Pantera @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park (US)

PANTERA / AMON AMARTH / SNAFU

Date: 19th July, 2025
Venue: Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Ticket: $57/€48 - $306/€260 [fees not included]
Promoter: Live Nation

Metalheads had been requesting it. Of course, this is not presented as a full reunion but as a celebration of the band’s legacy, with the focus being on the Abbott brothers. There are almost three generations since the day PANTERA decided to change their bearing from the Glam / Hard Rock of “Power Metal” to “Cowboys From Hell”, which many believe spawned Groove Metal, Metalcore, among other genres. Therefore, providing the opportunity to hear all those influential songs at concert volume with half of the “Cowboys From Hell” lineup will remind the old and teach the young PANTERA's contribution to the Metal scene.

I was certain the attendance would be strong, so I wasn’t surprised to see the seated sections of Credit Union 1 getting filled way before showtime. Since Philip Anselmo is the owner of Housecore Records, watching a series of music videos from in-house artists was justified and, in some way, set the tone for the first band on the stage. SNAFU (also on Housecore Records) were called to warm the audience up for what was coming their way. This was a welcoming distraction, as the combination of heat, humidity, and weather warnings for impending severe storms were too much to handle. Fortunately, the warnings remained just that, warnings, and everybody got to enjoy the three-band billing at high volume and with lots of pyro effects.

A recorded intro accompanied SNAFU to the front of the stage, in the limited area available since both AMON AMARTH's and PANTERA’s gears were already set up. The real estate available to SNAFU had the drum kit at the center, splitting the lineup in two. This didn’t stop the band from kicking into high gear and making the most of their time. “Let’s do this sh*t,” said guitarist Scott Curnow, with the groovy “Choking Game” being the first song of the night. The four-piece lineup delivered a powerful performance and quickly got at least the standing part of the audience involved. “Bring Suffering” and the bass-driven “The Pear Of Anguish” followed without missing a beat. Their mix of Hardcore with Black Metal worked perfectly to raise the heart rate of an audience that was filling up both the seated and lawn sections at a steady pace. The lead vocal duties were split between the two guitarists and the bassist, adding another level to the band’s dynamic.

“We are SNAFU and we’re on Housecore Records,” Scott said, and without wasting precious onstage time, the band started the aggressive “Zenith”. Then came a surprise: “I don’t know about you, Chicago, but we love the smell of napalm in the morning, it smells like victory”, he said and caught me off guard, as I didn’t expect SNAFU to play a SODOM cover. I’m not sure how many recognized the song, but it was a great cover of this mid-tempo headbanger. After the cover, the band from Detroit concluded the opening set with the fast “Bloodletter”, giving us one more reason to forget the heat and welcome the evening sun, and AMON AMARTH.

SNAFU setlist:

01. "Choking Game"
02. "Bring Suffering"
03. "The Pear Of Anguish"
04. "Zenith"
05. "Napalm In The Morning"
06. "Bloodletter"

SNAFU

With the PANTERA drum riser and backline already set up, there was no room for the Drakkar warship AMON AMARTH usually bring on their shows. In its place stood an impressive drum riser in the shape of a Viking horned steel helmet, with two LED screens where the eyes would be. Those screens were either in sync with a large screen at the back or showed the eyes of a Viking staring at the audience. Flanking the setup were two risers that the band and the Viking warriors (more on that later) used throughout the performance. The final touch: two Viking warrior statues placed at the stage edges, each with glowing eyes. Well, they were inflatable, and the eyes were LED lights, but the impression counted.

A recorded intro accompanied drummer Jocke Wallgren, who greeted the audience before being joined by the rest of the band. Under red lights, AMON AMARTH opened with the groovy “Guardians Of Asgaard”. The Swedish band is known for using several stage props, and for “Shield Wall” two Viking warriors appeared and assumed position on the risers flanking the drum platform. This always gives an extra boost to the audience, although I must admit, I was expecting more. Or maybe the PANTERA fanbase wasn’t as familiar with AMON AMARTH as I thought.

Singer Johan Hegg greeted the crowd and added, “Chicago! Man, it feels great to be back. We are playing to the most Metal people in f’n America, right?” Hegg started introducing a song about Loki, but bassist Ted Lundström was quick to correct him. “It must be the heat”, Hegg said, and asked everyone to jump, with “Crack The Sky” setting the tone. Yeah, AMON AMARTH know how to throw a Metal party and eventually attracted even those who have never heard of them. I don’t think any metalhead exists who doesn’t enjoy singing along about Vikings and gods from Scandinavian mythology.

Speaking of which, Loki did appear and started taunting Johan during “Deceiver Of The Gods”. Well, the trickster god was literally kicked off the stage, receiving a glorious kick to the stomach from the singer.

It was great seeing the AMON AMARTH vibe and energy reaching more metalheads, and I’m sure if “Put Your Back Into The Oar” had appeared later in the set, we’d have seen even more people rowing. Extra kudos to those in the lawn area who did exactly this, it looked killer. It made perfect sense to follow that song with “We Rule The Waves” before returning to shore with “The Way Of Vikings”. The band stepped onto the risers to allow the two warriors to fight. This was quite a spectacle and looked realistic, so kudos to the two guys delivering that fight.

