Damageplan concert shooting

[brownie]

From AP:

At least five dead, two wounded in Ohio nightclub shooting; witness says members of heavy metal band targeted

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A man walked onstage in a crowded nightclub during a rock concert Wednesday night and opened fire on the band, killing at least four people and wounding at least two others. The gunman then began firing into the crowd before he was shot to death by police, authorities said.

Members of the heavy metal band Damageplan had just begun their first song at the Alrosa Villa when the man opened fire, initially targeting guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, a witness said. According to the band's Web site, Abbott and another member, drummer Vinnie Paul, who also played for the heavy metal band Pantera.

The witness, 22-year-old Chris Couch, said he was standing about 30 feet away from the stage when he noticed a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and hockey jersey walk up to the stage, followed by a bouncer and another club employee.

The man in the jersey climbed onto the stage, started yelling and shot the guitarist five or six times at close range, Couch said. He said the gunman also shot a bouncer who pulled him off the musician.

Columbus police spokesman Sgt. Brent Mull said that after shooting at members of the band, the gunman fired into the crowd. Mull said a police officer who arrived shortly after the shooting began shot and killed the gunman.

"If the officer wasn't as close as he was, I think this would have been a lot worse," he said. "It was a chaotic scene, just a horrific scene."

Mull wouldn't confirm the identities of the victims. He said more people could have been shot and left the scene before authorities arrived.

After the shooting began, Couch and a friend headed for the exit along with a tide of hundreds of fans.

"It was definitely a grudge. It was against something," Couch said.

Amanda Stankus, 19, who attended the show with Couch, said she initially thought the shooting was part of the show. "I just saw the guitarist fall down, and we decided to get out of there," she said.

Other members of Damageplan include vocalist Patrick Lachman and bass player Bob Zilla, according to the band's Web site.

A message left with Atlantic Records, which oversees the record label on which Damageplan records, was not immediately returned.

[Jim Alfredson]

Yeah, I just read about that. Not a fan of the band by any means, but that is messed up.

[Jim Alfredson]

Another fucked up thing: Lennon was killed 24 years ago on the same day that this guy walked into the nightclub and shot the band, December 8.

[AfricaBrass]

Wow

This is awful. I always see Dimebag Darrell in my guitar magazines. My headbanger buddy used to play Pantera all the time.

R.I.P.

Edited December 9, 2004 by AfricaBrass

[vibes]

This is terrible. I was a huge Pantera fan in high school and have been listening to their albums quite a bit lately. I saw them on the Extreme Steel tour back in 2001, and it was an amazing show. Dimebag has always been one of my favorite guitarists...He's the only confirmed death so far. RIP.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

This shouldn't surprise me, but I saw on Ebay that someone is already hawking copies of the Columbus local paper....at $6.50 a pop. That's capitalism for you.

Rest in peace Darrell; you deserved a much better fate than this.

[Shawn]

Sad news.

I first met Dimebag back in 1991 when Pantera was doing a co-headlining gig with Baltimore based heavy metal band Wrathchild. Fun guy, real down to earth.

I saw Pantera two other times in Seattle, including the opening gig for Black Sabbath on their reunion tour.

I saw him just last year with his brother, in the crowd at a King's X show in Dallas...they were just hanging out and enjoying the music.

I was not a big fan of his guitar playing and was never really a big Pantera fan....but he was a "real" guy and deserved better than to go out like this.

[WD45]

I loved Pantera in high school as well. I was bummed to hear this this morning.

[catesta]

Holy shit, what a fucked up deal this is.

I've not heard of this band, but I do know Pantera. Dimebag Darrell could play his ass off. I saw him live with Pantera once in the early 90's.

What a shame.

[Rooster_Ties]

Diamond Darrell??

Never heard of the guy (hardly even know of Pantera, other than it's heavy metal of some sort).

Was he really referred to in print (like in magazines) as Dimebag Darrell??

Get this -- the AMG says he was influenced by David Murray. ( Obviously a AMG fuck-up, wouldn't it have to be??)

Influenced By

David Murray

Dave Mustaine

Peter Willis

Scott Ian

Glenn Tipton

K.K. Downing

Adrian Smith

Randy Rhoads

Tony Iommi

Jimmy Page

Billy Gibbons

Kirk Hammett

Kerry King

James Hetfield

Eddie Van Halen

Ace Frehley

Greg Graffin

Edit: Somebody want to remind me what a "dimebag" is?? Obviously drug lingo, I'm guessing something related to cocaine probably. (Which is why I'd be surprised he'd be called "dimebag" in print much.)

Edited December 9, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[Rooster_Ties]

OK, some quick Googling, and clearly the "Diamond" Darrell thing is just the AMG refusing to call him Dimebag.

