Now Reading: Why Steel Panther Had To Play ‘Eyes Of A Panther’ At AGT, Stix Zadinia Explains
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Why Steel Panther Had To Play ‘Eyes Of A Panther’ At AGT, Stix Zadinia Explains
Stix Zadiana, the drummer of Steel Panther, recently spoke to Metal Edge about their performance on America’s Got Talent. Performing ‘Eyes of a Panther’, the drummer was asked why they chose the song. He explained:
“It wasn’t a hard choice because ‘Eyes of a Panther’ is one of the cleanest songs we have. So, that was a major factor. But the other thing is that ‘Eyes of a Panther’ is super high-energy, up-tempo, and rocking, and it’s an anthem for our band. So, those things also made the choice easy.
He revealed whether or not the band will be in the second round:
But for the next round, the choice will be a lot more difficult because of the lyrics and the rules we have to follow on network TV.”
Simon Cowell, one of the judges in the competition, is publicly known for heavily criticizing the contestants in the show. After winning Cowell over, the drummer was asked how it felt. He replied:
“It meant a lot. We’ve been playing since forever, right? From the very start, we’ve been a band that gets onstage and says, ‘We’re here to have fun and bring heavy metal back.‘ I mean… we’ve done what we’ve done over the years, and it’s been an amazing ride.”
He went on:
“But when you get on a network like NBC, or any of the big networks, it’s a different world. So, to get the stamp of approval from a guy like Simon meant a lot. But that doesn’t mean it changes the way I see this band because it doesn’t. But it might change a lot of people’s minds perception-wise.”
The band first revealed the news on their Twitter account with the explanation:
“Look out! AGT is about to get a whole lot more metal! Don’t miss the season premiere next Tuesday (5/30) at 8PM local!”
The performance was on the screens on May 27 and though not all of the audience was happy to hear such music, it was liked by all the judges. The dates of the next round haven’t been released yet.
You can see the performance down below.