Posted: December 9, 2004 5:27 pm
all because fingers left the band?12vmanRick wrote:Hey.. what if this shooting would have happend to JIMMY ?
Page 3 of 4
Posted: December 9, 2004 5:29 pm
If you were to believe the media (not saying you are, just saying if) I think they'd certainly like to have people believe that, what with their "Generation X" and "Generation Y" generalizations. I think it was an isolated incident of a nutcase very obviously losing it in a very public place.ph4ever wrote:that's true but dosn't it seem that with each younger group there seems to be more violence?? Did I make sense?? If I didn't I'm sorry it ust be the vicodin.12vmanRick wrote:That is a good idea. I just don't remember seeing any in Atlanta. BUT what a sad, sad society we live in when we have to worry about artists like that being shot for NOTHING!ph4ever wrote:Rick - the venue was a small club that holds about 200. They could have had metal detectors and should have considering that there had been violence at the club before.
Some of the clubs in the Dallas area use metal detectors when "known" artists are playing there. Sure it's a hassle but if this club had detectors Dime would be alive.
Posted: December 9, 2004 5:29 pm
12vmanRick wrote:yea.. and vicodin is your friend.. mixed with a little weed and some hard liquor.... heeheeeph4ever wrote:that's true but dosn't it seem that with each younger group there seems to be more violence?? Did I make sense?? If I didn't I'm sorry it ust be the vicodin.12vmanRick wrote:That is a good idea. I just don't remember seeing any in Atlanta. BUT what a sad, sad society we live in when we have to worry about artists like that being shot for NOTHING!ph4ever wrote:Rick - the venue was a small club that holds about 200. They could have had metal detectors and should have considering that there had been violence at the club before.
Some of the clubs in the Dallas area use metal detectors when "known" artists are playing there. Sure it's a hassle but if this club had detectors Dime would be alive.
Hey.. what if this shooting would have happend to JIMMY ?
Oh heck yea it's my friend. I was in so much freaking pain before it was unreal. I wanted someone to shoot me and put me outta my misery!!!
It could easily happen to any performer who walks in a club to play. It could easily happen at any of the Margaritavilles.
Posted: December 9, 2004 5:32 pm
Jahfin wrote:If you were to believe the media (not saying you are, just saying if) I think they'd certainly like to have people believe that, what with their "Generation X" and "Generation Y" generalizations. I think it was an isolated incident of a nutcase very obviously losing it in a very public place.ph4ever wrote:that's true but dosn't it seem that with each younger group there seems to be more violence?? Did I make sense?? If I didn't I'm sorry it ust be the vicodin.12vmanRick wrote:That is a good idea. I just don't remember seeing any in Atlanta. BUT what a sad, sad society we live in when we have to worry about artists like that being shot for NOTHING!ph4ever wrote:Rick - the venue was a small club that holds about 200. They could have had metal detectors and should have considering that there had been violence at the club before.
Some of the clubs in the Dallas area use metal detectors when "known" artists are playing there. Sure it's a hassle but if this club had detectors Dime would be alive.
no actually I base my opinion on the fact that for 6 years I lived with someone 11 years younger than me and he had friends that were younger than him. It's more based on what I've seen myself of the younger generations as opposed to what the media is saying. This kind of stuff happens all the time thou. Maybe not a performer getting shot but shootings in clubs etc.
Posted: December 9, 2004 5:42 pm
...and then there was Altamont. I really don't think violence amongst younger people is anything new. Just my three pesos.ph4ever wrote:Jahfin wrote:If you were to believe the media (not saying you are, just saying if) I think they'd certainly like to have people believe that, what with their "Generation X" and "Generation Y" generalizations. I think it was an isolated incident of a nutcase very obviously losing it in a very public place.ph4ever wrote:that's true but dosn't it seem that with each younger group there seems to be more violence?? Did I make sense?? If I didn't I'm sorry it ust be the vicodin.12vmanRick wrote:That is a good idea. I just don't remember seeing any in Atlanta. BUT what a sad, sad society we live in when we have to worry about artists like that being shot for NOTHING!ph4ever wrote:Rick - the venue was a small club that holds about 200. They could have had metal detectors and should have considering that there had been violence at the club before.
Some of the clubs in the Dallas area use metal detectors when "known" artists are playing there. Sure it's a hassle but if this club had detectors Dime would be alive.
no actually I base my opinion on the fact that for 6 years I lived with someone 11 years younger than me and he had friends that were younger than him. It's more based on what I've seen myself of the younger generations as opposed to what the media is saying. This kind of stuff happens all the time thou. Maybe not a performer getting shot but shootings in clubs etc.
Posted: December 9, 2004 5:44 pm
It's not necessarily the violence but the means by which they can carry it out.Jahfin wrote:-
...and then there was Altamont. I really don't think violence amongst younger people is anything new. Just my three pesos.
Posted: December 9, 2004 5:47 pm
Jahfin wrote:...and then there was Altamont. I really don't think violence amongst younger people is anything new. Just my three pesos.ph4ever wrote:Jahfin wrote:If you were to believe the media (not saying you are, just saying if) I think they'd certainly like to have people believe that, what with their "Generation X" and "Generation Y" generalizations. I think it was an isolated incident of a nutcase very obviously losing it in a very public place.ph4ever wrote:that's true but dosn't it seem that with each younger group there seems to be more violence?? Did I make sense?? If I didn't I'm sorry it ust be the vicodin.12vmanRick wrote:That is a good idea. I just don't remember seeing any in Atlanta. BUT what a sad, sad society we live in when we have to worry about artists like that being shot for NOTHING!ph4ever wrote:Rick - the venue was a small club that holds about 200. They could have had metal detectors and should have considering that there had been violence at the club before.
