"Worst Day In Metal History"

Tim Cavanaugh | December 9, 2004

Hooded gunman kills former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Abbott and three others onstage, before being picked off by alert police officer.

Comments

|12.9.04 @ 12:32PM|#

Is this worse than the Great White club fire in RI that killed a hundred or so fans? Or are they not considered real metal anymore?

|12.9.04 @ 12:34PM|#

Was Great White ever considered "real metal?"

|12.9.04 @ 12:40PM|#

It was very fortunate that the cop happend to be in the area, and responded as deligently as he did. Otherwise, the carnage would've been much, much worst. The freak was actually firing into the crowd.

I wonder how this story would be told if it was a private citizen who came to the rescue..

|12.9.04 @ 12:51PM|#

Gunfight Erupts in Rock Concert Audience

Scarcely four months after the expiration of a fedral ban on assault weapons, two gun-carrying fans attending a concert by the rock group Pantera opened fire on members of the group, audience members, and each other ...

|12.9.04 @ 12:53PM|#

First, Great White barely rated "Hard Rock". They were certianly not Heavy Metal.

Second, the private citizen would have likely been arrested for having a firearm in a place where alchohol was served.

Warren|12.9.04 @ 12:54PM|#

Damn! That's fucked up.

I could do without the 2nd-amendment/gun-control posturing that's sure to follow. But that's too much to ask.

|12.9.04 @ 12:57PM|#

I'm slightly torn. On the one hand, Darrel was probably the best metal guitarist alive and taken way before his time.

On the other hand, this is truly the most metal death imaginable.

|12.9.04 @ 1:07PM|#

Pavel: Wouldn't spontaneous combustion have been more metal, even though Darrell wasn't a drummer?

|12.9.04 @ 1:19PM|#

Too bad the killer died. It would have been fun to hang him up by his balls and take him apart with a nail clipper.

Mark Denovich|12.9.04 @ 1:26PM|#

I have a few of Dimebag's guitar picks (complete with his name & 1-900 number on them) I managed to catch at a '97 Ozzfest show.

Sad to see him go.

|12.9.04 @ 1:51PM|#

Pavel: Wouldn't spontaneous combustion have been more metal, even though Darrell wasn't a drummer?

I think if GG Allin had lived to kill himself and take out half his audience in the process, that would have qualified.

Although very metal, it wouldn't be very libertarian unless it was voluntary.

|12.9.04 @ 1:55PM|#

Andy: I think the murderer being dead is the best possible outcome of a bad situation.

|12.9.04 @ 1:59PM|#

An alternate thread title suggestion:

"Vulgar Display of Firepower"

Luke|12.9.04 @ 1:59PM|#

Pavel --

A more metal death would be the one described by the genius American comedian Bill Hicks.

"I want him to play with one hand and put a gun in other. 'I hope you enojyed the show!!!' *BOOM*...as the performer eviscerates himself for the audience in a fit of artistic expression.

Not for me personally, but certainly metal.

|12.9.04 @ 2:00PM|#

With my way he'd end up dead as well, just a lot more slowly...

Of course, it's good that he died when he did so he couldn't kill anyone else.

|12.9.04 @ 2:17PM|#

This is the second time in two days that

G.G. Allin

has been mentioned here. I can't think of anyone more obscure or bizzare.

|12.9.04 @ 2:24PM|#

How about me?

|12.9.04 @ 2:33PM|#

You must go out and purchase the GG Allin "Hated" dvd, featuring footage of his last day on earth. It's a tour de force.

|12.9.04 @ 2:59PM|#

monte cazzaza comes to mind as well.

|12.9.04 @ 3:14PM|#

GG Allin and the Murder Junkies would have a top notch punk band even without the shtick.

|12.9.04 @ 3:49PM|#

While it's a sad day for metal, it was delightful hearing the word "Dimebag" on NPR. A dimebag of trainwreck would be even better.

|12.9.04 @ 3:57PM|#

While it's a sad day for metal, it was delightful hearing the word "Dimebag" on NPR.

You're missing the good stuff, man. Turn on the TV and look at their faces as they say it. It's even better.

I'm waiting for someone to refer to him as Mr. Bag.

|12.9.04 @ 4:00PM|#

"I can't think of anyone more obscure or bizzare."

How about me?

|12.9.04 @ 4:03PM|#

Remember when David Lee Roth got arrested for buying, ahem

(cue Tom Brokaw voice) "a ten dollar bag of marijuana" from an undercover NYC cop?

|12.9.04 @ 4:15PM|#

Shep Smith just refered to him as Mr. Dimebag on Fox.

|12.9.04 @ 5:23PM|#

So Dimebag joins Randy Rhodes in Valhalla, huh.

His legendary status is assured, now.

|12.9.04 @ 6:19PM|#

He was killed by a distraught fan angry over Pantera's breakup. That puts him in Selena territory, which is definitely NOT metal.

However, hearing the esteemed Carl Cassel say "dimebag" would be truly fucking metal.

RIP

|12.10.04 @ 1:34AM|#

I was surprised to hear this on NPR this morning, since I live exactly 1.25 miles away (according to Microsoft MapPoint).

At the same time I was not surprised. A few summers ago with the windows open and the scanner on, I heard a series of gunshots ring out. Same venue - except that night the Alrosa Villa had paid for a "special duty" police officer to be at the show. Chaos ensued and after an "officer in trouble" call on the radio, hoards of police pounced on the scene. In that case I believe there were a few people shot as well.

The police spokesman Brent Mull explained that the more recent shooting really was the best case scenario for the event since an officer happened to be passing through the immediate vicinity - and against typical proceedure, rushed in to confront the gunman without waiting for backup.


You can go here for the 2nd Amendment side of the issue.

Interestingly, a few days prior over on Cleveland Avenue a gas station clerk shot and wounded a robber who forgot the first rule of a gunfight.

SteveinClearwater|12.10.04 @ 1:59AM|#

I just saw some video footage of the marquee outside the club from a news report that nite.

I am SHOCKED that an incidence of violence like this could happen on a nite when the opening act was a band called HATEBREED.

|12.10.04 @ 11:02AM|#

"The police spokesman Brent Mull explained that the more recent shooting really was the best case scenario for the event since an officer happened to be passing through the immediate vicinity - and against typical proceedure, rushed in to confront the gunman without waiting for backup."

Many kudos to the officer.

"I am SHOCKED that an incidence of violence like this could happen on a nite when the opening act was a band called HATEBREED."

LoL. Good point.

|12.10.04 @ 1:26PM|#

Hatebreed is just a truncated version of "Hate Breeding" which summarizes the philosophy of this leading Shaker Metal band.

|12.10.04 @ 1:33PM|#

Oh, one more thing. A few minutes later and the officer that saved the day might have been on shift change - which takes about 15 minutes.

Cars from neighboring precincts would have had to respond, but it's typically a somewhat disorganized process where the cops build up a backlog of calls (based on what I routinely hear on the scanner).

It's such a glaring hole in protection that it's common for thieves to wait until shift change and break into cars. When assigned to the runs as thier first in the day, the officers often complain that "they always wait for shift change".

Anyway, back to the shootings. If the guy would have waited just 5 minutes the cop in question would have been on the other side of the RR tracks (and possibly the river) without a good way to get to the scene.

|12.11.04 @ 3:20PM|#

Hatebreed is "Shaker Metal"?! What in the hell is "Shaker Metal"? Have you been smoking crack?
Hatebreed is HARDCORE. Plain and simple.
Hatebreed isn't short for anything. It's a reference to children born as a product of rape, which one of the band members is.

It's a very sad day in the metal world. RIP Dimebag.