Emmure frontman Frankie Palmeri says he was ordered off the side of the stage and stripped of his access pass during Pantera‘s set at Louder Than Life on Thursday night, after what he described as an attempt to start a conversation with Glenn Danzig.
The festival’s 12th edition opened on September 17 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Emmure played the Impact Stage at 3:15 PM. Danzig performed on the Louder Stage at 5:40 PM, with Pantera taking the same stage at 7:30 PM, less than two hours later, ahead of headliners Iron Maiden. The Pantera performance was billed as the band’s only U.S. show of 2026.
Palmeri posted his account on social media the same night. He wrote:
“For a split second tonight…I was able to watch the mighty @Pantera perform at @LTLFest from side stage…some years ago…I even got asked to cover Pantera songs live as tribute to Dimebag and Vinny Paul…I have a lot of love for Pantera…and Phil… I made the mistake of attempting to strike a conversation with Glen Danzig…while side stage…which lead to his security demanding I be removed from the stage and stripped of my access pass. For what? Being a human being and asking about a mutual friend? F**K Glen Danzing, F**K his security, F**K that dumb c**t stage manager who acted like I wasn’t worthy of being there to watch them perform.”
Dimebag Darrell, whom Palmeri names in the post, was killed onstage in December 2004. His brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, died in June 2018.
Palmeri did not say which stage manager he was referring to, nor did he name the security personnel involved. The account places responsibility with Danzig‘s personal security rather than with festival staff for the initial request, with the stage manager described separately.
As of publication, Danzig has not publicly addressed the claim, and no response has been issued by his representatives or by festival organisers Danny Wimmer Presents. Nothing in Palmeri‘s account suggests the exchange was physical, and he did not describe any contact between the two men beyond the attempted conversation.
Danzig‘s Louder Than Life appearance was part of a four-day bill spanning seven stages and close to 200 acts, the largest lineup in the festival’s history. Thursday’s Louder Stage schedule also included Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Sabaton, Anthrax, Machine Head, Suicidal Tendencies and GWAR. The festival runs through September 20, with My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit and Tool headlining the remaining days.
Palmeri has fronted Emmure since the band’s earliest years and is its only continuous member, having carried the name forward after the rest of the lineup departed in December 2015.
