Live: Stryper return to Indianapolis
It’s been over two years since Stryper was able to do a traditional U.S. Tour, so when their Calling On You tour hit Indy’s Vogue Theatre recently, the room was packed with fans decked out in yellow & black, ready to rock out with Stryper.
The Protest opened the show, bringing the heat and got the crowd amped up perfectly. Coming from Indiana themselves, they knew exactly what the Indy fans wanted and delivered with extreme intensity and got the fans involved, making sure they were ready to go when Stryper took the stage.
Stryper’s setlist was beautifully-balanced with just enough newer Stryper songs but was loaded with longtime fan-favorites as well, featuring a few tracks from Even The Devil Believes, including “This I Pray” and “Divider.”
Frontman Michael Sweet joked with the crowd a few times, asking them how many had seen Stryper live before but then asked how many were seeing the band for the first time, to which the crowd roared, followed by Sweet asking how many fans were seeing the band for the first time. When there was a strong reaction, he joked about how he wondered why so many people waited until the band was old, which got a laugh from the crowd.
The band sounded great, with the classics sounding like you were seeing the band in the 1980s and not 2022 but with the newer songs sounded even better than they do on the albums. Sweet hit the high notes in moderation but also at the moments that counted, with such power and perfection, it gave the crowd goosebumps.
In the end, with this being Stryper’s first traditional full tour in over two years, it’s clear they set out to make this a tour with the time and money for the fans, throwing almost every fan favorite from the beginning of their career to the most recent albums. Sounding better than they ever have, this is the Stryper tour that you have to check out.
-Reggie Edwards