Some of the clubs in the Dallas area use metal detectors when "known" artists are playing there. Sure it's a hassle but if this club had detectors Dime would be alive.
no actually I base my opinion on the fact that for 6 years I lived with someone 11 years younger than me and he had friends that were younger than him. It's more based on what I've seen myself of the younger generations as opposed to what the media is saying. This kind of stuff happens all the time thou. Maybe not a performer getting shot but shootings in clubs etc.
I hear about shootings in clubs at least once a month in the Dallas area, sometimes more. I'm not saying that it's new but the younger generation - as in high school on up are quicker to pick up a gun and shoot than they were say during the late 60's.
Posted: December 9, 2004 6:04 pm
i agree.when there was an issue at our highschool the individuals would simply have a good old fashioned fist fight after school.geeks,jocks,burnouts or whoever.and usually the problem was resolved.people didnt shoot up schools because they got picked onbuffettbride wrote:It's not necessarily the violence but the means by which they can carry it out.Jahfin wrote:-
...and then there was Altamont. I really don't think violence amongst younger people is anything new. Just my three pesos.
Posted: December 9, 2004 6:11 pm
You didn't???tommcat327 wrote:i agree.when there was an issue at our highschool the individuals would simply have a good old fashioned fist fight after school.geeks,jocks,burnouts or whoever.and usually the problem was resolved.people didnt shoot up schools because they got picked onbuffettbride wrote:It's not necessarily the violence but the means by which they can carry it out.Jahfin wrote:-
...and then there was Altamont. I really don't think violence amongst younger people is anything new. Just my three pesos.
Posted: December 9, 2004 6:24 pm
get picked on?no.i started and won a fight with a big jock my first day at the school and everyone left me alone the rest of my time therePHBeerman wrote:You didn't???tommcat327 wrote:i agree.when there was an issue at our highschool the individuals would simply have a good old fashioned fist fight after school.geeks,jocks,burnouts or whoever.and usually the problem was resolved.people didnt shoot up schools because they got picked onbuffettbride wrote:It's not necessarily the violence but the means by which they can carry it out.Jahfin wrote:-
...and then there was Altamont. I really don't think violence amongst younger people is anything new. Just my three pesos.
Posted: December 9, 2004 6:49 pm
Sure, I was away from the post for a couple hours, but,tommcat327 wrote:all because fingers left the band?12vmanRick wrote:Hey.. what if this shooting would have happend to JIMMY ?
FINGERS LEFT THE BAND?!?!?!?
WTF is going on in this world?!?
Posted: December 9, 2004 6:54 pm
I was terrorized by a person who came from a policeperson's family. Dad was a chief, he was a bully, so it was a slam-dunk that he got commissioned. Can't say how glad I am he got a dishonorable (for conduct umbecoming). Talk about woo frigging hoo!tommcat327 wrote:
get picked on?no.i started and won a fight with a big jock my first day at the school and everyone left me alone the rest of my time there
Posted: December 10, 2004 9:15 am
Vinnie arrived home during the night.
This article was in todays Dallas Morning News:
Brad Loper / DMN
Shasta Herringer visits a memorial to "Dime" outside The Clubhouse Bar in Dallas Thursday night.
'Dime' left mark on rock, Dallas scene
07:23 AM CST on Friday, December 10, 2004
BY THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott Though hardly a household name, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott of Pantera left a huge impact on rock: Guitar World magazine ranked him No. 7 on its list of most influential metal guitarists, right behind Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page.
But to his friends in Dallas and around the country, "Dime" was also a one-of-a-kind character – a hard-partying Yosemite Sam who had a tender, more nurturing side.
"He was a deep soul. He was always there with a smile ... which is why this doesn't make any sense at all. Why would anyone have a beef with him?" said ex-Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, a close friend since the '80s.
"I'm absolutely beside myself with grief," said heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, who often toured with Pantera.
Mr. Abbott, 38, was one of five people shot to death Wednesday in Ohio during a concert by Damageplan, the post-Pantera band that included Mr. Abbott and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. The gunman, Nathan Gale, was killed by police after he had shot Mr. Abbott five or six times at close range.
It was a tragic end for a musician who'd spent years knocking around the Dallas club scene before striking gold with Pantera, the Arlington band that reinvented hard rock with its brutal, thrashing style. Dimebag was the engine of that sound – playing louder, faster and wilder than any of his peers.
"Pantera and Dimebag actually kept metal alive in the '90s," said Brad Tolinski, editor of Guitar World, which put Mr. Abbott on its cover this year.
"You can't underestimate his importance: When grunge came along and soloing became uncool, Dime was like '[Expletive] that, brother – I'm gonna do my thing.' He wound up keeping the guitar solo alive, which kept metal exciting and aggressive."
Pantera – Spanish for "panther" – started out like so many early '80s hard rock acts: tons of hair spray but very little style of its own.
Vinnie Abbott honed his chops in the jazz band at Bowie High School in Arlington before recruiting bassist Rex Brown and Darrell, then known as "Diamond Darrell." Pantera went through a series of singers before finding Phil Anselmo, who barked out his vocals like a drill sergeant.
With its intense new frontman – and a harsher, more punk-influenced style of metal – Pantera began selling out the Basement, a rock club at Greenville Avenue and Park Lane. Before long, Atco, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, signed the group, and the Dallas rock scene finally had a band it could be proud of.
