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May 12, 2023

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Stryper and Kix, two rock and roll bands from the '80s, brought that decade back to MGM's Center Stage for an old school show.

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Kix kicked things off with a great sixty-five minute set.

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Lead singer Steve Whiteman is still a bundle of energy and he has kept his voice in great shape over the years.  The band, consisting of original members Brian Forstythe (guitar) and Jimmy Chalfant (drums) along with Mark Schenker (bass) and Bob Pare (guitar) sound fantastic as well.

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"Midnight Dynamite" and "No Ring Around Rosie" were played early in the set.  

 

Just like back in the '80s, Whitman had the males in the audience sing the chorus to "The Itch."  Then he had the females do the same, then he had them both sing it together.

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During the show, Whiteman told the crowd that they recently announced that the band was going to retire at the end of September.  He said that after forty-five years, it was time.

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After their performance Thursday night, one would think that would have another ten years and still be on top of their game.

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The band ended the show with their three biggest hits, "Don't Close Your Eyes," "Cold Blood" and "Blow My Fuse."

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Stryper, the Christian metal band from California were next to hit the stage.

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Opening with "Sing-Along Song," the band went on to play at least one song from eleven of their fourteen studio albums.

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Original members, Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet and Oz Fox have been making music together since 1984.  Bassist Perry Richardson joined the group in 2017 but he is also an original member of Firehouse.  

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That is a lot of stage experience and their professionalism is evident.

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Before playing "Calling On You," Michael Sweet thanked the audience for making that song number one on Dial MTV.

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Wow, that was a flash back.  I had totally forgotten about Dial MTV.

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The band still throws out small bibles to the audience too.

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Many songs from their career like "Free," "In God We Trust" and "All for One" were sprinkled throughout the set.

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Two newer songs, "Divider" and "No More Hell To Pay" were warmly received by the crowd.

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Closing out the show were "Soldiers Under Command" and "To Hell With The Devil."

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These two bands provided a great night of '80s rock music and they both did it with aplomb. 

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Photos and review by Greg Drugan

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