A good three weeks ago, a discussion broke out about the program for the “Rock im Park” festival in Nuremberg and “Rock am Ring” in the Eifel. The organizers had just announced the American metal band panther will perform, the first critical voices could be read and heard. They recalled the past of singer Phil Anselmo, 54. In 2016, at a performance in honor of his fellow guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who was shot dead in 2004, he gave the Hitler salute and yelled “White Power” into the microphone (a neo-Nazi expression for the alleged superiority of white people ) before he was staggered off the stage. The scene is documented, you can find it on Youtube.
Anselmo apologized for it a little later. The corresponding video can also be found on YouTube, in which he begs his fans for a second chance. In a later interview, he also explained that the call “white power” was a joke – the band got drunk on white wine backstage.
Now everyone was free to consider Anselmo’s apology hypocritical or to believe his explanation. Some simply attested to the musician’s acting talent, who kept shaking his head and struggling for words. Others thought they heard sincere righteous words.
Nevertheless, the question remained: Can and should someone who gave the Hitler salute perform at a festival that traditionally offers a stage to left-wing musicians?
And more importantly, is a man with this CV – who is accused of further racist statements – really allowed to perform on the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds, where the Nazis held propaganda events and where “Rock im Park” takes place?
The Nuremberg SPD and Greens found: No. And asked the organizer, the Würzburg Argo Konzerte GmbH, to cancel Pantera’s performance. He refused until the end. In the meantime, the “Nuremberg Alliance Nazi Stop” had also booked dead pantsn asked to cancel their appearance as a consequence. “A Hitler salute and White Power call are not trivial,” emphasized the alliance.
His appearance in the video was “disgusting” and “disgusting”
The Toten Hosen, in turn, pointed out how difficult such a decision was and that Anselmo had credibly apologized. They described his appearance in the video as “disgusting” and “disgusting”. But also found: “The majority of the rock music world seems to relieve the singer of his purification.”
Just like Argo Konzerte GmbH: “In several conversations we were credibly assured that Phil Anselmo’s behavior in 2016 in no way reflects the views of the band and that he sincerely and deeply regrets his behavior,” it said two weeks ago.
On Monday evening, the organizers made a U-turn in two sentences: “The band Pantera will not perform at Rock im Park and Rock am Ring 2023 as announced. In the last few weeks we have had many intensive discussions with artists, our partners and you , the festival fans, continued to deal with the criticism together and decided to take the band out of the programme.”
Parties and alliances welcomed the decision. The band Pantera themselves could not be reached for a request.