"Everyone respected Dime," said Dale Brock, a longtime friend of the Abbotts who managed the Basement. "He was a genius guitarist, and the band stood their ground. They refused to chase trends or radio or anything."
Pantera's 1990 major-label debut, Cowboys From Hell, didn't dent the national charts, but 1992's Vulgar Display of Power made major waves. In 1994, Far Beyond Driven debuted at No. 1 on the pop charts – a huge feat for an underground metal band. The group's tales of psychosis and apocalypse had struck a chord with metal fans around the world, and soon they were packing arenas.
But success came with a price. The Abbotts feuded with their father, Jerry Abbott, a country songwriter who had managed and recorded Pantera in its early days.
"There was a big rift there and lawsuits, and they lost contact" with their dad, said Mr. Brock. The elder Mr. Abbott, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., did not return phone calls.
But they loved their mom, Carolyn Abbott, Mr. Brock said. "Even after they'd gotten their deal and had the platinum album, they still both lived in their mom's middle-class ranch home in Arlington with giant big-screen TVs and parties," he said.
There was no bigger party monster than Darrell – now calling himself Dimebag Darrell. He and his brother invested in a Dallas-area strip club, The Clubhouse, and when they weren't there or touring with Pantera, they were staging parties at their Arlington homes or hanging out with star athletes and musicians.
Mr. Cantrell recalls the time Dimebag borrowed his Yukon truck and returned it full of graffiti and adhesive stickers. "That's the kind of guy he was. ... He loved to pull pranks on you. ... He always had a joke and a smile."
Matt Raffael, ticketing director of Smirnoff Music Centre, remembers the scene after the Freakers Ball concert in October:
"When the bar finally closed, Darrell brought his limo backstage, opened the door and started serving drinks out of the back. That typified it; he was definitely the life of the party."
"Before I met them, I hadn't had a drink in 15 years," country singer David Allan Coe told The Morning News in 2000, when he began recording with the Abbotts. "Now I'm drinking whiskey pretty heavy again. You just can't hang out with those guys and not drink."
Yet Guitar World's Mr. Tolinski said Dimebag's party-animal image was partly a show. "He had a very acute sense of his own myth. ... I always called him 'Yosemite Sam' because he was this boisterous, colorful character who had this great slang all his own. ... He called it 'Dime-bonics.' "
The party carried on through the '90s, but all was not well in Pantera-land. Mr. Anselmo feuded with other members of the band – including Dimebag – and rode on his own tour bus so he didn't have to hang with his bandmates. The singer also launched side projects Down and Superjoint Ritual
Last fall, the Abbotts announced that Pantera was over and that they'd be starting a new band, Damageplan. The group's CD, New Found Power , got positive reviews when it came out in February, but the quartet was still trying to build a fan base: Where Pantera played in 10,000- and 20,000-seat arenas, Damageplan was playing an 800-person club Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio.
"I never wanted it to break up," Vinnie Abbott told The Morning News in February. "We had the best band in the world, and we sold 13 million records. ... But Phil had a different agenda, and we got left out in the cold just like the fans did."
Mr. Anselmo responded angrily in a recent interview with Britain's Metal Hammer magazine:
"I think, more or less, it lies between Dimebag and me. ... He would attack me, vocally. And just knowing that he was so much smaller than me I could kill him ... and he knows that. The world should know that. So physically, of course, he deserves to be beaten severely. But, of course, that's criminal and I won't do such a thing."
Dallas guitarist Scott Minyard said the breakup weighed heavily on Dimebag.
"That was the biggest thing that ever happened in his life, and it crushed him. ... He broke down and cried with me," said Mr. Minyard, recalling a long, soul-searching conversation the two had in July.
"But he had a way of making you see the light at the end of the tunnel. I called him "Dr. Dime." When times were tough, he pulled me out of the gutter a few times, talked to me, and showed me the big rock star was a human being."
In addition to his father and brother, Mr. Abbott is survived by his longtime girlfriend, Rita Haney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article was in todays Dallas Morning News:
Brad Loper / DMN
Shasta Herringer visits a memorial to "Dime" outside The Clubhouse Bar in Dallas Thursday night.
'Dime' left mark on rock, Dallas scene
07:23 AM CST on Friday, December 10, 2004
BY THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott Though hardly a household name, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott of Pantera left a huge impact on rock: Guitar World magazine ranked him No. 7 on its list of most influential metal guitarists, right behind Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page.
But to his friends in Dallas and around the country, "Dime" was also a one-of-a-kind character – a hard-partying Yosemite Sam who had a tender, more nurturing side.
"He was a deep soul. He was always there with a smile ... which is why this doesn't make any sense at all. Why would anyone have a beef with him?" said ex-Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, a close friend since the '80s.
"I'm absolutely beside myself with grief," said heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, who often toured with Pantera.
Mr. Abbott, 38, was one of five people shot to death Wednesday in Ohio during a concert by Damageplan, the post-Pantera band that included Mr. Abbott and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. The gunman, Nathan Gale, was killed by police after he had shot Mr. Abbott five or six times at close range.
It was a tragic end for a musician who'd spent years knocking around the Dallas club scene before striking gold with Pantera, the Arlington band that reinvented hard rock with its brutal, thrashing style. Dimebag was the engine of that sound – playing louder, faster and wilder than any of his peers.
"Pantera and Dimebag actually kept metal alive in the '90s," said Brad Tolinski, editor of Guitar World, which put Mr. Abbott on its cover this year.
