Stryper 25th Anniversary Tour 2009
Stryper's 1986 To Hell With the Devil Tour stage rig (Image: Wikimedia Commons user Hard.fael)
Well fellow Metalheads… it’s official. Stryper is hitting the road for a massive US tour in the fall of 2009!
More on the tour in a moment, but first we need to mention that this good news is mixed with some unhappy news. We previously mentioned that legendary Stryper frontman Michael Sweet’s wife, Kyle, was battling cancer. Sadly, she lost that battle in March after two years.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Sweets and Kyle’s entire family.
I’m sure that Kyle’s illness has been a barrier to any plans for a reunion tour, but there’s no better time than a 25th Anniversary to hit the road. Expect stops in 50 US cities, followed by an early-2010 excursion to see the band’s many international fans.
Murder By Pride - new Stryper material!
And what better time than a 25th Anniversary to release a new record with all-new material? Murder By Pride will be released on July 21, 2009, but is already being sold — a song at a time — in a nifty iTunes gimmick promotion. You can only by one song as it is released. And if you miss one you get to wait until July. More details here.
And a new record raises the question… what material will the band play on tour?
Well… I’m glad you asked! According to LiveDaily, they’ll be playing 2 sets in each show. The first set will feature new material — and new bassist Tracie Ferrie. The second set will be classic Stryper (including original bassist Tim Gaines with the rest of the original lineup) in full-blown yellow-and-black spandex regalia. I can hardly wait… I think.
While the sight of these guys in spandex never did really thrill me… and it’s a little hard to imagine them 25 years later… the classic songs and the return to the amazing stage show definitely is a thrill. What can I say, I’ve missed the “visual drummer!” This is a must-see show.
Tickets are going on sale right about now!
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Michael Sweet on TBN
Whoa.
This was a little bit like being sucked through the back end of a black hole. The vortex reformats your brain, causing Pat Boone to merge with an 80s hair band and show up on weird television.
Yes, folks. Michael Sweet, the lead singer of the original Christian 80s mainstream hair band, actually sang “You Are So Beautiful” (think: Joe Cocker) on Praise the Lord.
How do I know this actually occurred? I witnessed it.
How did that happen? Don’t ask.
So… how was it? Well…
Dude. He still has that voice. It was a total flashback. He freakin’ rocks. What else can I say? He sounds as awesome as ever. His appearance was in support of a new record: Touched. You can check out samples on his website.
I didn’t see the whole show, so I can’t tell you what — if anything — he may have said. I only saw them call on him to sing a couple of tunes. He was sportin’ a little funky goatee thing — without the goatee. He’s aged a little, but actually… when you consider that all that spandex was fully 20 years ago now… he looks pretty good.
A little research on his website tells the story about his wife’s battle with cancer. Michael: sorry bro. We’re praying for you and the whole family. Oh wait: she’s healed! That rocks! Congratulations!
The record will be here just in time for Christmas. It doesn’t shred… but it definitely rocks.
I just still can’t figure out that whole TBN thing. Just a few weeks ago, Carman was dancing around with his posse — he’s still deluded about being a rapper. And… that’s all I have to say about that.
Peace.
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