Fan-filmed video footage of Stryper‘s September 8 performance at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois can be seen below.
This has been a challenging summer for Oz and his bandmates. On August 11th, Oz suffered a medical emergency while performing with a side project in Las Vegas. An on-stage seizure led to the discovery of some previously unknown “spots” on the brain. Oz has been released from the hospital, although additional testing and treatment will be necessary. However, he should be released to work this fall while his medical team decides the best course of action moving forward. You can view Stryper‘s original statement here
Oz was forced to sit out the Australia tour dates earlier this month, and he’ll miss the September dates as well due to air travel restrictions from his doctor. However he intends to rejoin Stryper on the road in October. Oz handpicked Los Angeles-based guitarist Howie Simon to fill in for him on the September dates, allowing Oz additional time to rest and recover. Simon will be a familiar face to many Stryper fans with performance credits that include Nelson, Jeff Scott Soto Band, Scrap Metal, Talisman, Eric Martin Band, Winger and more.
“Howie Simon and I have been friends for well over a decade now,” says Oz. “It is great to have him help us out and fill in for me while I am in recovery. I am looking forward to catching some fan videos of him online. He’s an excellent performer and his guitar playing outranks so many in the business. In my opinion, it is very important for the band to fulfill dates that have been booked for so long. I am thankful for the continued support of the fans while my Stryper family and I face this detour in my career, and I look forward to seeing many of you on the road in October and November.”
“We appreciate all the support, thoughts and prayers from everyone at this time,” says frontman Michael Sweet. “We look forward to having our brother Oz back as quickly as possible. We’re also very grateful to Howie for working so hard learning the material and parts to be able to sit in with us for the time being. We’ll do our best to bring you the absolute best show possible until Oz returns.
Setlist:
1. Yahweh
2. The Valley
3. Calling on You
4. Free
5. More Than a Man
6. All for One
7. Revelation
8. In God We Trust
9. Sorry
10. Surrender
11. Soldiers Under Command
12. Can’t Live Without Your Love
13. God Damn Evil
14. Sing-Along Song
15. Honestly
16. The Way
Upcoming Shows:
September 13 — House of Blues Orlando — Lake Buena Vista, FL
September 15 — “Rockin’ Vivo Fest” at Vivo Beach Club — Carolina, Puerto Rico
October 12 — The Vogue — Indianapolis, IN
October 13 — Delmar Hall — St Louis, MO
October 14 — Diamond Ballroom — Oklahoma City, OK
October 18 — Stampede — Aurora, CO
October 20 — LeatherHheads — Draper, UT
October 25 — The Marquee — Tempe, AZ
October 26 — The Rialto Theatre — Tucson, AZ
October 27 — The Club @ Cannery Casino Hotel — North Las Vegas, NV
October 31 — Whiskey A Go Go — West Hollywood, CA
November 2 — San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino — Highland, CA
November 3 — The Canyon Theater — Santa Clarita, CA
November 4 — Ace of Spades — Sacramento, CA
November 6 — El Corazon — Seattle, WA
November 11 — Virginia St Brewhouse — Reno, NV
November 14 — Pub Station Ballroom — Billings, MT
November 17 — Anthem @ Hard Rock Casino — Sioux City, IA
January 31 — Tupelo Music Hall — Derry, NH
February 1 — Wolf’s Den @ Mohegan Sun — Uncasville, CT
February 9 — Kawasaki CLUB CITTA — Tokyo, Japan — RESCHEDULED
February 10 — Kawasaki CLUB CITTA — Tokyo, Japan — RESCHEDULED
**More dates to be added!
The band’s latest album “God Damn Evil” has been released on April 20 via Frontiers Music Srl. Produced by frontman Michael Sweet, it is Stryper‘s most powerful album to date,
“God Damn Evil” debuts at #1 on Billboard’s Christian Album Sales, #2 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums, #3 on Billboard’s Top Current Hard Music Albums, #5 on Billboard’s Top Independent Current Albums, #7 on Billboard’s Top Current Rock Albums, #12 on Billboard’s Top Current Physical Albums, #14 on Billboard’s Top Current Albums, #21 on Billboard’s Top Current Digital Albums and #77 on Billboard Top 200. In addition, “God Damn Evil” soared to #1 on the iTunes and Amazon Hard Rock charts immediately upon release.
The follow-up to 2015’s “Fallen” marks Stryper‘s first effort since the addition of former Firehouse bassist Perry Richardson. Perry joined the band as the replacement for Stryper‘s longtime bassist Tim Gaines, who was fired from the group last year.
Perry did not play bass on Stryper‘s new album due to scheduling constraints. The bass tracks on “God Damn Evil”were laid down by John O’Boyle, who played bass on Sweet‘s last two solo albums.
Our review of “God Damn Evil” can be found here.
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