"You can't underestimate his importance: When grunge came along and soloing became uncool, Dime was like '[Expletive] that, brother – I'm gonna do my thing.' He wound up keeping the guitar solo alive, which kept metal exciting and aggressive."
Pantera – Spanish for "panther" – started out like so many early '80s hard rock acts: tons of hair spray but very little style of its own.
Vinnie Abbott honed his chops in the jazz band at Bowie High School in Arlington before recruiting bassist Rex Brown and Darrell, then known as "Diamond Darrell." Pantera went through a series of singers before finding Phil Anselmo, who barked out his vocals like a drill sergeant.
With its intense new frontman – and a harsher, more punk-influenced style of metal – Pantera began selling out the Basement, a rock club at Greenville Avenue and Park Lane. Before long, Atco, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, signed the group, and the Dallas rock scene finally had a band it could be proud of.
"Everyone respected Dime," said Dale Brock, a longtime friend of the Abbotts who managed the Basement. "He was a genius guitarist, and the band stood their ground. They refused to chase trends or radio or anything."
Pantera's 1990 major-label debut, Cowboys From Hell, didn't dent the national charts, but 1992's Vulgar Display of Power made major waves. In 1994, Far Beyond Driven debuted at No. 1 on the pop charts – a huge feat for an underground metal band. The group's tales of psychosis and apocalypse had struck a chord with metal fans around the world, and soon they were packing arenas.
But success came with a price. The Abbotts feuded with their father, Jerry Abbott, a country songwriter who had managed and recorded Pantera in its early days.
"There was a big rift there and lawsuits, and they lost contact" with their dad, said Mr. Brock. The elder Mr. Abbott, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., did not return phone calls.
But they loved their mom, Carolyn Abbott, Mr. Brock said. "Even after they'd gotten their deal and had the platinum album, they still both lived in their mom's middle-class ranch home in Arlington with giant big-screen TVs and parties," he said.
There was no bigger party monster than Darrell – now calling himself Dimebag Darrell. He and his brother invested in a Dallas-area strip club, The Clubhouse, and when they weren't there or touring with Pantera, they were staging parties at their Arlington homes or hanging out with star athletes and musicians.
Mr. Cantrell recalls the time Dimebag borrowed his Yukon truck and returned it full of graffiti and adhesive stickers. "That's the kind of guy he was. ... He loved to pull pranks on you. ... He always had a joke and a smile."
Matt Raffael, ticketing director of Smirnoff Music Centre, remembers the scene after the Freakers Ball concert in October:
"When the bar finally closed, Darrell brought his limo backstage, opened the door and started serving drinks out of the back. That typified it; he was definitely the life of the party."
"Before I met them, I hadn't had a drink in 15 years," country singer David Allan Coe told The Morning News in 2000, when he began recording with the Abbotts. "Now I'm drinking whiskey pretty heavy again. You just can't hang out with those guys and not drink."
Yet Guitar World's Mr. Tolinski said Dimebag's party-animal image was partly a show. "He had a very acute sense of his own myth. ... I always called him 'Yosemite Sam' because he was this boisterous, colorful character who had this great slang all his own. ... He called it 'Dime-bonics.' "
The party carried on through the '90s, but all was not well in Pantera-land. Mr. Anselmo feuded with other members of the band – including Dimebag – and rode on his own tour bus so he didn't have to hang with his bandmates. The singer also launched side projects Down and Superjoint Ritual
Last fall, the Abbotts announced that Pantera was over and that they'd be starting a new band, Damageplan. The group's CD, New Found Power , got positive reviews when it came out in February, but the quartet was still trying to build a fan base: Where Pantera played in 10,000- and 20,000-seat arenas, Damageplan was playing an 800-person club Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio.
"I never wanted it to break up," Vinnie Abbott told The Morning News in February. "We had the best band in the world, and we sold 13 million records. ... But Phil had a different agenda, and we got left out in the cold just like the fans did."
Mr. Anselmo responded angrily in a recent interview with Britain's Metal Hammer magazine:
"I think, more or less, it lies between Dimebag and me. ... He would attack me, vocally. And just knowing that he was so much smaller than me I could kill him ... and he knows that. The world should know that. So physically, of course, he deserves to be beaten severely. But, of course, that's criminal and I won't do such a thing."
Dallas guitarist Scott Minyard said the breakup weighed heavily on Dimebag.
"That was the biggest thing that ever happened in his life, and it crushed him. ... He broke down and cried with me," said Mr. Minyard, recalling a long, soul-searching conversation the two had in July.
"But he had a way of making you see the light at the end of the tunnel. I called him "Dr. Dime." When times were tough, he pulled me out of the gutter a few times, talked to me, and showed me the big rock star was a human being."
In addition to his father and brother, Mr. Abbott is survived by his longtime girlfriend, Rita Haney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted: December 10, 2004 9:53 am
A nightmarish scene
Witnesses describe grisly details of gunman’s attack at club; officer praised for preventing more deaths
Friday, December 10, 2004
John Futty , Evan Goodenow and Aaron Beck
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Shortly before Damageplan took the stage at the Alrosa Villa, a man approached the band’s bus behind the North Side nightclub.
He wanted to know if lead guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, were onboard.
Aaron Barns, the heavy-metal group’s sound man, told him the brothers had already gone in the club.
"The next time I see him, he’s walking behind the bass player and singer right over to Dime," Barns said yesterday.
As the band played its opening song Wednesday night, the man rushed across the stage and grabbed Darrell Abbott, firing several shots into his head from a Beretta 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.
