Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals paid tribute to Pantera with a scorching livestream set

Over a year since their last show, Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals were back on-stage this past weekend for A Vulgar Display of Pantera, a special livestream show featuring the band running through a bevy of Pantera hits and deep album cuts.

For years after the band broke up, former Pantera singer Phil Anselmo would never cover any of the band’s songs in his numerous other projects, including Down, Superjoint Ritual, and now Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals. That may have been due to the simmering animosity between his former bandmates, including the tragically deceased brothers Dimebag Darrell (guitar) and Vinnie Paul (drums), but a few years back he began playing the odd Pantera track with Superjoint, and the Illegals played a special Pantera set during their opening slot for Slayer’s final tour back in 2019, a tribute they continued with this livestream show.

King Parrot

Opening up the night was a 7-song set from Australian thrashers King Parrot. Signed to Anselmo’s Housecore Records label, the band delivered a wildly energetic set from what appeared to be a small rehearsal space. Like the best support bands, they made their most of the short time they had, flailing across the small space and (virtually) getting the crowd pumped up for Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals.

A Vulgar Display of Pantera

Recorded live at an undisclosed venue in New Orleans before a crowd of 50 people, Phil and the Illegals were in great form as they delivered fan-favourite tracks like Pantera’s “Mouth for War” and a scorching “Becoming.” While the barefoot Anselmo didn’t stalk the stage like he did back in Pantera’s heyday, he seemed entirely focused on delivering the best vocal performance possible, from the moody opening of the somber “Suicide Note Pt. I” (complete with acoustic guitar and keyboard) to throat-shredding tracks like “War Nerve.”

The Illegals (guitarists Mike DeLeon and Stephen Taylor, bassist Derek Engemann, and drummer Joey Gonzalez) were also in fine form — it’s hard to replicate Pantera’s sound but the band did a convincing job, especially on the harder-edged tracks from Reinventing the Steel. 

There were a few hiccups — sound issues at the beginning of the set caused the band to re-play “Suicide Note Pt. I” in the encore and there were a few false starts, which only made the event feel more like a real live show than a choreographed-to-death streaming event. It helped that the show was lit like a traditional concert and the band was able to play before a physical crowd — it’s just a shame that the cameras never panned over to catch the audience’s reaction at any point during the set. Otherwise, the multi-camera set-up efficiently captured the energy of the set without ever feeling too busy or intrusive.

R.I.P. Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul

Anselmo took the time to thank the physical and streaming audience multiple times during the set, while speaking of the need to continue Pantera’s legacy, especially now that two of its founding members are no longer with us. That salute to the Abbott brothers continued in the intermission, which featured video footage of Dimebag, Vinnie, and bassist Rex Brown. After so many years of hostility between the former bandmates, it was heartening to see the band’s music and legacy celebrated on-stage one more time.

After a scorching version of “Domination/Hollow,” Phil leaned over the barricade and brought up a young boy named Roman from the crowd to help sing “Walk,” Pantera’s most well-known song. The boy seemed genuinely excited, and there was something incredibly endearing about a young child screaming along to lyrics like “A lesson learned in life / Known from the dawn of time” with as much intensity as the grizzled Anselmo.

Given that we’ll never see another Pantera show, this tribute from Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals felt like the next best thing. As things begin to open up and concert announcements continue to roll in every day, hopefully, it won’t be too much longer before fans can tussle in the pit to Phil and the Illegals once again. This weekend proved the band is more than ready for it.

Check out the setlist from the night below.

A Vulgar Display of Pantera is available to stream on-demand through Monday, April 12 at 11:59 pm. Tickets are available here.

Setlist