festival
Tote Hosen: Pantera gig at “Rock im Park” “unhappy”
Campino (M, real name: Andreas Frege) and his band die Toten Hosen want the band Pantera to be reviewed. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Pantera singer Phil Anselmo is said to have made racist remarks on stage in 2016 and performed the Hitler salute. Due to the occasion, the Toten Hosen are now taking a stand.
In the debate about the planned appearance of the heavy metal band Pantera at the “Rock im Park” and “Rock am Ring” music festivals, the band Die Toten Hosen has now also spoken out. The rock band around frontman Campino should also appear at the twin festivals in Nuremberg and at the Nürburgring in the Eifel region at the beginning of June.
The musicians described a video in which Pantera singer Phil Anselmo allegedly made racist remarks on stage and showed the Hitler salute in 2016 as “repulsive and disgusting”. Even though he apologized afterwards and has since maintained that he is not a racist, the question remains as to how credible his apology is, the band wrote on their Facebook page.
The Toten Hosen had never met Phil Anselmo and could not judge what his true attitude was. “We find the whole situation complicated and unfortunate.” At the same time, the German rock band points out that Pantera will be appearing at numerous festivals this year with bands that “are difficult to put in the right corner”. The majority of the rock music world seems to believe in the singer’s purification, the musicians wrote. Pantera initially did not respond to inquiries.
Pants ask: Does the “Spirit” fit the festival?
Die Toten Hosen wrote that they had to trust that every artist would be examined in detail to see whether they fit in with the festival environment and were compatible with their “spirit”. “That has worked well in the past and we assume that this special case will also be examined in detail and the necessary consequences will be drawn if necessary.”
Previously, numerous users on Instagram, for example, had been critical of the US band’s planned appearance at “Rock im Park” and “Rock am Ring”.
The Greens in Nuremberg’s city council had also asked the organizer to reconsider Pantera’s performance and to uninvite the band again. The organizers, on the other hand, explained that they had sought to talk to Pantera and the management in advance. “In several conversations we have received credible assurances that Phil Anselmo’s conduct in 2016 in no way reflects the views of the band and that he sincerely and deeply regrets his actions,” the statement said.