Skillet put on a monster of a show at O2 Academy Brixton
Skillet are back on the road, having just stopped in London as part of the European and UK leg of their latest tour. It’s actually quite a significant one, as the Christian rock band marks a spectacular 30 years’ career under its belt – and it does so in an astonishing way, with all the grand effects, highly energetic stage presence and undoubtedly powerful messages you’d expect from a name of this calibre. This tour is one of those sweet spots in live music where there are practically two options: you either know you just have to be there, impatiently counting the days until the gig date, or you are likely to have an insufferable level of FOMO if you miss the show.
French rock band Storm Orchestra opened for Skillet at a packed O2 Academy Brixton on Tuesday. The trio delivered a well-curated setlist of mostly spirited songs, including ‘Drummer’ and ‘Tones of the Thunder’, that got the crowd cheering loudly.
Midway through, vocalist Maxime Goudard stated this is their first-ever performance in the UK which was “a dream come true”. Aside from the powerful alternative sound they delivered, there was also room for playfulness, with the frontman jokingly introducing a love song and starting to play the intro to ‘Let’s Get It On’ by Marvin Gaye – a household name in the sensual music space – before moving to the band’s very own ‘Superplayer’. A total of six songs made the crowd ever more ready for the headliners.
Skillet appeared shortly after, leaving no pause in their breathtaking 18-track setlist spanning eight albums across their career. The band made a strong start at a high pace with the heavily charged ‘Surviving the Game’, ‘Feel Invincible’ and ‘Rise’.
And if the energy at the packed arena was not intense enough, band founder and lead vocalist John Cooper got armed with cryo guns, shooting smoke from the stage and making a definite claim on what an epic show looks like. ‘Awake and Alive’ followed fittingly, signalling just how much Skillet still got it: the high-level passion, the charged stage presence and the perfect sound to accompany all of this.
The show continued with ‘Sick of It’ – a song that can easily be crowned as an anthem for feelings of resentment in its most absolute form. On it, John urged the audience to think of something in their life they are sick of and to use this song to let go of it – once and for all. The intent was clear and I wish to believe ‘Sick of It’ indeed served as catharsis for whoever needed it.
Several more fiery titles, including ‘Legendary’, ‘Ash in the Wind’ and ‘Whispers in the Dark’, kept Panheads on the edge of their seats (well, feet and toes really) relentlessly.
After this, the mood shifted when John let a more vulnerable side of him show, sharing openly about losing his mother to cancer when he was 15 and not getting along with his father to the point of having only music by his side during difficult times at home. On this train of thought, he stressed upon the importance of persevering in adversity: “No matter what colour your skin is or what you believe about religion or what you believe about politics – we want to see you survive another day. [...] I want to see you never give up!” After a concurring round of applause, he continued: “Music makes people feel better – and I hope that Skillet’s music helps you through your dark times”, which was met with even louder cheering.
This motivational yet emotional element of the night set the right mood for a powerful performance of ‘Hero’, one of the band’s multiplatinum titles.
The show ended with a hat-trick culmination of what could be perceived as Skillet’s most emblematic songs: the masterfully energetic and symphonic rock-infused ‘Comatose’; the hard-hitting, edgy track exploring the dark side filled with rage – ‘Monster’; and ‘The Resistance’ – the anthem for those who refuse to stay quiet as they feel their inner power, “heavy as a hurricane, louder than a freight train”.
After seeing Skillet for the second time in my life, I can cross my heart that this is a band that has every claim to its fame – and their magnetism is not just about knowing how to put on a massive show; it’s not even about the vigour in John’s voice when he delivers each note impeccably. It’s about all things human: the pain and the hard-to-control feelings of rage and doubt; the need to find something meaningful to believe in; speaking your truth even at the risk of being misunderstood; and striving to be a positive force in someone else’s life – and what better way than through the everlasting power of music?