Interview by Brian McLean
A Thrashin’ Tribute
The passing of Dimebag Darrell Abbott literally shook the heavy metal world to its foundation, but for the hard and heavy residential fans of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, the news hit way too close to home. For Abbott was one of them.
The loss of the Arlington resident that honed his six string skills in the area rock clubs thus eventually rising to the top of the metal world affected the local fans in many ways. Some had crossed paths with Abbott in these clubs where he matured as a guitarist whereas others were on a personal level.
Not much time had passed before live tribute shows scattered throughout the nation were scheduled. Some of the shows had signed national acts attached and some were gatherings of unsigned bands but the purpose was the same, to pay tribute to Darrell Abbott.
One of those tributes would be the KNON 89.3 FM Tribute to Dimebag Darrell Concert that was held January 2006 in Dallas.
The idea was proposed in the middle of 2005 by station general manager Dave Chaos but for Thrashin’ Alan, the on-air personality for Hard Time Radio heard Thursday nights, six months after Abbott’s passing was too soon for the tribute show and the idea was pushed to the side.
Eventually Chaos approached Alan later in the year but this time he was ready.
Alan said, “Half a year ago I was still in grief and didn’t want to talk about it.” He added, “We (KNON) wanted to pay tribute to him in some way, shape or form. We needed some healing time to get through the misery so a year later here we are.”
The guitarist and Alan were personal friends, not just acquaintances. The two would talk on the phone, have dinner or hangout on holidays and birthdays but even with the level of their friendship, blessings from Rita Haney, Abbott’s wife and his brother, Vinnie Paul (Abbott) were sought.
The established relationships Alan has with Haney and Paul made it easier to approach them about the show with both giving consent.
Alan said Paul’s blessing in the form of an email gave him approval in any way to keep his brother’s legend alive.
Unfortunately due to prior business commitments for Haney and Paul at the NAMM Convention in Los Angeles the same weekend, the two would not be at the show.
The tribute wasn’t held at just any location, it was held at the Granada Theater in Dallas, a high end classy venue.
According to Alan, the Granada has hosted other KNON related events and the owner of the theater was happy to be part of the tribute. That prompted Alan to seek out funding for the event where he eventually landed a sponsorship with West Way Ford, a major automobile dealership in the area who provided half the money to secure the venue for the night. The other half came from KNON.
Revenue from the tickets sold which exceeded several hundred and the limited run of black t-shirts went back to KNON for the sole purpose of keeping non-profit metal programming radio alive and on the air.
“It’s something Dime believed in and anyone that knows about KNON knows we live by pledge drives and by doing benefit shows.”
Alan referred back to 1997 for the KNON Motorhead cover night at the Tattoo Bar in Fort Worth when Abbott and Pantera donated their time to help keep the station on the air and believes that Dime would give his blessing for the event.
According to Alan, a lot of bands approached the station and offered their talents but there was a reason why the select six were chosen. For the tribute, all the bands donated their talent and were hand picked by the KNON staffers with each band having some sort of personal connection with Abbott.
Of the six, Massacre recording artist Solitude Aeturnus was the only signed act on the bill. The other five, Rotting Corpse, Status Hate, Determination, Disrespect and Nuclear Winter, Alan’s project rounded out the line up.
Each band in their own way honored Abbott whether it was by covering 1984 era Pantera songs, major label era Pantera songs or personal stories of Abbott. Between sets, vintage footage of Abbott in July 1988 and clips from the Pantera home videos were played on three large screens.
With this tribute being held in the Dallas, it wasn’t considered an official tribute show. To Alan, all that matters is that people keep Abbott’s memory alive and well and he applauds all the tributes.
“I am happy people across America are doing tribute shows. More power to them,” he said.
Even though Alan was behind scenes piecing the event together and would be on stage as an emcee and vocalist, the night would be very personal to him. He feels the night may be part of the final stage in his healing process.
Alan has the luxury of an avenue to keep his friend’s memory alive.
He said, “I will always be healing through the years from this point on for the rest of my life. I really don’t know how to deal with grief very well so all I can do is play his music, play his videos and celebrate his life in my own little way.”
With a white ceramic coffee mug cupped firmly between his trembling hands, Alan added with a pause, “The world misses the rock star, the legend. I miss my friend.”