PANTERA Japan Diary
by Madd Maxx Hammer
Pantera invaded the land of the rising sun (Japan) for one full week in late June, playing 3 shows in Tokyo and one gig in Osaka. All four concerts were sold out.
The boys unleashed their fury on the Japanese with reckless abandon. The third show of the four was the most brutal. It was so relentless that I can say it was one of the overall best Pantera sets I have ever seen. I can truthfully say that I have seen at least 400 Pantera shows since 1987, the year I first met the band. The band seemed to have fun on stage for their brief stint in Japan. Pantera always has fun while they are performing, but there is always that element of anger and seriousness.
Their set was basically the same as Europe. The only difference was they substituted "Mouth For War" for "Death Rattle."
The first day in Japan everyone went out to a club. Former Ozzy guitar player Zakk Wylde was at the club. So he hung out. His band is called Black Label Society. They completely rock! Anyway, Wylde is on some kind of tough guy kick and challenges Vinnie Paul to an arm wrestling match. Vince declines the generous offer and volunteers his security guy, aptly named Krusher, to take on the Zakk attack. Wylde who is an avid weight-lifter pins Krusher after an arduous struggle and then proceeds to punch Krusher in the face and then gets up and tips the table over, drinks and all.
