i still can't believe it...
So Dimebag has been dead for almost 48 hours now. I still can't grasp what has happened. All I've been doing the past few days is listen to my Pantera records and think how much they mean to me, how they helped influence me as a musician, how they were one of the reasons I wanted to be a musician myself.
I remember seeing Pantera open up for Megadeth in 1992 I think. As a young buck all proud I went to see them in my brand new Vulgar Display t-shirt, and I danced my ass off for them (together with 2 other guys). I think hardly anyone knew them at that show back then. This one time i looked up on stage while dancing, and I saw Phil Anselmo look at me, smile, and gave me the thumbs up sign for singing along and dancing for Pantera. That meant a lot for me at that age, and it was a reason for me to get into making music myself, so I could be on stage one day looking at young people like that, encouraging them to get into it.
But back to Dimebag... how can someone just walk up on stage with a gun and shoot someone in the head. I just don't get it. I don't think we're supposed to get it. I think it's a random act from a lunatic. Right at this point in time while writing this I'm listening to Cemetary Gates and tears well up in my eyes. How can you hate a guy that wrote such beautiful music? How can you want him dead? Even if Pantera was no more, he was still making music and doing his thing, making people happy with performing on stage. He was truely one of the best metal guitar players around. I can only hope that he's happy up there in heaven playing his guitar.
That asshole Gale might have killed the man Darrell, but he will never be able to kill the legend. The man might be dead, but his music and his creativity will live on forever and keep on influencing guitar players around the world for many decades to come.
Darrell "Diamond Dimebag" Abbott, may you rest in peace.
