Vinnie Paul at a casino, he signed my hat and put me on guest list for the Hellyeah/Machine Head show the following night. Super nice, actually took the time to chat,” someone noted, then added that they, “‘Met’ Phil when I jumped onto the stage at a Superjoint show and hugged him. He told me to get off his stage, I dove off, and left. It was late, they went on late, and I was tired.”
Only one individual wrote about their experience meeting the current lineup of Pantera, which consists of Anselmo and Brown, as well as Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. They’ve been touring since late 2022 in celebration of Darrell and Paul’s legacy, and plenty of fans have been able to meet them through meet-and-greet ticket packages.
However, this person, in particular, also got to meet the band in the 2000s when Darrell and Paul were still in the group. They also got to dress as Santa onstage during a Down show (see footage here).
READ MORE: Pantera’s Philip Anselmo + Rex Brown Give Rare Interview
“Everything about them is family like! I’ve never had a bad moment and feel super fortunate to get to know guys that were my childhood heroes and then see how amazing people they actually are,” they praised.
You can check out more fan stories on Reddit, either through this link or by clicking on the embedded post below.
Has anyone met any members of the band?
byu/No_Clothes701 inPantera
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
