Stryper Review.
I arrived around quarter after eight at the venue. Big place, for a bar. It's one of those bars where they have several points of purchase set about the place, and the stage is in the middle of the place.
I'm already being entertained when I get there. The bands aren't slated to start until about 9pm. But the variety of people in attendance was entertainment enough.
There were the obvious Christian music fan crowd, with Tamplin, Day of Fire, and other such T-shirts. There were the die-hard Stryper-heads, with yellow and black outfits, and then there were the usual crowd of people with Stryper t-shirts. Add to that the second generation Stryper fans who were there with their parents--and obviously happy to be. These weren't the most entertaining, however.
Here are fixtures at every show, but always noticeable.
Air Guitar Andy--the guy who walks around the place playing really bad air guitar to every song, but looking more like he's pantomiming carrying around an extremely oversized penis. He stops at the beginning of certain songs to raise his hands in the "devil salute" and shout something inane like "rock on" or "f---in A" (whatever that means).
Old Edna--you know her. She's the lady at every show that looks like she's about 300 years old, has a Winger T-shirt, and rocks out to every song.
The 'look at me, I'm cool' types. They're obviously dressed to go to a show, because there's no way they actually dress that way in everyday life without getting their ass kicked several times a day.
And last, but certainly not least, the ever present, never deterred, oblivious to his own obsolescence,
87 Man
Does this one really require an explanation? This is the guy we all were back in '87. He's got the jean jacket with the original "To Hell With The Devil" cover ironed onto the back. All around the rest of the jacket are various band patches, most prominently the "Poison" and "Warrant" patches. Don't forget the strategically ripped jeans and band t-shirt.
Oh yeah, and no review of the surroundings would be complete without mention of the many mullets, or the guys with long hair except for the completely bald patch from the earlobes up.
Okay, so at around 8:35 the first band is announced.
First up is Patchwork, a local band. These guys surprisingly impressed me. They have a lot of talent and don't sound like every other modern band out there. Their music is modern, but there are touches of 80s and 90s metal actually incorporated well into it. The use of dual leads is executed well, but not overdone.
I particularly enjoyed Patchwork's cover of Eleanor Rigby, but their original material was well worth hearing while waiting for the main attraction. I recommend checking them out.
Next up was A Nervous Wreck, another local band. My first clue to what we were in for was when they began their set with "Look What The Cat Dragged In." Nothing but 80s/early 90s party metal. In all fairness, their original material wasn't too bad, but sitting through covers of Kiss songs and Motley Crue songs was pretty excruciating. The singer really, badly, desperately, wanted to be Sebastian Bach.
Finally, the main event began.
Here's where the drooling fanboy in me came out, rockin' out and singing along to every single lyric I knew. Stryper started out with a new tune I'd never heard before. They then did a few off of the new album, Reborn. After this, they started a mostly chronological go-through of their material. "Loud and Clear" was the first. The guys rock just as hard as ever. The only disappointing thing was the absence of any big screams from Michael. It was fun to sing along to all the old songs and watch the guys perform with close to the same energy I witnessed them perform with 18 years ago on the "To Hell With The Devil" tour.
Conspicuously absent was the performance of any songs from "In God We Trust." This was an excellent move in my opinion. They only performed a couple off of "Against The Law." They did a medley of ballads somewhere in there, with a completely re-worked version of "Honestly."
The last one or two songs, Michael started letting the screams fly. I had a feeling he was saving it for later--he's not exactly a spring chicken. Then the show ended too abruptly. Well, it seemed. Of course we knew an encore was planned. When we heard the intro from "To Hell With The Devil" begin to play, everybody cheered. I think we were all waiting for it. The other moment we were all waiting for came a couple songs afterward with "Soldiers Under Command. Screams were in full effect during the encore, which consisted of about four songs, if I remember right.
Stryper is a band that knows how to put on a hell of a show. Highlights were the bible throwing, in which Robert came out from behind the drums and participated in the throwing. After all these years, Robert is still the glam boy in the band. It was kind of funny to see the contrast between him and the rest of the guys.
Finally I packed up and drove the half hour or so home. I stopped at a convenience store across the street from the venue, where I engaged in conversation with a few people about the show. The guy in front of me said he had been waiting about 16 years to see Stryper play--his mom wouldn't let him back then. And I felt old, having seen them 18 years ago.