“Thank you for being here with us tonight,” said Johan, and then asked the audience to join him in raising their horns. He raised his drinking horn and took a heartfelt sip of beer. Well, sip is an understatement, he drained the thing. “Raise Your Horns” was followed by one of my AMON AMARTH favorites, “Twilight Of The Thunder God”, with the singer hitting the stage wielding Thor’s hammer as an extra push. This was a solid performance, and I’m sure the Swedes gained some fans from the PANTERA die-hards. Skål!

AMON AMARTH setlist:

01. "Guardians Of Asgaard"
02. "Shield Wall"
03. "Crack The Sky"
04. "Deceiver Of The Gods"
05. "Put Your Back Into The Oar"
06. "We Rule The Waves"
07. "The Way Of Vikings"
08. "Raise Your Horns"
09. "Twilight Of The Thunder God"

AMON AMARTH

A huge curtain was pulled in front of the stage bearing the PANTERA moniker, close to showtime, and Credit Union 1 looked packed. Hard to say exactly how many metalheads were on the lawn, but I’d estimate around 14,000 metalheads waiting for the Philip H Anselmo-fronted lineup to appear. The excitement peaked the moment the lights dimmed, and the screens started rolling old‑school footage of the Abbott brothers. Indeed, the PANTERA shows are a tribute to them. The curtain dropped, and “Hellbound” introduced Rex Brown, Zakk Wylde, Charlie Benante and a barefoot Phil Anselmo. The stage setup was badass, pyro effects blasted behind the drum riser, cranking the heat even higher.

“Everything we f’n do is for Dimebag and Vince,” Phil announced, drawing a loud cheer. A signature drum roll led into the massive “5 Minutes Alone”, and I’d be surprised if any metalhead wasn’t singing along. The sound was enormous, the lights were stunning. Zakk stood in his classic wide‑feet stance, hair obscuring his face, occasionally moving to stage‑left, while Phil held center and Rex stayed stage‑right, keeping the crowd locked in.

With the fast-paced “Strength Beyond Strength”, more mosh-pits erupted, even out on the lawn, where I think there was more energy than in the arena. Phil acknowledged the crowd’s participation and asked for the lights: “This is unbelievable,” he said and then introduced “Mouth For War”. Zakk delivered a blazing solo toward the end, and Phil announced “Goddamn Electric” next, with a raging sea and lightning backdrop behind them. After belting out “And then you'll know yourself, the change in you is goddamn electric”, he grabbed an electric-blue Dean Razorback and traded solos with Zakk.

“If you’re under 35, I wanna see you hovering in midair,” Anselmo said. “The rest of you, headbang and sing-along.” That’s exactly what happened during “Becoming”. During “Throes Of Rejection”, he asked everyone to raise their fists, which was quite powerful to see. Hard to pick which got the loudest response, since “I’m Broken” sounded equally fierce, with red pyro enhancing the experience.

Anselmo touched on social media and how setlists are revealed / spoiled. I know it’s hard to isolate yourself but at least for concerts not knowing the setlist beforehand adds to the experience. That shock factor paid off when PANTERA surprised us with the mid-tempo “10’s”, earning a thunderous “PANTERA, PANTERA” chant, leading into the explosive “I’ll Cast A Shadow”. “There is a heavy part on this one, and I expect you to behave appropriately”, he warned, and of course we did. Lovely Rex wah‑wah pedal action in the outro.

“This Love” was one of the show’s highlights: band and audience in perfect sync, turning the song into a singular experience. Right after this, the band briefly exited the stage, giving everyone a moment to breathe. But of course, the show wasn’t over; PANTERA returned with Rex sporting a cowboy hat. “This may as well be the best American audience,” Anselmo admitted, before saying, “Zacharia, play this f’n song.” I loved that he addressed Zakk like that.

“A New Level” laid down groovy riffs, and Anselmo said, “Audience participation’s gonna peak on this next one,” and man, he was right. From the very first, recognizable riff of “Walk”, the crowd volume hit the red zone, and SNAFU and some AMON AMARTH members joined in on the chorus, making it even more special. That could’ve been a perfect high‑note finale, but PANTERA wasn’t done; they delivered the “Domination” / “Hollow” combo, which was the ideal way to close a PANTERA show. “Fucking Hostile” challenged everything that came before as a highlight song, though honestly picking the best moment in a PANTERA show is pointless. This was a monstrous set. When Anselmo asked: “If and when we come back here, who’s coming to see us again?”, it was no surprise to see every hand in the house raised.

And in true Anselmo fashion, the "And she's buying a stairway to heaven" a cappella moment, carried equally by Phil and the fans, wasn't to be missed. Thank you, gents, for the experience, the memories, and for stirring all those waking emotions. Till next time!

PANTERA setlist:

01. "Hellbound"
02. "5 Minutes Alone"
03. "Strength Beyond Strength"
04. "Mouth For War"
05. "Goddamn Electric"
06. "Becoming"
07. "I'm Broken"
08. "10’s"
09. "I'll Cast A Shadow"
10. "This Love"
11. "Cowboys From Hell"
12. "A New Level"
13. "Walk"
14. "Domination" / "Hollow"
15. "Fucking Hostile"

PANTERA