Anthrax and the current Pantera drummer Charlie Benante shared a heartfelt message for the late Dimebag Darrell.
The drummer took to Instagram to share a video from their last gig together. “Well… this was the last time I saw Dimebag Darrell, he was gone a few days later. I think the ironic thing is the song that we were playing. This night was so memorable and we had so much fun. I miss you man and I know you know this!! I remember feeling it the next day but it was worth it,” he wrote in the caption.
According to a commenter, he shares the same video every year on the same day. “I know you post this every year. And every year it makes me smile. Thank you for helping to remember and celebrate his life – he was one of a kind,” the user wrote under the post.
Benante first joined Pantera for their return to touring after the death of Vinnie Paul in 2018, replacing the late drummer while Zakk Wylde fills in for Dimebag. During his first concert with Pantera, producer Sterling Winfield gave Benante a pair of items as a meaningful gift to remember his new role in the band.
“Sterling came to the show and he brought me two things: He brought me a pair of Vinnie’s gloves,” Benante recalled during a chat on the Vinyl Guide podcast. “Used gloves. It even had blood on it from Vinnie, from his blisters and beat-up hands. And he brought me Darrell’s headband.”
The drummer doesn’t just see them as items or gifts but makes sure to take both items with him onstage. “I put Vinnie’s glove in my pocket and I put Darrell’s headband around my leg,” the drummer explained. It’s a ritual he’s kept up ever since. Every night I play with those. It’s like baseball players wearing the same thing. Maybe it’s a bit of a superstition. But for me, it’s something I do for every show, just to have them there,” he added.
Pantera is set to play in Helsinki on January 21 as the first date of their upcoming 2025 world tour.
