PHILIP ANSELMO Says It Was 'A Tough Decision' To Start Playing PANTERA-Centric Set With His Solo Band

PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS will return to the stage this week for a very special livestream event. Dubbed "A Vulgar Display Of Pantera", the multi-camera shot, fully live performance will take place on Friday, April 9 and find the band celebrating the legacy of PANTERA with a set featuring select cuts from the band's five classic albums: "Cowboys From Hell", "Vulgar Display Of Power", "Far Beyond Driven", "The Great Southern Trendkill" and "Reinventing The Steel". The livestream will also include an opening set by Australian grindcore unit/Housecore recording artists KING PARROT.

The festivities will commence at 7:00 p.m. EDT / 4:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, April 9 with PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. EDT / 5:00 p.m. PDT sharp. Video on demand will be available through Monday, April 12 at 11:59 p.m. EDT / 8:59 p.m. PDT.

Find tickets and exclusive merch bundles at illegalslive.com.

Speaking about his decision to play a PANTERA-centric set with PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, Anselmo told Revolver magazine (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Things came together, and they had to, because of the circumstances. I was not even gonna do anything like this to the level I'm doing it right now — I mean, I always play a couple of [PANTERA] songs here and there, and that's fine.

"When we started doing this, it was right after Vince [PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott] passed [in June 2018]," he continued. "And there was a few comments and letters that came to my attention. And I spoke to people that I love and trust. And it was a tough decision. Vince had passed, and — shoot — we had two weeks before we left for a tour. We were playing some pretty extreme shit. I was nowhere near PANTERA-level style of vocal. That's a tough style of vocal, man. Whew — it's young-man stuff, let me tell you.

"Anyway, we had to throw that shit together quick — T.T. quick, as they say. And I've gotta give my guys huge props, man, for just knowing that we were not gonna ever be perfect — we're never going to be another PANTERA — but we can give a spirited go at it and do the best that we can and really encourage the audience to celebrate it with us," Anselmo added. "They know the fucking words to those songs. Sing the songs with us. It helps. And it only seems right. So, to me, it's just a big celebration."

Two years ago, Anselmo told Revolver that Vinnie Paul's "horrific" and "unexpected" death "was something that stopped me dead in my tracks. I was in my kitchen and I just dropped to the floor and just had to breathe for a little while," he said. "That's when the big plea for us to do more PANTERA songs became irresistible. The tribute had to be then. It had to be right. And I never thought it would be THE ILLEGALS. Clearly the mission for us was to be a sweaty hole-in-the wall death-metal band. I've got to say huge props to them for learning the PANTERA material. They didn't even flinch, man, and just went for it."

Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for the murder of PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was his brother.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie Paul died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie was buried on June 30, 2018 next to his brother and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.

PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS' "A Vulgar Display Of Pantera Live" is presented in association with Danny Wimmer Presents.

PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS features Philip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT, SCOUR, EN MINOR) with guitarists Stephen Taylor (SUPERJOINT) and Mike DeLeon (FLESH HOARDER, BEING KILLED, ex-MOD),drummer José Manuel "Blue" Gonzalez (SUPERJOINT, WARBEAST),and bassist Derek Engemann (SCOUR, ex-CATTLE DECAPITATION). The band's most recent full-length, the critically acclaimed "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue", was released in 2018 via Anselmo's own Housecore Records.