Greetings everyone.

As a metalhead who had never really experienced Pantera beyond the song Walk, but who absolutely loves Sepultura’s Chaos A.D. album, I was able to attend the show on the final day thanks to our team photographer Özge, who managed to get me a VIP invitation.

Honestly, I didn’t want to miss a concert where Chaos would be played from beginning to end, but the front-row ticket price of 7,000 lira felt like too much. Apparently, this pricing strategy didn’t work out too well, because during the final week, invitations started pouring in from dozens of websites and the whole thing turned into a public event. (Despite that, I still didn’t get an invitation. Our bad luck speaks for itself.)

Because of this, I waited until the last day hoping our Pitstop team could somehow arrange an invitation. While drinking Turkish coffee, a VIP invitation suddenly appeared on WhatsApp when I least expected it, and I immediately got into the mood. “Of course you have to go, Tahir. Don’t be ridiculous,” I told myself. The VIP thing gave me a bit of an elite vibe, like I was suddenly a completely different kind of metalhead, but that feeling eventually disappeared…

I’m actually writing this concert review right now while sipping red wine on a beach in Şile, hahahah. Anyway, the topic has completely gone off the rails.

This time, driving all the way from Kozyatağı to Ataköy felt exhausting, so I hopped on the Marmaray and made my way to the venue. Of course, because I hadn’t shown any vibe or excitement about attending this concert, our concert crew had no idea I was coming. Somehow, we met up here and there along the way, formed a four-person front-row group, and ended up inside the venue.

Let me talk a bit about the venue, especially for future concerts. As everyone mentioned, because the area is a long rectangle and everything is on the same level, it’s quite difficult for general admission to get a proper view of the stage. Even from the front row, I struggled to see. Especially if you’re around my height, 1.65–1.70 meters, you end up watching the concert through the screens of phones held up in the air. So, at this venue, the front row is definitely the better option, but unfortunately, the price reflects that.

I couldn’t really see the point of the VIP area, but of course everyone’s expectations are different. If you arrive early and wait in the front row of that section, you can watch the concert with a crystal-clear view. Even that area was so crowded that I thought, “Good thing we went to the front row.”

At one point, I considered going there to get some water. I thought maybe the line would be shorter and I could enjoy some of the advantages of VIP, but I quickly realized it wasn’t any better than the front-row area. So, in the end, I decided to deal with my thirst and joined the line at the coffee stand, which had no queue at all. I refreshed myself with an ice-cold latte. Because I’m a metalhead who actually pays attention to diet and health, hahahah. What’s with all that beer? Just empty calories.

Uh, I can almost hear you saying, “Get the hell out of here.” :) Just kidding, everyone’s drink of choice is their own business. Do whatever you want.

The best part of the front-row and VIP areas was the five trailer toilets. It was the first time I had ever seen an automatically covered toilet seat at a concert. I stared at it for a while, almost feeling bad about actually using it. “Look what we’ve gotten used to,” I thought, and started overthinking it.

Anyway, as Cavalera were getting ready to hit the stage, we took our places at the front. I had previously watched my favorite Sepultura songs performed back in 2015 at Rock Off Fest, when Max played them together with his two sons. Classics like Refuse/Resist, Roots, and Territory were performed brilliantly. We were really hoping to hear Roots at this show, but it didn’t happen. I’ll admit, the version I heard with Soulfly was more explosive, but this performance was still enough to wake everyone up.

Cavalera Conspiracy opened the set with Refuse Resist, and everyone clearly needed to have fun, let loose, and unleash their inner chaos. As the sun disappeared from the venue, everyone’s energy increased, and all I could see around me were people who simply wanted to enjoy themselves.

Tuna from Blacktooth kept opening up the middle area and preparing the crowd for a moshpit. That way, even some of the more hesitant metalheads joined in on the excitement. I remember how he energized the crowd when he performed Pantera’s Walk cover with his own band at Kilyos Metal Fest, and how he explained that being at a concert was about having fun. I was deeply impressed by that.

Between songs, he was constantly communicating with the crowd, explaining how ridiculous it was to stand there with your arms crossed and watch a show. He encouraged people to climb onto the stage and jump into the audience, triggering crowd surfing. Yesterday, he was doing the same thing for Cavalera, and thank goodness he was there…

As Cavalera got faster and heavier, everyone started spinning moshpits like there was no tomorrow. Watching the fun happening around me always feels great. Also, the crowd yesterday was genuinely polite, aware of their surroundings, and there simply to enjoy themselves. They sang along to almost every song.

Cavalera crushed everyone with a setlist including Slave New World, Amen, Propaganda, Nomad, Manifest, The Hunt, Kaiowas, Clenched Fist, We Who Are Not As Others, Biotech Is Godzilla, Policia, Territory, and Chaos B.C.

Every song carried so much weight, and with everyone singing along together, the energy doubled. I constantly saw people high-fiving and hugging each other around me :))

As I mentioned, they left the stage without playing Blood Rooted. Quite a few people called for the song during the encore, but it didn’t happen.

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Before Pantera came on, everyone rushed to the beer lines to recharge their energy. Meanwhile, we had the chance to catch up and chat with friends.

When the Pantera curtain dropped over the stage, it was clear that the main act was about to arrive. Vocalist Anselmo’s voice, resembling Kratos in its sheer power, opening the show with Hellbound reminded everyone why they were there. We heard Anselmo’s voice between almost every song. Maybe I’m not the ultimate expert, but I thought he sounded really good. I never had that feeling of, “Oh, he can’t sing anymore.”

Every time Anselmo introduced a song, the crowd got louder, and the band also realized just how familiar the audience was with their material. Based on that, I can say they played very well on stage. Maybe it was because of the crowd size, but I didn’t see a wide-open moshpit during Pantera. Honestly, I was waiting for that as an opportunity to move closer to the stage, hahahah.

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Everyone stayed where they were, headbanging and singing along. Air guitars and air drums were flying everywhere. When it was time for Walk, everyone joined the chorus together. I thought the band could have added a little more movement and interaction with the crowd during that song, but it didn’t happen…

After playing two or three more songs, this incredible evening came to an end, and everyone started walking away for their journey home. Even if it was only a partial version of Pantera, being able to witness them and revisit the Chaos A.D. album with Cavalera felt really special.

Finally, regardless of what was right or wrong, a concert is a concert. Being there and having a good time is always better than having nothing at all.

TAHİR