The gunman, identified yesterday as Nathan Gale, killed three other people and wounded two before Columbus Police Officer James D. Niggemeyer entered the rear of the club shortly after 10:20 p.m.
Carrying a Remington 870, a 12-gauge shotgun, the officer circled a stack of amplifiers and saw Gale, who was at the back of the stage holding a gun to a man’s head.
From 20 feet away, Niggemeyer killed Gale with a single shotgun blast.
His decision to enter the club without waiting for fellow police officers to arrive saved lives, many said.
"All of the officers have been trained since the Columbine incident that, if there’s shooting going on, to go in and put the pressure on the shooter," Niggemeyer’s supervisor, Sgt. Jeff Leesbug, said last night.
In addition to the band’s guitarist, those whom Gale killed were Nathan Bray, a 23-year-old fan from Grove City; Erin A. Halk, a 29-year-old Northwest Side man who worked security at the club; and Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson, a 40-yearold crew member from Waxahachie, Texas.
Wounded in the shooting were Chris Paluska, the band’s tour manager, and John Brooks, a drum technician. Both were in Riverside Methodist Hospital last night, where Paluska was in serious condition and Brooks was in good condition.
Many in the crowd of more than 400 heavymetal enthusiasts thought Gale was a crew member, a part of the act or an exuberant fan.
"He didn’t pull out the gun until he got to Dimebag," said Brian Kozicki, the club’s lighting director, who watched from the sound booth.
People who had known the 25-year-old Gale in his hometown of Marysville described him yesterday as an unstable man who once asserted that the Abbott brothers’ former band, Pantera, had stolen his song lyrics.
Some witnesses said Gale fired at Vinnie Paul Abbott but missed and then fired at those who attempted to subdue him. "He probably wouldn’t have shot anyone else if other people hadn’t tried to stop him," Barns said.
Mitch Carpenter, an Alrosa security guard working in the parking lot, said he encountered Gale before the concert and asked him to "park his car and buy a ticket or leave." Gale parked behind the building near the band’s bus and was asked to move his car, which he did.
The next time Carpenter saw Gale, he was in the club.
"He had hopped the fence at the patio," Carpenter said. "He was walking really fast toward the stage and I followed him.
"I thought he was going to get up there and stage dive or something during the first song. I figured he was just a guy who didn’t have any money to buy a ticket so he got in the way he did.
"I’ve been going over it in my mind, but when he came in I didn’t want to tackle him. He was a big guy."
Alrosa owner Rick Cautela was tending bar when he heard the shots during the band’s opening song, New Found Power. He thought they were firecrackers.
"I heard the music stop and heard more pops. I figured the band had stopped and was going to start again when they grabbed whoever had the firecrackers," he said of security workers. "I just kept waiting on customers."
But then audience members ran toward the exits.
The panic and confusion can be heard in 10 calls made to 911 operators, beginning at 10:18 p.m., seconds after the first shots were fired.
"I’m at the Alrosa Villa and there’s a shooting. Someone is shooting the band on the stage," said a female caller.
"They’re still shooting. The person is still loose with the gun."
Kozicki said he took cover in the sound booth and dialed 911 as soon as Darrell Abbott slumped to the floor. He remained on the line with an operator for five minutes, offering details about the chaos and the gunman’s actions.
A little more than three minutes after his call to 911 began, he told the operator that police had killed the gunman.
Kozicki, a student at Bowling Green State University, called the officer’s action "100 percent in the right."
"If he hadn’t done it, more people probably would have been killed," he said yesterday.
Niggemeyer had just begun his shift at the 18 th precinct, at Karl and Morse roads — about 2 miles from Alrosa — when the report of a shooting came in. When he arrived at the club about two minutes later, security workers pointed him to the back door.
At least five other officers came through another door of the club seconds after Niggemeyer fired. Ultimately, about 60 detectives were at the club, many working overtime. They interviewed about 250 witnesses, putting them on three buses provided by COTA.
This is the first time the 31-year-old Niggemeyer, who joined the force in 1999, has shot a suspect. He has a clean record, with many compliments from citizens, said Sgt. Brent Mull, a police spokesman. The division would not release his personnel file yesterday.
Band members spent Wednesday night on their bus then went back to Texas, where they’re based.
"Vinnie crashed in Dime’s bunk and was crying," Barns said.
Fans of the band created two memorials in front of the club yesterday. Flowers and a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale were among the items on a large rock beside the club’s driveway. A wooden cross with the phrase In memory of the lives lost: RIP December 8 th written on it was leaning against a pole.
David Moran, a 29-year-old fan from German Village, was among those who placed bouquets of flowers on the rock.
He wrote "RIP Dimebag" on the wrapper.
"He was one of the best guitar players out there," Moran said. "The music world lost one of its greats."
Dispatch reporters Nick Juliano and Matthew Marx contributed to this story.
jfutty@dispatch.com
egoodenow@dispatch.com
abeck@dispatch.com
Witnesses describe grisly details of gunman’s attack at club; officer praised for preventing more deaths
Friday, December 10, 2004
John Futty , Evan Goodenow and Aaron Beck
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Shortly before Damageplan took the stage at the Alrosa Villa, a man approached the band’s bus behind the North Side nightclub.
He wanted to know if lead guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, were onboard.
Aaron Barns, the heavy-metal group’s sound man, told him the brothers had already gone in the club.
"The next time I see him, he’s walking behind the bass player and singer right over to Dime," Barns said yesterday.
