Avenged Sevenfold kicked off their headlining set at France's Hellfest Saturday (June 23rd) with a touching salute to late Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, who passed away one day before (June 22nd) at the age of 54. Right before the band took the stage, the jumbotrons displayed a photo slideshow of Paul over the years, set to Pantera's iconic song "Walk," Billboard points out.
Additionally, the Californians dedicated their performance of "Hail to the King" to the fallen percussionist: "There's not much we can do," reflected frontman M. Shadows, addressing the crowd. "We all understand that this life is brief, we all understand that our friends are gonna go at some point; All we can do is honor him the best way we can. We do that tonight by playing 'Hail to the Fuckin' King' for Vinnie Paul."
Avenged Sevenfold remembered Paul in an emotional Facebook post as well, recalling a heartwarming interaction between himself, and the band's own late drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan — the latter of whom absolutely idolized the former.
"I remember how excited 'The Rev' was when he first met you in Dallas after a show in the early 2000's," the band wrote. "You grabbed him around the neck and said he was a kick ass drummer even though he borrowed some of your chops! We were in shock that Jimmy had met our all time favorite drummer so we all ran to the bar to meet you and proceeded to drink the night away.
"You were warm and engaging," the post continues. "Our friendship lasted for many years and eventually resulted in a killer rendition of "Mouth for War" at the Revolver Golden Gods, a career highlight. Vegas will never be the same without you. Dallas will never be the same. Metal will never be the same. We have been lucky enough to meet some of our idols and call them friends. You were one of the greatest of all time and a great friend. Today we mourn."