How famous and/or important is/was his father??

Bio from www.xtrememusician.com...

Dimebag Darrell

Born: August 20, 1966

Dallas, TX, USA

Darrell Abbott is the son of country-western songwriter Jerry Abbott. Born in Dallas, Texas, Dime grew up with a lot of country influences in his life. He was always exposed to music and musical instruments, and he began playing the guitar at a very young age. He took lessons from country legends, and picked it up easily. He was considered a virtuoso at an early age, and by the time he was sixteen years old, he had already won all of the local talent competitions and band contests, and was no longer allowed to enter. Dime spent many years playing clubs and bars around Dallas before getting any national recognition, but nowadays he's known as a guitar hero. Fast and furious, Darrell has come into his own, and he has many more albums in him that will come out in the future.

Edited December 9, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[7/4]

Diamond Darrell??

Never heard of the guy (hardly even know of Pantera, other than it's heavy metal of some sort).

Was he really referred to in print (like in magazines) as Dimebag Darrell??

Get this -- the AMG says he was influenced by David Murray. ( Obviously a AMG fuck-up, wouldn't it have to be??)

David Murray of Iron Maiden.

And yes, Dimebag was his nickname. Even in print when he "wrote" for Guitar World magazine.

Edited December 9, 2004 by 7/4

[Rooster_Ties]

David Murray of Iron Maiden.

Funny stuff. You click on the AMG link, and it goes to this guy...

[catesta]

Should be this guy....

[7/4]

David Murray of Iron Maiden.

Funny stuff. You click on the AMG link, and it goes to this guy...

Now that's a fuckup!

[Rooster_Ties]

OK, here's the AMG bio for Dimebag Darrell.

Funny, they only have "Diamond Darrell" listed as a member of Pantera (no "Dimebag").

But they have "Dimebag Darrell" listed as a "see also" under "Diamond Darrell" . (And no bio for "Diamond", but here's the one listed under "Dimebag".)

Biography by Greg Prato

Dimebag Darrell

While the majority of acclaimed hard rock guitarists of the early '90s focused primarily on songwriting rather than shredding away, there were a few exceptions to the rule, like Pantera's Dimebag Darrell. Born Darrell Lance Abbott on August 20, 1966 in Dallas, Texas, Darrell was born into a musical family, as his father, Jerry Abbott, was a country & western songwriter and producer. It wasn't long before Darrell became more interested in hard rock/heavy metal, especially upon his discovery of the masked quartet Kiss, and their guitarist, Ace Frehley. Darrell soon became serious about guitar playing, and he entered in local guitar talent competitions, which resulted in his winning an instrument that he would eventually become closely associated with, the Dean ML (a cross between a Flying V and an Explorer). By the early '80s, Darrell (who was going by the name Diamond Darrell), had co-formed Pantera, along with his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Rex Smith (then known as Rex Rocker). Although the band would one day become one of metal's leading forces, Pantera early on reflected their influences at the time, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and (visually), Mötley Crüe. With singer Terry Glaze fronting the band, Pantera issued a trio of albums that the group would latter 'disown' — 1983's Metal Magic, 1984's Projects in the Jungle, and 1985's I Am the Night — before Glaze exited.

Pantera found a much better fit with singer Phil Anselmo, but it took a while for the new lineup to click, as their first recording together, 1988's Power Metal, was a step in the right direction, but still not up to the high standards the group would one day set. Yet to have issued an album on a major label, Pantera finally made the jump in 1990, signing on with the Atlantic subsidiary East West. Almost overnight, it seemed like Pantera was reborn, as they completely rejected their early pop-metal direction in favor of a much more heavy and brutal one, which focused on such bands as Slayer, Metallica, and Black Sabbath. This touched off a string of classic metal releases that would see Pantera become one of the world's top metal bands — 1990's Cowboys From Hell, 1992's Vulgar Display of Power, and 1994's Far Beyond Driven. Darrell (who was now known as Dimebag Darrell) soon became recognized as one of metal's finest players, as evidenced by his annual appearances in guitar publication polls. Further Pantera releases followed throughout the early 21st century, before the group appeared to go on hiatus. As a result, Darrell and Vinnie Paul formed a new metal outfit, Damageplan. Additionally, Darrell has appeared on recordings by other artists, including Anthrax (Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, and We've Come for You All) and Nickelback (The Long Road), in addition to solo recordings for the Supercop motion picture soundtrack, and a cover of Ace Frehley's "Fractured Mirror" for the tribute album Spacewalk: A Salute to Ace Frehley. Darrell and his brother also supplied music for an album by cult country artist David Allan Coe, called Rebel Meets Rebel.

