Yeah, that block of newer songs was absolutely terrible, especially after opening up with Creeping Death, Harvester of Sorrow and Through the Never. The energy dropped and it's very weak material, I know they're promoting it and it's the 72 Seasons tour but that album is boring. "Day That Never Comes" is very mediocre also. The Kirk and Rob jam gimmick might be the worst thing any stadium/arena band does to break up the set, usually it's a cover but the song they made up that day was useless.
Decent sound for a stadium, you could actually hear Rob's bass tone and the stage banter was clear. All guitar tones were great. Loved the 8 towers with screens and speakers. 4 different drum kits and moving between them, the pit in the middle, excellent. What an operation. James' guitar solo is Nothing Else Matters was more tasteful and executed better than anything Kirk does, gotta love the guy, hell of a frontman and so damn talented.
Fuel is one of my least favorite songs although I understand why some people might like it. We bolted for the exit and sacrificed Master of Puppets to head back to Calgary. Not spending money to stay in that dump.
I basically went to see Pantera, perfect setlist and Phil sounded better than expected. I've never been a Zakk Wylde fan, he's a clownish buffoon, fake Hell's Angel idiot and his line of guitars are ugly as hell. That being said, there is no one else better suited to fill that position and it makes sense. He at least stayed faithful to the Walk solo but other solos were all over the place, of course he's an incredibly competent player but it really drove home the fact that Dimebag was a true master and just can't be replicated. I've seen Pantera a few times before but it was quite a reminder how powerful those riffs are, they really were an incredible force.
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