By David Lucas, Rock At Night Orlando
Live Review: Stryper at House of Blues, Orlando, Florida – May 28, 2022
For the closing night of the spring leg of the Calling On You tour, it was nothing short of a packed house. As fans waited to enter, I got the chance to meet some of these fans. I spoke with fans that range from their first time seeing Stryper live to fans that have been followers of the band from back in 1983 and with their 1984 release of The Yellow and Black Attack. Locals, Eli and Wendy, decked out in full Stryper gear, dressed with the iconic colors yellow and black, were on their four-tenth live show.
Bringing the gospel to the world through hard rock and metal, Stryper has been sending the message this way since 1983. Kicking the night off with their 1988 release, “In God We Trust”. Michael Sweet still has the same voice from the soft vocals of “Honestly” to the high-pitched vocals as heard in “More Than A Man”, which Michael Sweet mentioned to be one of his favorites and “Surrender”. And also a true showman giving the audience exactly what they came to see, a flawless performance.
Each member of the band interacts with the fans in their own way, from Michael Sweet, talking to, listening and responding to members of the audience. Oz Fox, pointing to and smiling at the audience, You know by watching him; he is one genuine and humble man. And joining Stryper in 2017, Perry Richardson, getting so close to the edge of the stage that the front of his shoes were over, getting as close to everyone as he could. Robert Sweet, unlike most other drummers, his drum kit setup is sideways. Doing this allows the audience, his fans, to see him better during the performance.
Because of the COVID pandemic and unable to tour with their latest 2020 album release “Even the Devil Believes”, Stryper made sure that the set included some of their latest releases, “Divider” and “This I Pray”. Finishing the night with an encore of “Soldiers Under Command” and “To Hell With the Devil,” everyone was still wanting more. But, the guys had not finished yet. Stepping to the edge of the stage, they tossed out more bibles and a good amount of guitar picks. They also included the fans on the balcony as several made it up past the railing
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