Pantera removed from line-up of German rock festivals after backlash
Rock am Ring and Rock im Park issue a joint statement
German festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park have removed Pantera from the line-up of their events this summer.
The two simultaneous festivals held at the Zeppelinfeld in Nuremberg (Rock im Park) and Nürburgring racetrack (Rock am Ring) were due to feature performances from the new incarnation of Pantera on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd June respectively.
However, two months after they initially announced their line-ups, both rock festivals issued a joint statement last night (23rd January) telling fans that Pantera will no longer appear.
“Pantera will not be performing at Rock in the Park and Rock in the Ring 2023, as announced,” the short statement began.
“In the last few weeks, we have had many intensive conversations with artists, our partners and you, the festival fans, we have continued to deal with the criticism together and decided to remove the band from the program.”
On 9th January, the Greens at Nuremberg City Council called on Rock am Ring and Rock im Park organisers to remove Pantera from the bill due the “Nazi gestures” Phil Anselmo made in January 2016 at the Dimebash event in Hollywood.
Anselmo made a Nazi-style salute at the event and shouted, “white power.” He later claimed he was joking about drinking white wine backstage and was reacting to taunts from a section of the audience.
Réka Lörincz, spokeswoman against racism and right-wing extremism for the Greens in Nuremberg, said: “The former Nazi party rally grounds are deliberately misused for the staging and reproduction of racist and inhuman ideology.”
The Greens also said Anselmo’s “excuses for his behaviour” were “trivializing and therefore all the more problematic.”
Organisers of Rock am Ring and Rock im Park had previously said they hoped Pantera would remain on the bill and they had spoken to the band and their management.
As News in Germany reports, they said: “In several conversations we have been assured that Phil Anselmo’s behavior in 2016 in no way reflects the views of the band.
“We then decided to give the band Pantera a chance and thus fulfill the dream of countless rock fans to experience Pantera’s work live.”
Asked about the backlash to Dimebash by Kerrang in 2019, Anselmo said: "I feel like it's ridiculous. I made an off-colour joke and 'Boom!' — it's like I'm literally Hitler! I'm not. I take each individual one at a time, in the way that any logical individual will. I have love in my heart.”
The new version of Pantera features classic band members, singer Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, alongside Zakk Wylde on guitar and Anthrax’s Charlie Benante on drums.
Pantera’s new line-up made their debut at festivals in Mexico and South America in December and their next concerts take place at Loud Park Festival in Japan in March.
Taking in arenas and outdoor festivals, the extensive European leg opens in Sofia, Bulgaria on 26th May and continues through to July. There are currently no UK dates as part of the schedule.
23 incredible murals of rock stars:
Malcolm Young
Created by anonymous Australian artist Lushsux, this sublime mural of Malcolm Young is located on AC/DC Lane in Melbourne. It was unveiled shortly after the fabled guitarist's death in November 2017.
Malcolm Young
Lushsux's second Malcolm Young mural on AC/DC Lane in Melbourne featuring angel wings and devil horns. The quote reads: "C'mon Saint Peter. How many bloody times are you gonna make me play Hell's Bells before you let me through the gates mate?"
Eddie Van Halen
Created by Los Angeles artist Robert Vargas, the gargantuan Long Live The King mural of Eddie Van Halen measures more than five metres high and 32 metres wide and is located on the outside wall of the world-famous Guitar Centre store in Hollywood, California. It was unveiled on 26th January 2021 to mark what would have been Van Halen's 66th birthday.
Bob Dylan
Created by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, this astonishing Bob Dylan mural called The Times They Are A-Changin was unveiled in September 2015. Depicting three photo-realistic images of Bob Dylan from different eras, the mural features kaleidoscopic colours and patterns throughout.
Joey Ramone
Painted by artists Solus and John CRASH Matos, this Joey Ramone mural on Bleecker at the Bowery in New York City was unveiled in September 2015. Featuring Joey Ramone sporting boxing gloves, the mural was created to mark the 40th anniversary of The Ramones' first gig at legendary venue CBGB. The mural was painted over in August 2017.
