Pantera kicked off their first show of 2026 on May 24 in Frankfurt, Germany, where they opened for Metallica at Deutsche Bank Park. The performance marked the start of the band’s fifth year of touring together and delivered exactly the kind of set fans have come to expect: short, brutal, and packed with classics.
The lineup of Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown, Zakk Wylde, and Charlie Benante played an 11-song set that leaned heavily on 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power and 1994’s Far Beyond Driven, with Cowboys From Hell represented by its title track and “Domination.” The set was built for maximum impact rather than surprises, which made the show feel like a statement that Pantera is still hitting hard as the new touring year begins.
Here is the full Frankfurt setlist from Pantera’s first 2026 show:
- “A New Level”
- “Mouth for War”
- “Strength Beyond Strength”
- “Becoming”
- “I’m Broken”
- “5 Minutes Alone”
- “This Love”
- “Fucking Hostile”
- “Walk”
- “Domination / Hollow”
- “Cowboys From Hell”
The show also carried a little behind-the-scenes wrinkle. Charlie Benante had to miss Anthrax’s Saturday night concert in Athens, Greece, so he could make the Pantera date in Frankfurt. Anthrax filled in with British session drummer Darby Todd while their own European tour continued, and the band is also preparing to release its new album Cursum Perficio.
Pantera’s 2026 schedule still has more big dates ahead. The band has two more shows booked with Metallica on June 19 in Dublin and July 5 in London, then additional stops in Athens and Istanbul before returning to the U.S. for a September 17 appearance at Louder Than Life in Louisville.
What made the Frankfurt show stand out is how little the band needs to change the formula. Pantera did not arrive with a deep-cut-heavy experiment or a brand-new live concept. They came in with a set built around the songs that made them giants and used that to launch 2026 with brute force.
https://youtu.be/UB1RsSfX7LQ
