Devil’s Music - Chapter 103: Return to PANTERA

The live performance of Pantera in Ohio created a significant impact. Right after the Lynn concert, a portion of Dimebag Darrell’s video and one song were released on social media, causing a buzz. Pantera’s social media followers easily surpassed ten million after the tour, and the numbers continued to grow. This was because the video could only be viewed on social media, not YouTube.

Sitting in the dressing room, Philip wiped the sweat off his face with a white towel, expressing satisfaction.

“The first tour was a success.”

Vinnie, taking off his sweaty shirt, replied, “Indeed. Hey, I almost cried when our brother’s video came out earlier. Even though we rehearsed, tears came out.”

Rex, still not putting down his bass guitar, sitting on the couch, commented, “The glamorous businessman did one thing right. I really liked the direction!”

Pointing his finger at the gun, Rex smiled brightly and said, “Right? It was really cool.”

Philip also raised his thumb. “Yeah, even I think it was a fantastic performance.”

“Alright, next tour is in Asia?” Vinnie, twirling drumsticks in the air, asked while sitting on the couch.

“Yeah, we’ll go around Asia and then straight to Europe,” Rex asked, grinning.

“Is the U.S. tour over, for real?” Gun raised his head and said.

“Rex, explain it together, why are you like that?” Vinnie said, looking at Gun.

“Europe tour is over, then come back to the U.S., and three more tours. According to Mr. Lynn, they’re strongly requesting us to come to Russia after that,” Vinnie nodded, stroking his beard.

“Oh, around Moscow in Russia back in ’91, wasn’t it? Anyway, around that time, there was a tour called ‘Monsters of Rock.’ It was our prime time, and it was also our last visit. Fans were requesting it back then, probably.”

As Gun nodded, Philip threw beers from the fridge to Rex and Vinnie. Philip, after giving a quick look at Gun, took out a cola from the fridge and handed it to him.

“K, have this. The first tour in Asia is in Korea, right?”

Vinnie nodded, and Gun, looking at him, said, “Yeah, oh! Isn’t that K’s country?”

Gun nodded, saying, “Right, it’s back after a year, haha.”

Philip approached the schedule on the wall, frowned, and said, “What’s this? Only one concert in Korea, and the schedule is two days? In and out from the U.S. in just a morning, performing the next day, and heading straight to China at night?”

Looking at Gun for a moment, Philip smiled and said, “What are you saying? Of course, we accept! Just make sure not to make fools of the audience who came and paid.”

When Lynn suddenly entered the room, the band members turned their heads towards the door. Lynn closed the door and came into the waiting room. Philip, quickly covering Rex’s mouth to prevent him from saying something, asked, “What’s this about service?”

Lynn held up his phone, showing the time, and shrugged his shoulders. “Exactly as it says. A free live performance. Of course, it’s only for one day.”

Vinnie grinned and said, “Well, a free live show might make the people who paid to come see us look like fools, right?”

Lynn flicked his finger, replying, “Leave that to me.”

Three days later, in Seoul, South Korea.

The news of Pantera’s arrival created a stir in the country. The scenes of Pantera’s airport arrival were broadcasted through various media, but for some reason, only the reporters looking at the back of Pantera, who rushed out without any interviews or photo time, were shown on the news.

As the opinion that the band, known for their success, was rude started to form, an odd post appeared on Pantera’s SNS.

‘In front of Haeundae Chosun Beach Hotel at 01:59:59′

What was interesting was that the recorded time was decreasing backward. Many fans debated the meaning in the comments. Various speculations, such as seeing Pantera touring around Busan, similar to Metallica shopping in a dog meat market during their previous visit, filled the comments. Fans curious about what would happen in Haeundae two hours later gradually increased.

Fans who couldn’t make it to the Seoul concert but wanted to see Pantera’s face even from afar headed to Haeundae. Since there were more fans who thought, “What’s so great about seeing their faces from a distance?” and didn’t come, only about three hundred fans were wandering around, eagerly looking for Pantera.

A woman in a leather jacket, holding a smartphone, shouted, “What’s this? 30 seconds left, and they’re not here. Did we get tricked?”

Her companions, also looking into her phone, were watching the rapidly decreasing time together. When the time was up, the group looked around restlessly.

“Thump, thump, thump.”

A loud noise from the sky made the people raise their heads, and someone shouted, “It’s a helicopter!”

“What? Where?”

