PANTERA have spent three and a half years as the support act on METALLICA's "M72" tour, and Rex Brown has now put a number on what that meant. Appearing on The Bass Nerds podcast, the bassist called it "just an honor to be on for a whole three and a half years now. And those guys are just the tops."
Most of his description went to the stage. METALLICA's "M72" production is a ring, with the so-called Snake Pit holding the audience in the center — a shape that gives the support band nowhere familiar to stand.
"The stage is a weird configuration, but once you just get up and start playing, it just comes naturally," Brown said. "You just have a lot of people to cover… It's like a doughnut in the middle of a stadium. So we were playing — I think the first run we were doing, we did MetLife in New York, and we did SoFi in L.A., and Soldier Field — so many places you just dream of playing. And they were all sold to the gills. METALLICA's huge, man."
The pairing was not universally welcomed when it was announced. PANTERA's surviving members, Brown and vocalist Philip Anselmo, tour under the band name with guitarist Zakk Wylde and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante, and the arrangement drew argument from the moment it surfaced. METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich backed it publicly in early 2023, before the tour launched.
"I think the idea that they're out celebrating the music and the magic of PANTERA is… I know there's been a lot of talk in the community about whether people support that or not," Ulrich told Revolver at the time. "But I'm the type of person, if Glenn Hughes wants to go out and play a DEEP PURPLE set, I'd support that. I'm always in favor of people following their musical and creative ambitions."
Behind the endorsement is a friendship older than either band's biggest records. METALLICA met the Abbott brothers on the "Ride The Lightning" tour in Dallas in 1985, years before Anselmo joined. "We obviously loved both of them, and they had a posse down there, and we would see them whenever we came through Texas," Ulrich said. "We watched the band evolve over the years from more rock vibes into that creative, unique force that they became."
Kirk Hammett offered a similar reading of the reunion in 2024: "It's a tribute to the brothers keeping their legacy alive. And it's a great thing for PANTERA fans. Even though it's not the original PANTERA, you still get to see Phil and Rex, and Zakk and Charlie are doing a damn good job."
James Hetfield, for his part, has kept it personal. "What a blessing to have been in his life and him in my life," he said of Dimebag Darrell. "Dimebag introduced me to the solid state amp, I remember. He had this fricking amazing crunch going on. I was, like, 'What is that?' We inspired each other."
METALLICA closed "M72" in London in July.