Debbie Harry and Blondie
In August 2017, the Joey Ramone mural in New York was painted over by esteemed graffiti mastermind Shepard Fairey who created this impressive Debbie Harry and Blondie mural in homage to the legendary now-closed CBGB club.
Black Sabbath
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the heavy metal pioneers, a new Black Sabbath mural was unveiled in Digbeth, Birmingham in September 2019 as part of High Vis Street Culture Festival by artist N4T4.
Lou Reed
This astonishingly life-like mosaic mural of Lou Reed was created by late photorealist artist Chuck Close in 2017. It's located at the Second Avenue Subway in Brooklyn, New York.
Ringo Starr
Painted by Liverpool artist John Culshaw, this spectacular Ringo Starr mural adorns the facade wall of The Empress Pub in Toxteth. Unveiled in March 2022, the mural is located near to Starr's humble childhood home.
David Bowie
Painted by Australian street artist Jimmy Cochra in 2013, the David Bowie 'Aladdin Sane' mural in Brixton became a focal point for mourners upon his death in January 2016.
Joe Strummer
Once located on the corner of Blenheim Crescent and Portobello road in Notting Hill, London, this Joe Strummer mural was unveiled in 2015 but was sadly demolished three years later when the adjacent shop was refurbished.
Prince
Manchester street artist Akse P19 created this Prince mural in the Northern Quarter in 2016 just a few weeks after the music legend's death.
Leonard Cohen
On the 1st anniversary of Leonard Cohen's death in November 2017 a vast 1,000 square metres mural of the singer was unveiled in downtown Montreal. Led by local artist Gene Pendon and internationally renowned American street portrait artist El Mac, Tower of Songs took 2 muralists, 13 assistant artists, 240 cans of paint and thousands of hours of work to replicate a photograph taken by his daughter, Lorca Cohen.
Muddy Waters
Eduardo Kobra's 'Muddy Waters Tribute' mural in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Kobra also created the astonishing Bob Dylan mural called The Times They Are A-Changin.
Keith Flint
Artist Akse P19 created this mural of late Prodigy icon Keith Flint in Hackney, London ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day 2021. The artwork was made to raise awareness of mental health text support service Shout85258
Mick Ronson
Late-great David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson was immortalised as this mural on Greenwich Avenue in his hometown of Hull in 2019. Before fame, Ronson worked as a gardener for Hull City Council.
27 Club mural
Eduardo Kobra's 27 Club mural in New York features five musicians who died aged 27 –Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse.
Jimi Hendrix
Such is his enduring legendary status, there are many Jimi Hendrix murals around the world. However, we particularly like this psychedelic one by German street artist Won ABC that was created in Leicester in May 2022 for the Bring the Paint event.
Lemmy
The Lemmy mural at his favourite drinking haunt, The Rainbow Bar & Grill in Los Angeles.
Prince
A small yet brilliant mural of Prince on Graham Road in London in April 2016.
Massive Wagons
A massive Massive Wagons 'Full Nelson' mural was unveiled in their native city of Lancaster in July 2018 to celebrate the release of their new studio album. The three-storey painting of the album cover adorned the side of The Pub in Lancaster where the band played many of their early shows. The band tweeted: 'Humbling beyond belief to have this monster mural of the Full Nelson album cover on the walls of our great city of Lancaster!'
Lemmy
A piece of graffiti in London by artist Paul Don Smith of Motörhead legend Lemmy. It appeared in 2016 a few months after Lemmy's untimely death.
The Rolling Stones
This mural of The Rolling Stones by Subset Dublin appeared above JJ Smyth's pub in Dublin's city centre, just a couple of days before the group's concert at Croke Park in May 2018.
Ian Curtis
Based on a seminal photo of Ian Curtis taken by Philippe Carly, this painting on the side of a central Manchester building was created by world-renowned street artist Akse P19 in October 2020 to mark World Mental Health Day. It was controversially painted over in August 2022 with artwork for the Manchester rapper Aitch.