On the western swing of their "Reinventing the Steel" tour, Pantera played a smoking show to a sold out Universal Amphitheatre crowd. Sharing the stage tonight were Soulfly and Morbid Angel who were already tearing it up when I got in. Playing a brutal Death Metal style these guys got the first pit going and the mayhem would continue the rest of the night.

Soulfly was up next and Max Cavalera and bandmates played some great "Primitive" music. Deep dark tribal rhythms punctuated by explosive guitars and in you face vocals. Songs like "Back to the Primitive" and "Eye for an Eye" really got the crowd worked up and the huge group drum session was also very cool. I wasn't familiar with their music but after this great set I was definitely initiated to their Tribal sounds.

The excitement was building as the change out between bands was going on and you could tell that this crowd was here for Pantera. No band sells more CD's and has this large a fan base with absolutely no air play than Pantera. Their fans are intense and loyal as evidenced by the many outside looking for tickets to the long Sold Out show. Pantera continues to deliver their fans the Metal that they crave and their latest release "Reinventing the Steel" continues their tradition of hard hitting, pulverizing music. The show consisted of songs from the latest CD mixed in with a great selection from their past hits. What sets this band apart from other is their great showmanship and fantastic musicianship which keeps them at the top of the Metal scene and tonight the group was in superb form. Phil sings his ass off but he also interacts with the crowd getting them involved. At one point he threw a mic into the crowd so they could sing along with him and the fans were a little reluctant to give it back.

This was a great show with all the power and energy you would expect when Pantera hits the stage. Moshing, Crowd Surfing, Breast Flashing, all the elements of a great metal show were there and everybody left knowing that they had been seriously rocked. Definitely a show to check out when it hits your town.