 Last Wednesday Skillet’s Unleashed Tour took the stage at The Fargo Civic Center in Fargo, ND. You’re living under a rock if you haven’t heard of Skillet by now, them being easily one of the most popular Christian rock bands since their entrance to the scene back in 1996. Their fanbase spans from itty bitty five year olds to seasoned head bangers in their late sixties, a wide age gap bridged by uplifting, fist pounding rock anthems.  Supporting acts, Devour the Day and Sick Puppies set the tone of the night with exactly what you would expect while attending a rock show: in your face, edgy and loud, emotion packed rock and roll. Devour the Day started, pumping up the crowd with a gritty, kick you in the teeth set. This foursome had new and old fans off the floor, and after a little “trust fall” frontman Blake Allison too found himself off the floor as he crowd surfed the small concert space. Sick Puppies followed up with just as an impactful demonstration of hard rock. With new vocalist, Bryan Scott, now in place of Shimon Moore there may have been a change in sound, but not in force. Each song was driven just as hard as it was in the past and loved no less by long time listeners. Lastly, the long anticipated Skillet entered. The live performance was everything but lacking. From a wild light show and rising stage platforms to energized musicians bouncing about the stage, there is more than enough to entertain you.   The crowd, packed in as tight as they could get, danced and sang along to classic favorites such as “Awake and Alive”, “Monster” and “Not Gonna Die” as well as with tracks from the newest album released and namesake of the tour, Unleashed, such as the radio hit “Feel Invincible”. The interaction between the band and the audience got personally when they launched into “Those Nights” and singer John Cooper made his way to the pit and shared the microphone with a handful of the barricade huggers. Each performer had a presence all their own, Korey Cooper being one of the most impressive and stylized. Drummer Jen Ledger easily took title of most electric, while Seth Morrison kept it cool and casual, even during some of the bands more vibrant numbers. John Cooper was the power house, drenched in sweat by the third song as he lead his team through the thrilling set list. It was an incredibly positive atmosphere from start to end, and a show that left everyone in attendance leaving in higher spirits than they came with.  Full SKILLET photo coverage here.
2 Comments
10/15/2017 09:51:37 pm
A genre that was commonly mistaken by others as ‘hateful’ and ‘pure destruction’, combined with songs of praise and love of Jesus. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of Christian Rock. Unlike Kawaii metal, though, I think this is a genre that deserves more recognition. In this generation, when it comes to music, it’s always about senseless relationships or gibberish jumbled into a catchy tune. I don’t judge anybody’s taste in music and yes, they are catchy. But often times, I tend to miss meaningful lyrics and heartfelt messages. I also don’t know much about Skillet but after doing a little research and reading the blog, I think I’ll give their songs a try. Leave a Reply. |