Chicago's 94.7 The Zone To Remember "Dimebag" Darrell

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 9, 2004 6:43PM

There’s a Chicago connection to the shooting death of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and four other people at a Columbus rock club last night. Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul, who formed the metal outfit Pantera in the 1980s, and the rest of their band Damageplan were scheduled to play tomorrow’s Nutcracker 2004, a live event at House of Blues sponsored by 94.7 The Zone. Representatives at House of Blues and The Zone confirm that the Nutcracker 2004 event will go on as scheduled. A source at The Zone said there will be a short tribute to Dimebag at the beginning of the show featuring a couple Damageplan and Pantera songs as well as a brief moment of silence before the show goes on.

The concert is a benefit for Chicago’s Toys for Tots program and will include Saliva, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, American Motherload and others with The Zone’s morning show broadcasting live from 5 AM until 9 AM. It’s free to get in and you’ll be treated to breakfast so long as you bring a new, unwrapped, boxed toy with you.

Dimebag and Vinnie formed Damageplan last year after the breakup of Pantera following lead singer Phil Anselmo’s departure. The band was to wrap up their “Devastation Across The Nation” tour this weekend in Kansas City before returning to the studio to start work on their second album. The Alrosa Villa, where last night’s incident occurred, was well-known as a pretty rough joint. If this city’s reaction to the E2 nightclub incident is any indication, Columbus will likely see an increase in pre-show searches and security for all shows there regardless of whatever club concertgoers attend.

Finally, in what may just be a bizarre coincidence, the AP wire notes that Wednesday was the 24th anniversary of John Lennon’s death at the hands of Mark David Chapman. Cuh-ree-pee.