Dimebag was one hell of a guitarist, and from what I've heard, a hell of a guy. Metal musicians and fans everywhere are devastated by the loss of Dimebag. I can't even imagine what his close friends and family are going through. Vinnie Paul, Dimebag's brother and bandmate, was on stage to witness the death of his own brother. My prayers (yeah I said prayers asshole, do something about it) go out to the Abbott family, especially Vinnie Paul; and also to the families of the audience members who were killed.
I've been listening to Pantera for years. I think Pantera had a huge influence on me musically. When I was learning how to play bass and guitar, if I was able to play a new Pantera riff, I knew I was getting better. The early bands I was a part of played Pantera songs for fun, and when we went anywhere, Pantera was played obnoxiously loud in the car. We saw all of the Pantera home videos and saw the band play live. They were a major part of my life, as they were for many others.
I was able to meet Dimebag a few times in my teen years (one time he was too drunk to stand up) and he was awesome. The first time I met him I was at the NAMM show. There were so many people in line to meet him he had to leave before I got his autograph. Me and my friends heard he was meeting with some execs nearby so we ran there but they just shut the door. We waited for him to come out and when we had about given up and were going to leave, the door opened and some guy was coming out to get Dimebag more beer. Moments later, Dimebag himself came out and walked briskly to the bathroom saying he had to piss. He was in there saying something like, "Hey everybody check this shit out" standing further and further away from the urinal still pissing into it. When he came out of the can, I asked if I could get a picture with him. He said something like, "Fuck yeah" and drunkenly posed for the camera. He wasn't in a hurry to get back, he wasn't pissed that we stopped him, he was actually happy to interact with his fans and fellow metalheads.. I've met other musicians who were total stuck-up dicks. Dimebag wasn't stuck up at all. He just seemed like he was having a blast.
I didn't know him personally but I am truly saddened by his death. There are very few times when I actually write anything that is completely serious, and even fewer times when I write anything so solemnly.
To people in the news who try to blame metal music for the shooting - Fuck you! The murderer was whacked out and had serious mental problems of some kind. Metal music or not, he still had problems. By the same token, tighter gun control wouldn't have stopped the incident either. Strict gun control keeps law abiding citizens from owning guns whereas the criminals will always have them. Also, some cockhole on the news said something along the lines of, "...he wrote songs called 'Fuck You' and 'Explode' I'm not sure if it's such a loss." He's a piece of shit and should be castrated with a claw hammer.
Dimebag was a great musician and a hero/inspiration to many, many people. His death is really a tragedy, yet, a tragedy that can't overshadow everything he did for heavy metal and his fans.
1966 - 2004