Stryper

House of Blues, Anaheim

Arriving at the show about half and hour before the doors opened, I was struck by a couple of things. First was the incredible length of the line that had already formed, and second was the people who were standing in line. Now I don't usually feel awkward or out of place at these shows (maybe a little old at times), but man was I a fish out of water at this show. No spiked jewelry, long hair, black clothes, piercings or tattoos were to be found in abundance. I'll let you in on a secret here and confess that I really wasn't familiar with Stryper, or what they did, other than they were an 80's hair-metal band. I figured what the hell, its $20, I'll go check them out. I knew I was in trouble just standing in line. Crosses abounded, which is not a bad thing mind you, but there's still something wrong or out of place when it comes to Christian rock. I also had no clue as to the extent religion played in the whole Stryper experience. In any event, after talking with a couple of hard-core (if you can call them that) Stryper fans, and being blown-off after I told them that Kiss was the best concert I'd ever seen, lol, I finally made it into the totally (and I mean TOTALLY) packed club. I found a spot at the bar and proceeded to make another contribution to Absolut's stockholders while watching the show both on and off-stage. So Stryper finally came out after a halfway enjoyable opening act, Seven Hours Left, and what seemed an interminably long break. Not sporting all the hair they used to, but still sporting a lot of the black and yellow bumble-bee look, they actually played a pretty good set.  While I was amused by the people in the balcony waving their arms and holding their hands up like they were at a revival meeting, it did seem as if there was something slightly off-kilter the entire night. These two things just don't freakin' mix well. Needless to say there was no mosh pit, but there was one heck of a lot of drinking going on. I know there's got to be a contradiction in there somewhere. In any event, the band played well, sang well, and put on a pretty darn good performance. Ending the concert with a 15 minute prayer for the souls of the bartenders and myself, I think most everyone else in the House that night were already saved, I ended the night with the dubious honor of being anointed by the spirit at a rock concert. I also don't think I'll ever see Bibles being thrown out to the crowd again in my life. Like I said, it just doesn't make sense. For all the joking aside, Stryper is a group of some pretty talented musicians, and really do put on a good show. If you can get over the religion (which I can't seem to) and you like their music, you won't be disappointed.

You can find Stryper's homepage here.