We had already seen a few festival appearances announced for the new version of Pantera, but the band have made the year even more exciting for a whole lot of metalheads by announcing a 20-date headlining tour with support from Lamb of God.
As you should probably know by now, Pantera’s new lineup features core members singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown joined by drummer Charlie Benante of Anthrax and guitarist Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society, playing in place of the late Abbott brothers, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.
In December, the band kicked off their highly anticipated return with a show in Mexico City that reportedly sounded amazing.
Your first chance to see Pantera in our area comes at Inkcarceration in Mansfield, Ohio, on July 15 followed by one of those headlining gigs at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville on July 29 and as support for Metallica at Ford Field in Detroit on Nov. 10.
While there isn’t a lot on the books for 2024, Pantera will open for Metallica at Soldier Field on Aug. 9.
Mastodon, Gojira team up
Mastodon and Gojira have announced two legs of a co-headlining Mega Monsters North American tour with special guest Lorna Shore.
The tour unites two of the biggest forces in 21st century metal, with each hitting the road in continued support of their 2021 albums, Mastodon’s Hushed & Grim and Fortitude from Gojira.
Meanwhile, Shore will be touting last year’s Pain Remains.
Fans in our neck of the woods will have to wait until the second leg begins in August to witness the metal mayhem when the tour visits Jacobs Pavilion in Cleveland on Aug. 10, Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit on Aug. 15, and Horseshoe Casino in Hammond on Aug. 25.
Loggins sets final tour
In music news with more of a pop appeal, Kenny Loggins has announced his final tour, which will launch in March.
The This Is It tour begins March 10 in Sarasota, Florida, and spread out over several months, with dates set in April, June, August, and October.
The 75-year-old started his career with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and enjoyed a lot of success as half of Loggins & Messina, with former Poco member Jim Messina, who will be at The Clyde Theatre on March 26. It was his late ’70s and early ’80s solo hits that solidified him as a radio mainstay of the time with soundtrack hits such as “Danger Zone,” from Top Gun, “Footloose” from Footloose, and “I’m Alright” from Caddyshack.
“It’s been an amazing journey and I’m fortunate to have had such a long touring career,” Loggins said in a press release. “I don’t see this as the end of my professional career, but certainly a halt to the grind of major touring. I’ll be playing songs that I feel sum up the emotional story of my music. This will include 90 percent of the hits and 10 or so percent of the deeper cuts.”
If you’re interested, there’s only one show scheduled thus far for our region. He will appear at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, near Chicago, on Aug. 19.
Road Notes covers concerts within driving distance of Northeast Indiana. Send your news items to info@whatzup.com.