[Rooster_Ties]

David Murray of Iron Maiden.

Funny stuff. You click on the AMG link, and it goes to this guy...

Now that's a fuckup!

So David Murray used to play tenor with Iron Maiden???

Wow, that guy really gets around!!!

[catesta]

OK, here's the AMG bio for Dimebag Darrell.

Funny, they only have "Diamond Darrell" listed as a member of Pantera (no "Dimebag").

Originally it was "Diamond Darrell".

[Aftab]

Wow - shocked to hear this.

As a fan of the harder music, it is a loss. RIP

I wonder which other band member was killed?

Shaun - nice King's X avatar.

[7/4]

bunch of links

It seems that the shooter was an ex-marine.

[Big Al]

I wonder which other band member was killed?

Dimebag's brother, Vinnie. God help their parents (if they're still around) and any other of their family. This is sad.

[catesta]

I wonder which other band member was killed?

Dimebag's brother, Vinnie. God help their parents (if they're still around) and any other of their family. This is sad.

That sucks.

[vibes]

I wonder which other band member was killed?

Dimebag's brother, Vinnie. God help their parents (if they're still around) and any other of their family. This is sad.

That sucks.

Vinnie is still alive. He was reported to have been among the victims earlier today, but those reports turned out to be false, thank God.

[7/4]

Rolling Stone:

Shooter Was Ex-Marine

Local residents remember Gale as "disturbed" loner

The gunman who fatally shot four people -- including Damageplan (and former Pantera) guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott -- at Columbus, Ohio's Alrosa Villa nightclub Wednesday night was a discharged Marine described as a "disturbed" loner by hometown acquaintances.

Soon after Damageplan began playing at the Alrosa Villa nightclub, the gunman, identified as twenty-five-year-old Nathan Gale of nearby Marysville, charged the stage, shot Abbott several times at close range and then began firing into the crowd of 450. Three others were killed before thirty-one-year-old patrol officer James D. Niggemeyer, who had entered the club through the back door, fatally shot Gale.

The others killed were identified as fan Nathan Bray, 23, Erin Halk, 29, and Jeff Thompson, 40. Halk and Thompson's reasons for attending the show have not been confirmed, but Thompson was likely a security guard for the band. Two wounded individuals are currently at Riverside Methodist Hospital and have not yet been identified. In addition to Abbott, 38, Damageplan includes singer Patrick Lachman, bassist Bob Zilla and Abbott's brother, ex-Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul.

Gale was an employee for a temp agency who was on medication for mental-health issues. Brandy Brown, the bartender at a local bar Gale frequented described him as "a hermit kind of guy. I think he lived with his mom." Lucas Bender -- the owner of Bear's Den Tattoo Studio, which Gale frequented constantly in past weeks -- said of the young man, "He kind of gave everyone a weird impression -- you know how some people just seem disturbed? . . . After he would leave, my friends and I would all talk and say, 'Gosh, what's wrong with that guy?" Gale was discharged from the Marines in November 2003 after less than two of the typical four years of service.

Gale also alarmed Alrosa Villa workers before the gig. "He was hanging around trying to get in," manager Rick Cantella says. "We told him . . . that he had to pay to get in like anyone else. One of my loaders told him to leave . . . He was hanging around trying to talk to the members of the band, and he was shooed away." Just before the show, Gale jumped an eight-foot fence to get inside, and headed straight for the stage. "There were guys chasing him as soon as he got in," explains Cantella, "not because [they saw] he had a gun, but because he jumped this fence and didn't pay."

During the gunfire, a local nurse in the audience, twenty-eight-year-old Mindy Reece, stepped in to aid Abbott. "The one thing that stands out in my mind was I could see Vinnie [Paul] stand up from behind the drums and look down...He had this look on his face like, 'Oh my fucking God.'" says Reece, a Pantera fan since the age of thirteen. With the help of another audience member, she performed CPR on Abbott for several minutes until the paramedics arrived. "I kept saying, 'Dimebag, come on, come on please, stay with me,'" she recalls. "It was bad . . . There was blood on the floor."

"The motive is very unclear," says Sherry Mercurio, a Columbus police department spokesperson. "Right now, we're trying to piece together statements, which may take some time." Approximately 250 of the audience members are still being questioned by police. Amateur video was also shot during the show, but investigators have not yet determined whether any of the incident was caught on tape. There have been previous incidents of violence at or outside the Alonsa Villa, including a parking-lot shooting as recently as January of last year.

[DTMX]

When they reported this on NPR yesterday, Pantera music was playing in the background. Pantera on NPR - what an age we live in.