Pantera energizes audience

Four metal bands took the stage Sunday night at the Pepsi Coliseum; one bored the crowd, one confused the crowd, and the final two fans left eager to buy tickets for their next tours.\nOpening the show was New York's Nothingface, which did not stray from the usual formula for hard rock/metal, and attempted to get the crowd active during its five-song set, with little success. \nUnfortunately, much of the sound from the guitars was muffled under the roar of bass and drums because of the sound quality in the Pepsi Coliseum, a situation that didn't improve much throughout the night.\nFueled by double bass drumming at a speed that requires the legs of an Olympic athlete, Morbid Angel performed next and shook the audience with its sheer sound while leaving others confused yet interested in the spectacle. \nOften sounding like an angry Cookie Monster, singer/bassist Steve Tucker's vocal style seemed to leave many in the building unsure of whether to be afraid of Tucker or to break out laughing.\nPantera singer Philip Anselmo joined Morbid Angel on stage to sing a verse of one song, drawing cheers from the crowd as the rather unusual set ended.\nSoulfly took the stage mystically led in by a woven blend of red and green lights, immediately creating a surge for the first time through the near-capacity crowd. Opening with "Back to the Primitive," Soulfly kept the crowd jumping, playing songs from both its albums, often offering blends of two different songs, or extended jam versions. Some songs, such as the extended "Boom," seemed just a bit overdone, but that was forgiven by the eager crowd. \nHighlighting Soulfly's set was a tribal percussion jam in which the band members traded in their guitars for large drums and lined the stage, creating a campfire-like setting. \nBacked with a wall of steel lined amplifiers and a huge plated sign of the band's name, show headliner Pantera took the stage. Anselmo informed the crowd before launching into "Hellbound" that the band was the king of metal.\nNot an easy name to live up to, but Pantera relied on the strong support of the audience, which often chanted the band's name between songs with enthusiasm. If there was any question about fan loyalty, it was answered here.\nBlending older songs such as "Becoming" and "Slaughtered" with tracks off its newest album, Reinventing the Steel, such as "Revolution is my Name" and "I'll Cast a Shadow," Pantera managed to played a sonically brutal set that spanned most of its 10-year career. \n"Like I tell everyone everywhere, I want to see every single person out there headbanging like it's 1986 on this one," Anselmo said midway through the band's performance, which was enough motivation to get the crowd going.\nMosh pits were fairly scarce. To revive the packed crowd, the band took a comedic break of five minutes to stage a beer catching contest in which cups were launched into the grateful crowd. Seeing the difficulty the fans had at catching them, Anselmo joked that Indiana needed to draft some receivers next year.\nConcluding Pantera's hour and a half set were a series of songs of their first two records including "Hostile," the crowd favorite "Walk" and the faster-paced "Primal Concrete Sledge." \nClearly catering to the crowd, Pantera played with energy and enthusiasm, and while the band might have been more joking than heavy, it put on a show that left the crowd chanting its name until the lights went on.\n"Metal is always going to be around, and Pantera is always going to be on tour," Anselmo said. After the crowd's response, it seems that Pantera isn't going anywhere anytime soon.