Fresh off signing a brand new deal with Frontier records, Stryper enjoyed playing to a sold out crowd during NAMM at the House of Blues for the 2nd year in a row. This time around they invited some special guests to sing on some classic songs by Queen, Judas Priest, UFO, and Iron Maiden. Stryper consists of all original members Michael Sweet on vocals and guitar, brother Robert on drums, Tim Gaines on bass and Oz Fox on lead guitar.
The band took a while in between band changes to take the stage but once they did, and the opening chords of Abyss (To Hell With The Devil)” were strummed, all was quickly forgiven. It was the perfect track to get the crowd riled up and Michael Sweet had them in his palm right from that point forward. He proceeded to engage the crowd the entire set by telling stories, throwing picks and moving about. His brother Robert came out towards the end of the night, during band introductions, to a heavy round of applause. He also tossed out some paperback Testaments. The band has been doing this since the start of their career.
Gaines and Fox were solid and played their parts with perfection throughout the show. Gaines backup vocals were spot on as well. The band also enjoyed guest vocal appearances by Todd La Torre (Queensryche), Jeff Scott Soto (formerly of Journey), and Tony Harnell (formerly of TNT.)
What sets Stryper apart from a lot of other acts from their era is the honesty in their music. They make no apologies for who they are. During this performance the music spoke to the fans as they were engaged to the point where they sang along to all of their songs throughout the entire night. As a fan of any band, that’s what you want when you go see a show. Stryper did this and more!
Set List:
Abyss (To Hell With The Devil)
Sing Along Song
Loud and Clear
Reach Out
Calling On You
Free
More Than a Man
Surrender (w/Todd La Torre)
The Trooper (w/Todd La Torre – Iron Maiden cover)
Rock That Makes Me Roll
Lights Out (w/Tony Harnell – UFO cover)
Breaking the Law (w/Tony Harnell – Judas Priest)
All for One (w/Jeff Scott Soto)
Tie Your Mother Down (w/Jeff Scott Soto – Queen cover)
Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath cover)
Soldiers Under Command
Encore:
The Way
We would like to thank Lisa Sweet for the credentials to cover the show.
