Words/Photos: Chris Rugowski
https://www.chickenortheeggphotography.com/
On a night of EPIC proportion, and the heels of the Rock Resurrection Tour, Skillet, Theory of a Deadman, and Saint Asonia played EPIC Event Center to a sold-out crowd on just day two of the 26-day tour. The special guest host was none other than Sonic Warrior himself, Lou Brutus.
All three bands rocked the crowd with hits, and new songs to celebrate new releases and upcoming releases.
SAINT ASONIA
Saint Asonia kicked the night off with two tracks from the newly released Introvert/Extrovert album released on December 9, 2022, “Better Place” and “Above It All” respectively. Included in the set were a couple of Three Days Grace covers, “Never Too Late” and “I Hate Everything About You”, Adam and crew kept the audience on their feet and singing along to every song.
THEORY OF A DEADMAN
The second to play was Theory of a Deadman. Opening their set over the mains “Sweet Caroline” played to the entire venue, everyone singing along “Sweet Caroline, do do do…” queue the lights, out came the band opening their set with their single, “Dinosaur” from the upcoming album, also named “Dinosaur” which will be released on March 17, 2022 – listen/pre-order here: http://theory.lnk.to/dinosaur and visit www.theoryofficial.com for more info.
I enjoyed the lighting during their set, especially how it played with the tiered platform, it gave an interesting feel to the overall stage, which otherwise was a fairly open concept. But for good reason as the band certainly likes to move around on stage. The fog canons gave an ethereal feel at times.
They played one full cover, “Wicked Game”, a unique take played on keys, with the full band coming in about halfway through the song. The band likes to have fun on stage and interact with its audience. They played a short rendition of “Friends in Low Places” before playing “Angel”, and before ending the set with “Bad Girlfriend” they teased the audience with intro licks to “Paradise City” (GnR), “Walk” (Pantera), and a Tenacious D riff.
SKILLET
Finishing the night off was Skillet, now talk about a band who knows how to keep an audience entertained. From hand-held fog cannons to ever-changing stage setups, a cellist in different parts of the stage, they even put on Packer jerseys before their final song. This is my first time seeing Skillet live, and I would see them again if only for the energy they bring.
Fresh off a new album release, DOMINION is available everywhere you find your music. They only played three songs from the album, opting to play the hits of their career thus far.
Their light show was impressive no doubt, enough to keep wandering eyes locked on the stage, but what was more impressive was how active every member of the band was, you could tell the night was full of energy and every member gave it their all. Korey Cooper and Lead Guitarist Seth Morrison danced on the stage all night long, while singer Cooper captivated the audience with powerful words.
It was clear the band was having a blast throughout the night, they kept the energy going from start to finish, and there was no downtime. Even in between the songs, there was very apparent energy in the crowd.
If you can make it out to a show during this tour, I’d advise you to go. From a first-time Skillet concertgoer to the next, I can guarantee you, this won’t be my last time.
Find tickets here, https://www.skillet.com/tour
SKILLET + THEORY OF A DEADMAN ON TOUR:
2/17 — Gary, IN — Hard Rock Live
2/18 — Green Bay, WI — EPIC Event Center
2/19 — East Moline, IL — The Rust Belt
2/21 — Milwaukee, WI — Eagles Ballroom Club Stage
2/22 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore
2/24 — Reading, PA — Santander Arena – Theater
2/25 — Boston, MA — Roadrunner
2/26 — Bangor, ME — Cross Insurance Center
2/28 — Sayreville, NJ — Starland Ballroom**
3/1 — Rochester, NY — Main Street Armory
3/3 — Cleveland, OH — Agora Theatre
3/4 — Mt. Pleasant, MI — Soaring Eagle Casino – Theatre
3/5 — Cincinnati, OH — AJB Music Center
3/7 — Nashville, TN — Brooklyn Bowl**
3/8 — Pikeville, KY —Appalachian Wireless Arena
3/10 — St Louis, MO — The Factory
3/11 — Springfield, MO — Shrine Mosque
3/12 — Tulsa, OK — Tulsa Theater
3/14 — Houston, TX — Bayou Music Center
3/15 — Dallas, TX — The Factory
3/17 — Kansas City, MO — Midland Theatre
3/18 — Omaha, NE — Baxter Arena
3/19 — Denver, CO — Mission Ballroom
3/21 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl**
3/22 — Phoenix, AZ — First Arizona Federal Theater
3/24 — Reno, NV — Grand Sierra Resort – Grand Theatre
3/25 — Wheatland, CA — Hard Rock Live
3/26 — Los Angeles, CA — The Wiltern
**NO SKILLET
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