Concert Review and Photos: Stryper at the Ready Room in St. Louis November 8, 2016 - Photos and words by Danny Nichols

Guitarist and vocalist Michael Sweet

Thirty years ago Stryper were three albums into a career of producing glam metal with a considerably different ideological slant than their Sunset Strip peers. Their first two albums The Yellow and Black Attack and Soldiers Under Command had sold extremely well.  Clearly there was a market of metal fans who loved the power chords, searing guitar solos and the thundering crack of a snare drum, but weren’t interested in hearing songs about the devil or hedonism.  There was a place for Christianity in the hallowed halls of metal. Still, they had not really achieved mainstream success until their legions of devoted fans latched onto their third album To Hell With The Devil and flooded MTV with demands it be put into heavy rotation.   

Guitarist Oz Fox

This was a band made for MTV with their vibrant yellow and black stripped costumes, choreographed stage antics and a bombastic drummer who plays with his elevated kit sideways, so the audience can appreciate his every move.  The third album went double platinum.  The 2016 tour is a 30th anniversary celebration of Stryper at their loftiest heights.  The album was played in its entirety in order.  The old 1986 stage costumes were dusted off and trotted out.  Robert Sweet pointed his drums stage right and gave us 110% again.