Justin Nuoffer
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS
PANTERA and LAMB OF GOD w/ Child Bite
Resch Center – Green Bay, WI – 2/18/24
Review/Photos ©Justin Nuoffer
Green Bay is mostly known for football, but tonight the city proved it is a haven for metalheads across the state when the metal legends Pantera and Lamb of God made a stop at the Resch Center on the second leg of their North American tour after reuniting last year for an initial run of dates.
The Resch Center is nestled across the street from historic Lambeau Field and the Don Hutson Center. Its large glass exterior reflects its image in the street. With the warmer-than-normal temperatures, the area is bustling and a few tailgaters keep up the cheesehead tradition in the parking lots. The bars and restaurants next door are packed with patrons. Outside the main gates, the line to enter the facility extends down the block. The waiting time to enter the 10,200-capacity arena was minimal, and the security checks were quick and efficient. Once in the hallway, the merchandise tables stood directly next to the entrance where the fans stood nearly 20 deep to get their tour gear. The atmosphere was electric and it only intensified upon entering the seating bowl. Needless to say, the anticipation was at a fever pitch.
The return of the legendary Pantera sparks all sorts of emotions. The fandom has never gone away. Their album sales have remained consistent throughout the years and a new generation of fans has emerged. Modern artists cite them as a major influence. Pantera has touched the pulse of mainstream metal and the story of the band has been well-documented. The Abbott brothers’ deaths have always loomed large, but this rebirth of the band is a complete homage to them and the dedication of the fans.
The first band of the evening, Child Bite, might have been a perfect opener. They walked out chugging beer and yelling at the crowd. Musically they were on a whole different level than anyone expected. They seemed like a heavier and more aggressive version of Clutch. Their stage setup was as basic as can be and it fits their vibe. Cabinet rigs and drum kit, and that is it. They moved as a unit, spastic and wildly, but in unison. The Housecore label veterans impressed the eager crowd that was still filing into the hockey arena.
Vocalist Shawn Knight ran the entire stage. He screamed and sang with wild abandonment, while his fellow long-time band partner Sean Clancey whipped his bass around and delivered searing backing vocals. The hardcore art project left fans in awe and puzzled by how they fit on the bill. Despite that, they amazed and shined, and the Michigan outfit turned out to be the perfect fit for the heavy metal legends taking the stage next.
Lamb of God waste no time punching you in the mouth. The stage is bathed in solid blue behind a curtain as the intro to “Memento Mori” kicks in. Once the curtain drops you know instantly Randy Blythe and company are there to take over. The frontman is one of the most unique personalities in all of the metal world and he is there to kick your ass. His vocals rip through the opening notes. His persistence and rapid movements made it impossible to remove one’s eyes from him. Whether perched up front on a metal footstand or flying through the air from the drum stand 5 feet off the ground, he once again proved he was one of the greatest leading men in modern music.
All of Randy’s greatness is matched by the rest of the Lamb of God crew. Willie Adler and Mark Morton created some of the nastiest riffs of the past 20 years and displayed that strength note for note. Morton is emotionally controlled and rips lead riffs faster than most as he head bangs with his hair whipping through the air. The man simply doesn’t miss.
Across the stage, Adler delivers the rhythm. One of the most notable things about him is as he moves around the stage he is smiling nonstop. The man was simply having the most fun you could have on stage.
On bass, John Campbell drops thundering string plucks. With every beat, his long silver hair is flung around. Perhaps the best and most obvious thing to note is how playful he is with the crowd and even the photographers down front.
From his elevated landing behind the rest of the band, drummer Art Cruz slays his kit. Armed with powerful double bass kicks and quick snare snaps he guides the band’s pace and timing with precision.
Regardless of having Omens as their latest album release, Lamb of God makes its own rules at all times. They stay true to their roots and deliver for their long-time fans. Every song is a pit spinner with classics like “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For,” “Laid To Rest,” “Hour Glass,” “Ruin,” and “Vigil” in the setlist. After all, three of those songs are 20 years old and still slap harder than most being produced by any band out there today. “Walk With Me In Hell” set the room off. The growling vocals and haunting guitar lines set the tone early and Lamb of God never looked back. (Check out the fan-shot live performance video of “Walk With Me In Hell” from the show in Green Bay below)
The only newer song of the evening, “Ditch,” was a brutal pit mover. The crowd was overly familiar with it and that was easily noticeable. The unassuming guitar chugging elevated the band’s attitude. It was an explosive live show without all of their normal pyro firing off in the background. The lighting rigs for this run of shows were intensified and matched by the CO2 cannons blasting with the drum kits. It all matched the mood of each song to perfection.
These seasoned vets couldn’t have been a better fit to head out as direct support. Closing their set out with “Redneck” as a tribute to Dime and Vinny further proved the precious connection the metal world has to the headliner.
