Stryper – Route 47 – Fridley MN – May 19th 2018

Stryper – Route 47 Fridley MN

Many things impressed me about the Stryper concert the other night beyond just the music. These guys are the real deal who give 110% in their performance. They ended up playing close to two hours and work their way through a set that started with their very first album all the way up to their newest release “God Damn Evil”. The crowd was with them through the entire show. A few of the highlights were some of their biggest songs like “Calling On You”, “Honestly” and “Soldiers Under Command”.

They did perform the title track off of their new album “God Damn Evil” and “Can’t Live Without Your Love”. That’s how you know the band has real fans. They stuck with them for every single song and embraced the new ones as much as the classics. They finished up the evening with ”To Hell With The Devil” and left the crowd wanting more. The musicianship is stellar and they never let the up.

They offer meet and greets if you’d like to meet them personally, there’s always a way. Fans all had nothing but smiles on their faces after the meet and greet. But one of the things that really impressed me is their willingness to stick around after the show and not only sign items if you had a specific wristband, they also stuck around to talk to other people who came to the show after all of that was finished. All of the members hung out until almost bar close. They’re all genuinely kind people who really believe what they’re doing. There is some rock bands who could learn a lesson from Stryper.

I’ve never seen the place so packed for show. It was truly standing room only. Perhaps next time they come back to play a larger venue. But at the same time the intimacy of the show added to how great it was. Either way, Stryper is a class act.

Review and photos by Tommy Sommers.