“Land on top of the Chosun Beach Hotel! Let’s go see!”

In front of the hotel, fans crowded together, looking up at the hotel rooftop. The sound of a helicopter descending and its propellers gradually stopping echoed as they raised their heads. Shortly after, fans shouted as they spotted someone leaning over the hotel rooftop.

“It’s Phil Anselmo!”

“Vinnie Paul!”

“It’s Geon Kim! Rex Brown!”

Whether cheering or checking below, the sight of band members disappeared as the guitar sound echoed through the fans’ ears.

“Jing-jing-ling-jing! Jing-jing-ling-jing!”

“What’s that? Where’s the music coming from?”

“Maybe it’s playing a song because Pantera is here. That’s the intro to ‘Cowboys from Hell.'”

As fans looked up, they saw Geon playing the White Falcon with one foot on the rooftop’s edge.

“Wow! Is he performing live here?”

“It’s the White Falcon! It’s really Geon Kim!”

“Hey, take pictures! Quickly!”

After a while, a stage rose behind the rooftop. Vinnie Paul sat smiling at the drums on the stage below. Rex Brown climbed the stairs installed beneath the stage, followed by Geon. Looking down from the rooftop, Geon raised his hand, pointing his finger in the opposite direction, and the fans turned their heads.

A small stage rose on the rooftop, and Philip Anselmo appeared, shouting into the microphone.

“Under the lights where we stand tall,”

(Nobody touches us at all)

“Showdown, shootout, spread fear within, without,”

(We’re gonna take what’s ours to have)

As Philip started singing, the three hundred fans in front of the hotel began to jump with excitement. The surroundings turned chaotic as many people rushed in, and what began as a small concert with three hundred people quickly filled up with over a thousand before the first song ended.

After the first song, fans cheered, looking up at the rooftop. Philip, waving and smiling, spoke into the microphone.

“Welcome to the land of K, South Korea!”

While fans shouted, they were also experiencing goosebumps on their forearms. Pantera played their second song, “Walk,” and as they disappeared inside the rooftop, fans who couldn’t leave due to their lingering disappointment continued to record videos on their phones. Soon, the helicopter rose again into the sky, prompting the fans to start yelling.

“They were performing! Wow, what manners!”

“Yeah, they came down because they couldn’t go to Seoul.”

“It’s because there’s a Korean member, right? It’s amazing that a Korean is a Pantera member.”

At that moment, a man looking at his phone shouted loudly.

“They’re up again!”

People quickly took out their phones and accessed Pantera’s social media.

‘Daegu Dalseo-gu Duryu Park 01:59:59’

Fans who saw the post on social media shouted.

“It’s Daegu! This time it’s Daegu!”

“Hey, quickly get the car! If we leave for Daegu now, we might be able to see them again!”

“Hey, how do we get there in two hours?”

“I don’t know, let’s go for now!”

Fans posted certification photos of Pantera’s performance on social media, and it quickly trended. Many people realized the reason for the abrupt disappearance at the airport and witnessed a surge in new followers in Korea. Teenagers and young adults, oblivious to who Pantera was, followed the footsteps guided by social media.

On the 9 PM news that night.

A neatly dressed female anchor greeted the viewers with a slightly excited voice.

“Hello, everyone. This is Lee Ji-yeon on the 9 PM news.”

“Today, South Korea has been buzzing all day, all thanks to the American rock group ‘Pantera,’ who visited Korea.”

“They conducted guerrilla concerts by revealing the next concert location on social media two hours before each performance.”

“Exactly every two hours, from 11 AM to 9 PM, they performed in a total of five cities. Currently, they are holding a concert at Daejeon Baseball Stadium. Let’s meet our reporter, Kim Dae-gi, who is on-site. Reporter Kim Dae-gi.”

As the screen switched, the background revealed an excited crowd at the baseball stadium, and the male reporter with a contemplative expression took over the microphone.

“Yes! This is Daejeon Baseball Stadium. The atmosphere here is festive due to the enthusiastic fans. Although Pantera only performed two songs and disappeared, approximately ten thousand fans have gathered here to catch a glimpse of them. The recent performance in Daejeon just ended, and according to their social media, the next concert is scheduled for Incheon Juan Station at 11 PM, causing a large-scale movement of fans in the Incheon area!”

That night, South Korea suffered from a nationwide fever caused by the guerrilla concert that continued until 1 AM. Many people paid attention to them, watching the news that extended into the early morning.

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