RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
delicious
Digg
Last.fm
YoutubeConcert Of A Lifetime
Nov 16
music, pictures, videos concert, music, stryper 3 Comments
I am fulfilled. I have seen Stryper in concert and they surpassed all my expectations!
I’ve been an enormous Stryper fan since 1988. They played a crucial part in my coming to know Jesus Christ in a very real way. I’ve memorized every note and lyric of every song of every album they have released. I just had never seen a live show.
Until this past Saturday, November 14th that is. And man, what a freakin’ eh awesome show it was.
Stryper at the soundcheck:
I had the privilege of getting a “meet ‘n greet” pass that enabled me an early entry into the concert, a chance to hear the sound check, and a chance to meet the band.
This didn’t go as well as I’d hope. We were supposed to get in at 5pm but weren’t given entry until 6. The band was on stage and as I walked into the club, it was like I was in a dream! There was Michael Sweet, the Stryper frontman! Right there, 5 feet away from me! Tim Gaines, one of the best bass players in music, right there! Mr Oz Fox, guitar player extraordinaire, right there!!! Robert Sweet was behind his drum kit, so I didn’t get to see him so well. I was a little overwhelmed!
The band ripped through 2 songs and it was magical! The club stagehand was being a little pushy as they were an hour behind and sat the band down at a table and put everyone in a single file line to get an autograph. At this I was more than a little bummed.
I don’t care about autographs. I just wanted to tell these guys “Thank You” from the bottom of my heart. They helped me get through those tough teen-age years with my sanity and faith intact. We were rushed through the line and I did get to shake hands with all the guys except Michael. I got to say thanks, but it wasn’t what I had hoped for.
All that activity took us to about 6:45pm. I went straight to the front of the room where and got my place almost dead center. There was just one problem: the concert didn’t start until 8:30pm. Oh well….I just got my legs locked and waited almost 2 hours in one spot.
Finally the lights went down and on came 3 young guys from Canada (eh!) that made up the band Manic Drive. I wasn’t expecting much, so I was taken aback as they came out and rocked the house! They had a lot of energy and looked like they just loved to entertain. I liked ‘em so much I bought both of their CDs at the merch table.
Manic Drive:
The next band to hit the stage was called Flight Patterns, featuring Michael Sweet Jr on guitar. I had never heard their music, but was hoping to like ‘em.
That was just too much to hope for. Flight Patterns just plain sucked. They were off key and off pitch, and they sounded like a very bad wanna-be Relient K cover band. The bass player was super annoying and played an open E string for every song.
Flight Patterns:
Eventually Flight Patterns got off the stage and it took about 45 minutes for the roadies to set up Stryper’s equipment. My back was aching and my feet hurt for standing up for so long, but the moment of truth was near!!!
The lights went out…..long silence…….and then DUN DUN DUN DEDUN! Stryper came on stage ripping through Soldier’s Under Command!! Yellow and black leather (not spandex!), long hair, ah, everything I dreamed of!
It is all kind of a blur, but I remember they played through most of To Hell With The Devil and The Yellow and Black Attack. They played probably 3 or 4 new songs from Murder By Pride and even covered Judas Priest’s Breaking The Law. I will say this…every song they played they played with an intense fervor and energy. Say what you want to about the yellow and black and the big hair and all that, but Stryper are some absolutely awesome musicians.
They played their encore to To Hell With The Devil. It was one of the most bestest moments of my life (aside from my wedding and kids and such).
Now I can check off a life long goal to see and meet Stryper. Thank you Jesus!
Stryper Pictures:
Stryper Live:
Related posts:
- Dusting off some old classics… One of my friends on Last.fm (gotta give a shout out...
- Samples from Stryper's forthcoming Murder By Pride This record has been in the works for a long,...
- New Blog Segment: Lost But Now Found (music I should’ve listened to but somehow missed..) I've heard this song before, and I love the sugary...
- Murder By Pride Album Review (song by song) I'm glad to see Stryper getting back to their roots,...
- Anticipating A Dream Come True I have to wait a little over 5 months until...
User
Nov 17, 2009 @ 16:52:13
Dude, you have NO idea how happy I am for you. Awesome!
Nov 17, 2009 @ 17:15:33
This almost mirrors my experience as well. The meet and greet was supposed to start at 5, but didn’t until 6. It wasn’t so rushed. We grabbed a quick (can anyone say scarf?) bite to eat before the doors opened again. When we got to the stage, we had to stand there, through both bands, until 9 something. My feet were literally killing me from standing. I was screaming in my head “GET OFF THE STAGE SO STRYPER CAN COME ON!!!!” Once they did, I forgot all about the pain. Even jumped up and down.
Stryper broke up shortly after I got saved. I loved all their music, but had never had the experience that most did “growing” up with them. When this came around, I jumped on it, thinking it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Of course that day I got a nasty cold. But I went anyways, and it was worth it. I have never seen a tighter better show. I loved the atmosphere of a small club. Our meet and greet was a little nicer. After wards I realized how much their music WAS a part of my spiritual journey. I think the grunge era made me push all that hair and make-up to the far reaches of my mind.
I wasn’t expecting much from Manic Drive, but they gave it all they had and did an excellent job. It would probably be a better experience seeing them with like minded bands. Like Family Force 5. Crowd energy makes a big difference. I think they were better live than their recordings.
Flight Patterns needs time to grow. In my opinion, they were in an awkward place. Most of what I have read by Stryper fans, reminds me of Hank Williams, Jr – “PLAY US YO DADDY’S SONGS!”. It must be hard for Mike Jr to be under his dads shadow, especially after the recent loss of his mother. As much as it may have sounded like a great idea, I don’t think they should have toured with Stryper. Stay home, play a lot of clubs and parties and see if you can get on the road with a similar band. We actually thought the bassist was the high point of the group.