LIVE REVIEW: Pantera & Lamb of God at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario on February 26th, 2024
Metal giants Pantera and Lamb of God first embarked on their Legacy tour back in the summer of 2023, and, after a wildly successful first run, decided to extend their tour and announce extra dates for 2024 — and Toronto ws lucky enough to be the only repeat city on this tour.
Lamb of God started the night with “Memento Mori” and a curtain drop that had the crowd roaring with cheers. It was a song that was sure to get people on their feet and warmed up for the rest of an incredible night, filled with groovy riffs and punchy blast beats, perfect for getting a massive moshpit started. Frontman Randy Blythe bounced and ran around the stage full of energy, orchestrating the crowd and encouraging audience participation to sing parts of songs.
The fiery death/groove metal band played a well-mixed variety of older songs, like “Ruin” from their sophomore album, As The Palaces Burn, and brand new ones from their recent release, Omens, keeping the entire audience engaged and on their toes about what song they would play next. The second to last song of the night, “Laid To Rest”, arguably one of their most popular songs, had people shouting along to the lyrics of the powerful song; the heavy breakdown had the entire arena headbanging along, and caused one of the largest moshpits I had ever bared witness to! They ended the night with “Redneck”, a song dedicated to the Abbott Brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell.
At this point in the night, the crowd had grown tenfold excited and energized for Pantera‘s set. They began their set with a heartfelt tribute video of their late band members, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell, and dedicated their set, and tour, to the brothers that created the band.
The night was filled with fan favourite songs, like “I’m Broken”, “Domination” and “Cowboys From Hell” that had the entire stadium singing along. Touring guitarist Zakk Wylde wowed the audience with acing famous solos, paying great homage to Dimebag Darrell. To introduce their greatest hit, “Walk”, frontman Phil Anselmo asked for, and expected, “100% audience participation”, and Toronto truly did not disappoint. You could hear the audience chanting the chorus lyrics, “Respect! Walk!” from miles away, and not only the chorus, but the entirety of the song; you could hardly hear Anselmo himself over the voice of the crowd! Even members of Lamb of God and opening band Snafu came out to sing along.
This tour, that oozed with energy and great renown, has finally come to an end — but the Legacy the bands have left behind, and what they’ve done for metal music, will live on forever, and we can hardly wait for the next time they’ll be hitting the road!