In the moments before curtain drop, guitarist Zakk Wylde runs out and whips the crowd into a frenzy. He stands up on the security barricade waving his arms and the crowd goes insane. As he leaves, the two video boards on each side of the stage are flipped on and a short video of behind-the-scenes footage featuring the fallen brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul begins to play. The massive curtain over the front of the stage illuminated the Pantera script across it. The broken guitar string scrapes of “A New Level” filled everyone’s ears and the atmosphere was electrified. Concussion blasts popped off and the curtain fell.
Vocalist Phil Anselmo stood out front and center with both arms raised. He waved his arms around the room, folded his hands, and had a huge smile on his face. Anselmo took it all in. The nearly filled-up arena gave the love back in return.
The setlist for the evening was a perfect mix of hits across four incredibly powerful albums. After rattling off the thunderous opener and “Mouth For War,” Pantera ripped into a 3 song set from the Far Beyond Driven album. The demeanor and shift just became heavier. The iconic wah of “Becoming” rang throughout the domed facility. Zakk Wylde filled the shoes of the mythical Dime Bag Darrell, a feat he accomplished with his own Viking-style flare, and the pure power radiating from the stage was felt.
Beyond the heartfelt conversations and a commentary between songs from Phil, he unleashed a vocal performance for the ages. While his range has diminished over the years, he has maintained most of it and the grit of it felt like he hadn’t aged a day in 30 years. “Suicide Notes Pt.2” pushed it to the max and Phil loved every moment of it.
Rex Brown, the only original member of the band was perhaps the happiest person on stage. The multitude of shared glances and smiles with the other members were extremely noticeable. He was beyond impressive on the bass. As the band headed into the slower, longer laid-out songs from their extensive catalog his strings rattled the room definitively through “5 Minutes Alone” and “This Love.” The impactful moments resonated. Whipping his hair around like in the days of old, Rex had been reborn as well.
Unexpectedly, on this tour “Floods” from The Great Southern Trendkill was added to the relentless assault of classics. The slow grimey pace and continuous oppressive feeling swept until the solo kicked in.
The momentary break of bone-crushing riffs and drum kit snaps by Charle Benante allowed some recuperation time. Benante lived up to the hype of Vinnie Paul‘s greatness. With the fire blazing around him and individual shots firing off, he smashed his kit to the most famous of metal anthems, “Walk.” (Check out the fan-shot live performance video of “Walk” and “Hollow” from the show in Green Bay below)
Anselmo proclaimed that people who had no clue who they were while on tour with Metallica unleashed and knew who they were once the song took off. Two massive circle pits opened up. One in the designated floor area and one in the spot behind the seating. Both spun out of control to the canticle. The opener Child Bite came out to support the chorus of “Walk” with fists raised and slamming back and forth. The moment encompassed every pent-up feeling of lost time with the band.
As the night pressed on to its end, the combination of “Domination” and “Hollow” was a creative mixture of raw power and heart-pounding intensity. To say they were firing on all cylinders would be the biggest understatement. The smooth adjustments and continued love pouring out to the crowd was profound compared to most artists currently out there on the road. The room moved in waves and shook. A dramatic detonation of joy filled the air as the “Cowboys From Hell” intro plays on a loop over and over. Anselmo gives his thanks to the two other bands on the bill. He then asks, “I need to know if and when we come back to this place who the fuck will come again?” A deafening roar blasted out into the ether.
It was a culmination of every single head bang and body shove that was missed in their absence. The age range was massive and the unprocessed emotions went wild. Fire filled the empty space on stage. Wylde ripped the famous riff with ease, Benante smiled and snapped his snare, Rex pointed and flashed that attitude, and Phil unleashed his growls and fist pumps. CFH flashed and spun on the massive back screen. The Cowboys From Hell arrived and rocked it. In typical Pantera style, they gave the crazies in the circle pit one more chance to crush it after the short encore break. “Fucking Hostile,” the fierce teeth breaker of a song, closed the evening. Every ounce of energy was spent. The reality of what was witnessed tonight authenticated their needed return to the world.
The G on the Packer’s helmet stands for “greatness” and it is an everyday expectation. The entire tour came to the Resch Center and lived up to that standard….A town built on the ghosts of past legends of the American game. Pantera slayed with its legacy and lore in hand.
The masses walked out of the venue touched by their history and heartfelt tribute to fallen brothers. The legacy of one of the biggest metal acts that once walked the Earth has been reborn. The consistent turnout by the fandom may light the spark to keep them running for a long time. There is no doubt the energy and synergy is there. Pantera being alive and on tour is once again a can-not-miss event.
Check out our complete Pantera concert photo gallery below:
Check out our complete Lamb of God concert photo gallery below:
Check out our complete Child Bite concert photo gallery below:
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