As the band played its opening song Wednesday night, the man rushed across the stage and grabbed Darrell Abbott, firing several shots into his head from a Beretta 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.
The gunman, identified yesterday as Nathan Gale, killed three other people and wounded two before Columbus Police Officer James D. Niggemeyer entered the rear of the club shortly after 10:20 p.m.
Carrying a Remington 870, a 12-gauge shotgun, the officer circled a stack of amplifiers and saw Gale, who was at the back of the stage holding a gun to a man’s head.
From 20 feet away, Niggemeyer killed Gale with a single shotgun blast.
His decision to enter the club without waiting for fellow police officers to arrive saved lives, many said.
"All of the officers have been trained since the Columbine incident that, if there’s shooting going on, to go in and put the pressure on the shooter," Niggemeyer’s supervisor, Sgt. Jeff Leesbug, said last night.
In addition to the band’s guitarist, those whom Gale killed were Nathan Bray, a 23-year-old fan from Grove City; Erin A. Halk, a 29-year-old Northwest Side man who worked security at the club; and Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson, a 40-yearold crew member from Waxahachie, Texas.
Wounded in the shooting were Chris Paluska, the band’s tour manager, and John Brooks, a drum technician. Both were in Riverside Methodist Hospital last night, where Paluska was in serious condition and Brooks was in good condition.
Many in the crowd of more than 400 heavymetal enthusiasts thought Gale was a crew member, a part of the act or an exuberant fan.
"He didn’t pull out the gun until he got to Dimebag," said Brian Kozicki, the club’s lighting director, who watched from the sound booth.
People who had known the 25-year-old Gale in his hometown of Marysville described him yesterday as an unstable man who once asserted that the Abbott brothers’ former band, Pantera, had stolen his song lyrics.
Some witnesses said Gale fired at Vinnie Paul Abbott but missed and then fired at those who attempted to subdue him. "He probably wouldn’t have shot anyone else if other people hadn’t tried to stop him," Barns said.
Mitch Carpenter, an Alrosa security guard working in the parking lot, said he encountered Gale before the concert and asked him to "park his car and buy a ticket or leave." Gale parked behind the building near the band’s bus and was asked to move his car, which he did.
The next time Carpenter saw Gale, he was in the club.
"He had hopped the fence at the patio," Carpenter said. "He was walking really fast toward the stage and I followed him.
"I thought he was going to get up there and stage dive or something during the first song. I figured he was just a guy who didn’t have any money to buy a ticket so he got in the way he did.
"I’ve been going over it in my mind, but when he came in I didn’t want to tackle him. He was a big guy."
Alrosa owner Rick Cautela was tending bar when he heard the shots during the band’s opening song, New Found Power. He thought they were firecrackers.
"I heard the music stop and heard more pops. I figured the band had stopped and was going to start again when they grabbed whoever had the firecrackers," he said of security workers. "I just kept waiting on customers."
But then audience members ran toward the exits.
The panic and confusion can be heard in 10 calls made to 911 operators, beginning at 10:18 p.m., seconds after the first shots were fired.
"I’m at the Alrosa Villa and there’s a shooting. Someone is shooting the band on the stage," said a female caller.
"They’re still shooting. The person is still loose with the gun."
Kozicki said he took cover in the sound booth and dialed 911 as soon as Darrell Abbott slumped to the floor. He remained on the line with an operator for five minutes, offering details about the chaos and the gunman’s actions.
A little more than three minutes after his call to 911 began, he told the operator that police had killed the gunman.
Kozicki, a student at Bowling Green State University, called the officer’s action "100 percent in the right."
"If he hadn’t done it, more people probably would have been killed," he said yesterday.
Niggemeyer had just begun his shift at the 18 th precinct, at Karl and Morse roads — about 2 miles from Alrosa — when the report of a shooting came in. When he arrived at the club about two minutes later, security workers pointed him to the back door.
At least five other officers came through another door of the club seconds after Niggemeyer fired. Ultimately, about 60 detectives were at the club, many working overtime. They interviewed about 250 witnesses, putting them on three buses provided by COTA.
This is the first time the 31-year-old Niggemeyer, who joined the force in 1999, has shot a suspect. He has a clean record, with many compliments from citizens, said Sgt. Brent Mull, a police spokesman. The division would not release his personnel file yesterday.
Band members spent Wednesday night on their bus then went back to Texas, where they’re based.
"Vinnie crashed in Dime’s bunk and was crying," Barns said.
Fans of the band created two memorials in front of the club yesterday. Flowers and a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale were among the items on a large rock beside the club’s driveway. A wooden cross with the phrase In memory of the lives lost: RIP December 8 th written on it was leaning against a pole.
David Moran, a 29-year-old fan from German Village, was among those who placed bouquets of flowers on the rock.
He wrote "RIP Dimebag" on the wrapper.
"He was one of the best guitar players out there," Moran said. "The music world lost one of its greats."
Dispatch reporters Nick Juliano and Matthew Marx contributed to this story.
jfutty@dispatch.com
egoodenow@dispatch.com
abeck@dispatch.com
Posted: December 10, 2004 9:57 am
Security not to blame for tragedy, insiders say
By Aaron Beck THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Damageplan sound man Aaron Barns watched Nathan Gale "walk calmly across the stage’’ at the Alrosa Villa and shoot friends he’s toured the world with for 14 years.
"We all live around each other back in Arlington,’’ Texas, Barns said. "We’re like brothers. I’m closer to these guys than my own brother. It’s rough.’’
