There are moments in music history that will live forever. For our parents’ generation, perhaps it’s the day John Lennon was slain. Maybe it’s the day Elvis died. Older brothers and sisters will not likely forget the passing of Kurt Cobain, a demigod of his day.

Although perhaps not as well-known as Elvis or Lennon, this weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Pantera’s “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, who was gunned down by a concert attendant while performing in Columbus, Ohio.

He was embraced by headbangers around the world and praised for his skill with the ax, inventing and executing night after night incredibly fast guitar riffs.

For Ames-based metal band Lesser Known Saint, Abbott and Pantera have been monumentally influential.

“I’ve listened to Pantera now for the better half of my life,” says Jim Schleomer, vocalist for the band. “I’ve been listening to Pantera since I was in junior high. When you’ve held the band in such high regard for most of your life, you don’t even know to what degree they’ve influenced you. They’ve influenced what you listen to now and what you will listen to in the future.”

Schleomer says his band was devastated when they heard the news of Dimebag’s early death.

“We all got together the night he was shot and decided that we wanted to play a tribute show on the one-year anniversary of his death,” Schleomer says.

True to their word, Lesser Known Saint will be performing a two-set, 17-song tribute to Pantera on Saturday night at Bali Satay.

Guitarist Axel Aguado said preparation for the show has been a daunting task. He says learning and executing the music of such a great band is far from easy.

“Not only is it technically challenging, but you want to make sure that you play it true to the spirit and do it justice,” Aguado says. “It’s been very difficult, but I think we’ll pull it off.”

He also says that he can’t wait to pay his respects to Dimebag, who has hugely influenced his guitar playing.

“The man never repeated a lick. It’s just one of those things where the guy’s attitude toward life and just the way that he treated his fans seemed very classy and totally metal,” he says. “They’re one of the first metal bands I ever got into. I always try to learn their songs and their solos, and they’ve been very important to me developmentally.”

While working up the music for the show, the band decided to incorporate bands other than Pantera. Fellow local musicians and long time friends Organ Donor and Sons of the Republic agreed to play.

Jeremy Grace of Organ Donor says he will also be paying tribute to deceased artists.

“I think I’ll be playing two acoustic sets and the first one will be Elliot Smith covers and the second will be Johnny Cash covers,” Grace says.

“I’ve always respected both artists and they were both within the realm of my playing ability.”

Longtime local act Sons of the Republic will add yet another dash of flavor to the evening, with their signature classic rock sound and some specially worked up covers of songs by the Who.

Nathan Rippke, vocalist and tambourine player for Sons of the Republic, says he’s very excited for the show.

“I think it will be pretty awesome. I think it will be packed, actually,” says Rippke, sophomore in advertising “It’s going to be one of the shows that’s so eclectic that it will bring a lot of people with different interests in music.”