Disturbed are the latest in a long line of bands who have paid tribute to the legendary Vinnie Paul, who sadly passed away in his Las Vegas home on June 22 at the age of 54.
Footage has emerged of the band covering Pantera's 'Walk' during their headline set at Rock Fest in Wisconsin over the weekend, and they did a great job of it too. Before playing the song, vocalist David Draiman had this to say to the crowd:
"At our very first Ozzfest, Pantera was on the main stage. And every night — every night — somehow, I ended up finding my way backstage to the Pantera dressing room; in fact, I think most of the band did. And they were always so welcoming — they had the warmest heart, Vinnie especially. Don't get me wrong, I will always love Dime (Dimebag Darrell), and everyone will always love Dime — he is one of the greatest legends to ever grace the face of the planet. But personally, I don't feel enough has been said about the incredible heart, the majesty and the unbelievable level of musicianship that just came from Vinnie Paul.
It's funny, because as I was hanging out with them, Dime wasn't really into our stuff. He was all telling Vinnie, 'I'm not into all that jumping-up-and-down shit.' Well, we're all about the jumping-up-and-down shit here. And Vinnie said, 'No, no, no, Dime, I'm telling you, you've gotta give these guys a chance. You've gotta give them a listen to.' And by the time our second Ozzfest came around, we were lucky enough to open up the second stage in our hometown of Chicago. And Vinnie and Dime made it out to the show just to come see us. They weren't playing, Pantera wasn't on the bill — they came to see us. And an area that could probably accommodate maybe 10 thousand people at most at that side stage was swarmed with 25 thousand people that day.
And I'll never forget, after the whole experience went down, which was met with a mixture of both shock and wonder, and some regret, because it wasn't the safest situation. But Vinnie and Dime were both blown away, and Vinnie became such a dear friend and such a huge supporter. And I miss him so very, very much, and I know you guys do too. I'm sorry — I'm starting to get a little choked up here."
So, as always, I feel, and I think you'll share my opinion, that the best way to pay tribute to our heroes is to play their music. So, Danny..." — addressing Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan — "...why don't you remind me how that one tune we always used to play with them started?"
Draiman also joined Breaking Benjamin on stage to cover the classic track back in 2016.
Listen to Pantera now.