But Barns doesn’t blame club security for Wednesday’s shooting in which five men, including Damageplan lead guitarist "Dimebag’’ Darrell Abbott and the gunman, were killed and two other men were wounded.
"This was a predetermined thing,’’ Barns said. "It’s not a case of checking for guns or not checking people for guns. The guy snuck in there and started shooting.’’
The killings took place on the 24 th anniversary of John Lennon’s death at the hands of Mark David Chapman, who shot the former Beatle outside his New York City apartment.
"It’s the same thing with John Lennon, you know?’’ Barns said. "How could anyone have possibly prevented that?’’
Musicians, club owners and music fans were in shock yesterday, but no one suggested additional training or vigilance by Alrosa staff members could have prevented what happened.
"This could have happened at a Hallmark greeting-card store,’’ said Dan Dougan, owner of Little Brother’s, a N. High Street music club.
Dougan recently promoted a Guided By Voices concert at Alrosa Villa and said the security staff was competent and helpful.
"They aren’t the kind that are just looking for trouble like in some metal clubs you go to where if you get out of line just a little bit someone clobbers you,’’ Dougan said. "It’s a great family of people at the Alrosa, and the Little Brother’s family is really grieving for his gang.’’
Matt Malles, a former bassist for the New York City ska band the Toasters and a former tour manager for Less Than Jake and other punk and rock bands, has worked in a variety of venues around the world.
"You’re not going to stop that guy from doing what he did, no matter what kind of training your security has.
"You can’t fault the club or the security guard for what he did or didn’t do.’’
This was the third time in less than two years that Columbus police officers have fired their weapons during disturbances associated with Alrosa.
Two previous incidents were in parking lots used by club patrons during the club’s "Studio 69’’ rap- and dance-music events, which take place some weekend nights.
On Jan. 25, two Columbus police officers working special duty heard shots fired around 2:30 a.m. in a parking lot across the street from Alrosa. As they entered the lot, the officers fired at a fleeing car after hearing more shots.
On Jan. 1, 2003, a fight that began inside the club spilled into the parking lot about 2:45 a.m. A 25-year-old patron fired a gun, wounding four people. A special-duty officer fired back, but struck no one.
But "We’ve never had anything like this,’’ Alrosa owner Rick Cautela said yesterday.
He said the Wednesday night crowd "was a good bunch of people, the kind of crowd I love to have in here. It was clean-cut people who like to be here no matter what band is playing, just having a good time. It wasn’t none of the really crazy kind of people.’’
Cautela said he didn’t know whether tonight’s show by metal band Satyricon would be canceled.
"I don’t even know what to do next. I haven’t had a cigarette or a drink in 20 years, and that’s what I want to do right now.’’
Cautela said seven security guards were working Wednesday. The show had drawn 430 fans, three-fourths of the club’s capacity.
"Ticket sales determine how many security guards I hire for each show. This show had sold 200 tickets before we opened the doors,’’ Cautela said.
For a show that’s sold out, Cautela hires 15 or 16 guards, he said.
Damageplan played last summer at PromoWest Pavilion, which pays the independent security firm Event Control Management to work concerts.
"I get on our security for being so tough a lot of the time,’’ said Scott Stienecker, president of PromoWest Productions. "When something like this happens, I think you’re going to see a lot of people say, ‘Hey, I’m glad the security is doing their job.’ ’’
Several musicians at the String Shoppe, a guitar store near Ohio State University, said yesterday the incident won’t change their minds about going to clubs like the Alrosa Villa.
"I feel safe; it wasn’t the owner or management or the music. Some disgruntled person slipped in,’’ said Craig Armitag, 22, who has played drums at the Alrosa for several bands.
"I’ll always pay there, I love that place,’’ he said. "The owner, Rick Cautela, is a really good guy.’’
Malles, the former tour manager, said, "Maybe the guards should have had radios or maybe strategically placed switches on walls that you can hit and light up the stage instantly, but how can you say, ‘OK, this is what we do when a guy with a handgun walks on stage?’ "You just can’t prepare for everything.’’
Dispatch reporters John Futty and LaDonna Jackson contributed to this story.
abeck@dispatch.com
By Aaron Beck THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Damageplan sound man Aaron Barns watched Nathan Gale "walk calmly across the stage’’ at the Alrosa Villa and shoot friends he’s toured the world with for 14 years.
"We all live around each other back in Arlington,’’ Texas, Barns said. "We’re like brothers. I’m closer to these guys than my own brother. It’s rough.’’
But Barns doesn’t blame club security for Wednesday’s shooting in which five men, including Damageplan lead guitarist "Dimebag’’ Darrell Abbott and the gunman, were killed and two other men were wounded.
"This was a predetermined thing,’’ Barns said. "It’s not a case of checking for guns or not checking people for guns. The guy snuck in there and started shooting.’’
The killings took place on the 24 th anniversary of John Lennon’s death at the hands of Mark David Chapman, who shot the former Beatle outside his New York City apartment.
"It’s the same thing with John Lennon, you know?’’ Barns said. "How could anyone have possibly prevented that?’’
Musicians, club owners and music fans were in shock yesterday, but no one suggested additional training or vigilance by Alrosa staff members could have prevented what happened.
"This could have happened at a Hallmark greeting-card store,’’ said Dan Dougan, owner of Little Brother’s, a N. High Street music club.
Dougan recently promoted a Guided By Voices concert at Alrosa Villa and said the security staff was competent and helpful.
