Oz Fox performs with Stryper at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Photo by Pennman 3/18/2011.

It was another Friday night, so what better to do then go see a rock show in Nashville. I had seen Stryper live for the first time a couple of years ago at this same venue, and was impressed at the energy level and the fan base they had. For those of you who don’t know, Stryper is a band with a message, as they fall under the label of Christian rock. But leave your misconceptions at the door with bands like Stryper. You’re not going to hear gospel music or church hymns, you’re going to rock. And as at the previous show, the audience was of a nice size, filling up more than half of the standing only floor space and most of the tables too. And the rails on the second and third levels were all being leaned on too. If you want to see vintage bands, especially from the 80s (which the Wildhorse seems to specialize in), this is the place to be.

In full black and yellow regalia, with their hair still plenty long but a little less blown out than way back when (except maybe for drummer Robert Sweet), Stryper took to the stage and wasted no time getting the crowd going with the rocking “Sing Along Song”. Now if you pay attention to the titles of many of their songs, it’s apparent why it’s Christian rock. Take songs two and three for instance; “Murder By Pride”, and “The Rock That Makes Me Roll”. Get it? And like I said, the music is both Christian and it also rocks just as hard as anything else. The current tour is called The Covering because their latest release is an album of the same name that mostly includes covers tunes from bands that influenced them. Now if you still doubt they rock just look at who they cover; Ozzy, Scorpions, UFO, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and other rockers. So I was expecting to hear a lot of covers tonight, but actually we only heard three; Ozzy’s “Over the Mountain”, Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” (I guess a no brainer for them), and “Shout It Out Loud” by Kiss. Now that was fine with me because I love their original stuff, but I wondered what everyone else was thinking. No “Immigrant Song”, no “Carry On My Wayward Son”, no “Highway Star”, etc.

The band is still in fine form. Lead singer/guitarist Michael Sweet is still an energetic and charismatic front man, and boy does he still have range. Some of his screams reached out into the stratosphere. Lead guitarist Oz Fox is as sharp as ever and interacts with Sweet flawlessly. The rhythm section is prominent and dynamic with Timothy Gaines booming on bass and Robert Sweet flailing away on the drums. They’re all in great shape and appear to have all their hair. As good as they were on this night, and that was damn good, I thought it was just notch below their previous Wildhorse show. But maybe my memory of that show is enhanced because they really made a great first impression.

They played 16 songs in all, including favorites like “Reach Out” and “Free”. They ended the evening with an impressive encore of “The Abyss”, “To Hell with the Devil”, and “Soldiers Under Command”. Sweet ended the night with a prayer for the victims of the Japanese earthquake. As usual, a few bibles were thrown into the crowd and people scrambled for them even harder than the many picks thrown from the stage during the show. So with great tunes, high energy, an enthusiastic crowd, and that Wildhorse atmosphere, it was a great night, and everyone went home happy. Amen.  

Stryper played at The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, TN on 3/18/2011.

About the author: Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg or www.facebook.com/pennman