Skillet in Sizzling form on Tour with Black Stone Cherry and Ayron Jones

Arriving at Wembley Arena on a wet and windy day in November Ayron Jones, Skillet and Blackstone Cherry quickly heated things up as they each bought their own distinctive music to the stage to the delight of their respective fans. The evening was a high energy affair with the bands making use of stage theatrics, special effects and stage presence to wow those in attendance.

 

First to the stage was Seattle based singer/guitarist Ayron Jones and his band. He delivered a powerful vocal display and warmed up the crowd interacting well with the audience getting fans that know his work to sing along and received cheers at pauses in some of his tracks. The highlight of the live performance for me was energy of bassist Bob Lovelace. I was told by a fellow press member in advance to watch for him and I wasn’t misguided. His stage performance was everything an aspiring musician should look to channel. I think he spent nearly as much time in the air as he did standing on his feet. There was a comedy moment in the set when in traditional fashion Jones address the crowd as a collective using the name of the area calling them “Wimbledon” before realising his mistake and remembering that that was a tennis venue. The group left to warm applause from those in the crowd who had turned up at doors opening.

 

 

Next to perform was the group I was most excited to see, Skillet. As we waited at the side of the stage for the band to enter, John Cooper singer and bassist held his arms up posing for us before entering the stage. Having been lucky enough to review their new album earlier this month I was eagerly anticipating this performance and wondering how they would incorporate the new material into their set and they only added one new single to their most popular tracks. Starting proceedings with “Feel Invincible” from 2016 album unleashed, the group was high octane from the off. Korey Cooper on guitar, complete with colourful hair bounced around the stage giving us photographers plenty of opportunity for great action shots. The group is known for their animation and theatrics on stage and this was in full effect when John put down his bass and the crew strapped CO2 canons to both arms and let him loose on the stage. The band also come across as very personable which adds to their rapport with their fans. John noticed several fans on the front row that had been to the last four shows before introducing the first track of the evening from new album Revolution, Unpopular which was met with huge applause. Jen Ledger downed her sticks to join John at the front of the stage for the start of “Awake and Alive”, with both delivering a strong vocal performance. Jen taking solely to the mic was replicated in “Hero”. After “Whispers in the Dark” Jen does a drum solo followed by Seth Morrison doing a guitar solo. The band finished the set with most streamed track “Monster” and “The Resistance” with John hyping the audience prior to the last song. It was a high energy, highly entertaining set that left me wanting more. Hopefully next time they grace our shores they will be the headline act and will provide us with more of their distinct brand of rock. The vocals of Jen and John have a unique blend that help lead to the amazing sound the band produces. Possibly my favourite band performance of this calendar year.

 

 

Headlining the evening’s entertainment was Kentucky’s own Black Stone Cherry with their brand of Southern Rock. The set started with a curtain covering the whole stage. The band started playing behind the curtain before it was dropped to reveal a high podium drum riser surrounded by a walkway that the band would make good use of during the performance. The band, as with their supports, were extremely energetic but had a good blend of energy and emotion. The most powerful moment of the set coming before 11th track “Things My Father Said” where Chris Robertson talked about his late father followed by the crowd singing the song back to him. He was clearly moved and the sight of all the lights down and the venue lit by phone light with the audience singing brought a tear to his eye. Chris Robertson is no stranger to collaborations with other artists having featured on Sophie Lloyd’s track “Let it Hurt” and a few songs later John Cooper and Ayron Jones took to the stage to perform a Cult cover, “American Horse” sharing vocals with Chris. The track had been adapted and recorded specifically for the tour. The audience interaction continued through fan favourite “Blame it on the Boom Boom”.

 

The band has just been announced as the Saturday Headliners for the Maid of Stone Festival held in Maidstone Kent next year. They will be performing on the 19th July.