"They aren’t the kind that are just looking for trouble like in some metal clubs you go to where if you get out of line just a little bit someone clobbers you,’’ Dougan said. "It’s a great family of people at the Alrosa, and the Little Brother’s family is really grieving for his gang.’’
Matt Malles, a former bassist for the New York City ska band the Toasters and a former tour manager for Less Than Jake and other punk and rock bands, has worked in a variety of venues around the world.
"You’re not going to stop that guy from doing what he did, no matter what kind of training your security has.
"You can’t fault the club or the security guard for what he did or didn’t do.’’
This was the third time in less than two years that Columbus police officers have fired their weapons during disturbances associated with Alrosa.
Two previous incidents were in parking lots used by club patrons during the club’s "Studio 69’’ rap- and dance-music events, which take place some weekend nights.
On Jan. 25, two Columbus police officers working special duty heard shots fired around 2:30 a.m. in a parking lot across the street from Alrosa. As they entered the lot, the officers fired at a fleeing car after hearing more shots.
On Jan. 1, 2003, a fight that began inside the club spilled into the parking lot about 2:45 a.m. A 25-year-old patron fired a gun, wounding four people. A special-duty officer fired back, but struck no one.
But "We’ve never had anything like this,’’ Alrosa owner Rick Cautela said yesterday.
He said the Wednesday night crowd "was a good bunch of people, the kind of crowd I love to have in here. It was clean-cut people who like to be here no matter what band is playing, just having a good time. It wasn’t none of the really crazy kind of people.’’
Cautela said he didn’t know whether tonight’s show by metal band Satyricon would be canceled.
"I don’t even know what to do next. I haven’t had a cigarette or a drink in 20 years, and that’s what I want to do right now.’’
Cautela said seven security guards were working Wednesday. The show had drawn 430 fans, three-fourths of the club’s capacity.
"Ticket sales determine how many security guards I hire for each show. This show had sold 200 tickets before we opened the doors,’’ Cautela said.
For a show that’s sold out, Cautela hires 15 or 16 guards, he said.
Damageplan played last summer at PromoWest Pavilion, which pays the independent security firm Event Control Management to work concerts.
"I get on our security for being so tough a lot of the time,’’ said Scott Stienecker, president of PromoWest Productions. "When something like this happens, I think you’re going to see a lot of people say, ‘Hey, I’m glad the security is doing their job.’ ’’
Several musicians at the String Shoppe, a guitar store near Ohio State University, said yesterday the incident won’t change their minds about going to clubs like the Alrosa Villa.
"I feel safe; it wasn’t the owner or management or the music. Some disgruntled person slipped in,’’ said Craig Armitag, 22, who has played drums at the Alrosa for several bands.
"I’ll always pay there, I love that place,’’ he said. "The owner, Rick Cautela, is a really good guy.’’
Malles, the former tour manager, said, "Maybe the guards should have had radios or maybe strategically placed switches on walls that you can hit and light up the stage instantly, but how can you say, ‘OK, this is what we do when a guy with a handgun walks on stage?’ "You just can’t prepare for everything.’’
Dispatch reporters John Futty and LaDonna Jackson contributed to this story.
abeck@dispatch.com
Posted: December 10, 2004 11:34 am
By Noon yesterday, there were over 150 new listings for items signed by Dimebag Darrell?
The thinking must be, "Hey! Someone died! Let's profit off of it!"
The thinking must be, "Hey! Someone died! Let's profit off of it!"
Posted: December 10, 2004 12:42 pm
This happened at a nightclub that I used to frequent regularly 19-26 years ago during my long hair/bar hopping/rocking days. I loved that place, was friends with many bouncers and only got into a few scuffles the whole time I was a regular(7-8 years). The last time I was there was probably 10 years ago for a Robin Trower concert. From all reports I've seen, this insane bastard (dishonorably discharged ex-marine) had a short fuse and was on a mission. This type of crime is hard to stop but not impossible. I used to carry a large buck knife (for protection) when I went to any large club back in those days. Most of the bars on campus I went to meant parking on some street blocks from High st in a rough area and I was never w/o a weapon. I feel naked without anything these days but agree that is how it has to be. This shooting is not a refection on Columbus as much as it is about our society today. Sad, very sad....
I'm going to see Kenny Wayne Shepherd Saturday at the Newport, a concert hall/bar on campus. I'm expecting and hoping for very tight security as paranoia is abound in this city right now.
I'm going to see Kenny Wayne Shepherd Saturday at the Newport, a concert hall/bar on campus. I'm expecting and hoping for very tight security as paranoia is abound in this city right now.
Posted: December 10, 2004 1:19 pm
No word from Phil? I'm not sure why they got rid of Phil got a new singer and changed the name of Pantera anyway. Phils project of Down was great. The guys got some set of lungs.
Posted: December 10, 2004 1:28 pm
Cousin Baxter wrote:No word from Phil? I'm not sure why they got rid of Phil got a new singer and changed the name of Pantera anyway. Phils project of Down was great. The guys got some set of lungs.
there were problems like so many groups that have been together for a long time. Damageplan's new stuff has been great!! It's been on one of the Dallas stations quite a bit - even more so since the tragedy. And I have yet to hear a comment from Phil
Posted: December 11, 2004 1:45 am
Violent crime rates have gone down, and in 2000 were the lowest they had been since 1979. http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htmph4ever wrote: that's true but dosn't it seem that with each younger group there seems to be more violence?? Did I make sense?? If I didn't I'm sorry it ust be the vicodin.
Violent crime has gone down every year for many years now.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/viort.htm
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/gvc.htm
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