19 Years Ago – Dimebag Darrell Slain Onstage in Ohio

The metal community underwent a seismic shift on Dec. 8, 2004. Marking the 24th anniversary of John Lennon’s assassination, fans worldwide were bombarded by instant messages, emails, and phone calls about the shocking rumors surrounding the onstage killing of Pantera and Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell. They sought details about the fate of his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, and the unfolding tragedy.

“As the hours passed, the horrible truth was revealed, and the metal scene was irrevocably altered,” as “Dimebag had indeed been shot and killed while performing onstage with his band Damageplan.” This devastating loss went beyond just a charismatic wildman and stellar musician; it signified a paradigm shift for musicians. Fan presence near the stage, once a welcomed engagement, now invoked concerns about potential threats.

“In the aftermath of something like that happening to one of your best friends, how can you ever feel secure anywhere?” expressed Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. “After Dime was killed, everything changed. The stage became off-limits for everyone but musicians.”

“At the time of the tragedy,” “Damageplan were two shows away from the end of a tour to support their debut album, New Found Power,” and “Dime and his brother drummer Vinnie Paul were looking forward to celebrating the holidays and then getting back into the studio to work on a follow-up record.”

“The afternoon of the shooting, the band arrived at the Alrosa Villa club in Columbus, Ohio.” “Soundcheck went without incident,” and “Dime, who remembered playing the place in Pantera’s early days, thanked the club owner for booking Damageplan.” Following soundcheck, “Dime went back to the band’s bus to get ready for the show.” Then, “the two brothers stood by the side of the stage to watch the opening band.”

“The joyful atmosphere took a dark turn during the opening song as a six-foot-five-inch former marine, Nathan Gale, burst out from behind a seven-and-a-half-foot-high wall of amps and ran across the stage with a Beretta 9mm handgun.” Gale stopped directly in front of Dime, firing three shots at the back of the guitarist’s head and one that hit his hand. Chaos ensued, resulting in four deaths and two injuries. Officer James Niggemeyer, responding promptly, “arrived on the scene without backup and shot Gale dead with a single well-placed shot from a 12-guage Remington 870 shotgun.” Gale had 35 rounds of ammunition left when he was killed.

“The initial belief that Gale shot Dimebag because he was convinced the guitarist was responsible for breaking up Pantera widened the already huge gulf between Vinnie Paul and Pantera vocalist Philip Anselmo.” The news intensified the animosity fueled by continuous pursuit of side projects and lack of communication from Anselmo. During this time, Anselmo and the Abbott brothers exchanged verbal barbs in the press.

“Reflecting on the tragedy, Vinnie Paul emphasized the shooter’s evident mental instability” and “criticized Anselmo’s remarks for potentially inciting such actions.” “A thorough police investigation following the shooting determined that Gale was a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of Pantera were stealing his thoughts.”

“Despite the strained relationship,” “Anselmo continued to speak highly of Dimebag, expressing regret for the fallout.” However, “Vinnie Paul remained reluctant to reconcile,” asserting “his choice to keep that chapter closed.”

“As the first decade since Dime’s death passed in 2014,” it became clear that “Vinnie Paul wasn’t ready to welcome Anselmo back into his life.” “While time has helped heal the wounds of seeing his brother and bandmate killed in front of him, whenever he stopped and thinks about Dime, Vinnie started to get depressed.”

“That’s the main reason he bought a house in Las Vegas, where he spent much of his time.” “Texas will always be my home, but me and my brother used to go to Vegas all the time to escape,” he said. “When my brother was taken from us, there were so many ‘I’m sorrys.’ In Dallas that never stopped. It’s always a reminder of what happened when it comes up.”

“People don’t understand that. They mean well, but I could be out somewhere watching a show, having a good time and I’ll hear, ‘Hey, sorry about your brother, man,’ and I’m right back to thinking about that night and him.” “It was hard to deal with. So I started going to Vegas for a few weeks at a time, and I didn’t hear that as much. Then I found out you could buy houses for nothing because the housing market crashed. So I got a really nice house, and now I really enjoy spending time in both places.”