Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has said the band’s late-’90s tour with Pantera was “absolute chaos.” He recalled how he learned to drink on the road alongside Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. His comments were shared in a new interview via Louder Sound.
Ian’s comments focused on Anthrax’s run with Pantera in 1997 and 1998. He also remembered riding the bus with the Abbott brothers during that period.
“We did a tour with Pantera and it was f*cking chaos,” Ian said. “I would ride on Dimebag and Vinnie’s [Paul, drummer and Dimebag’s brother] bus sometimes, which seemed like a good idea when you were getting on it at 3am. And then it’s seven in the morning and they’ve been watching the same live KISS videos for four hours.”
Ian also described how the tour shaped his relationship with alcohol. He recalled a night when Dimebag met him at a low point with a shot in hand.
“I learned how to drink on that tour,” he continued. “One night I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I opened the bathroom door and Darrell’s standing there with a shot waiting for me. ‘Dude, I just threw up.’ He looks at me and goes, ‘What are you talking about, Baldini? Now you just have more room.'”
That story fits the picture most of Dimebag’s peers have painted of him. The Pantera guitarist treated hospitality as part of his job, and a drink was usually how he welcomed people into his circle. Anyone touring alongside Pantera in the ’90s was likely to be pulled into that routine. Ian has said Dimebag’s personality was rooted in fun, and the guitarist never changed his approach based on the size of the crowd or the status of the show. He has said the same attitude applied to Vinnie Paul.
“Once you shared drinks with that guy, you became a part of his extended family.”
The 1997 and 1998 dates came at a busy point for both bands. Pantera were one of the biggest heavy acts in the world. Anthrax, meanwhile, were reaching a new audience on the bill. Ian’s account shows that the nights on the bus were as memorable as the shows.
Ian has also said that the usual trappings of a successful band meant nothing to Dimebag. That helps explain why an opening-act guitarist could end up on his bus at 3am. It also explains why Ian still tells these stories. Dimebag was killed onstage in Ohio in December 2004. Ian has spoken about the loss many times since.
