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It’s always a banner day when a band comes to town that delivers what fans want to see and hear at a concert. I especially love it when SKILLET is on the bill for a couple of reasons. First, they’re stunning and on point live. Second, I love their fans because they’re super nice and they love SKILLET; which is always refreshing and fun to se at a concert! Getting up to the photo pit is never a hassle at a SKILLET show because even though people are crammed up to the railing not to miss a thing, they don’t mind moving over when photgraphers wriggle in to get in the pit. Not to mention, they want to talk about SKILLET and how much they love them!
Take these two brothers as an example! This was their first concert and they were super pumped to be up front for all the action! The youngest is nine and the oldest 14 and when their parents that were a couple of feet behind them agreed to me snapping a photo, my heart was warmed that this was a family affair. Music, that is. It is always so refreshing to see families at concerts, together, experiencing the thrill of live music.
Partially in support of their upcoming release entitled Dominion dropping January 14, 2022 and partially because the band was ready to hit the road earlier this summer, the tour was well-received by fans around the country and here in Dallas.. The first single off of Dominion has already been well-received by fans by the sheer amount of people that were singing along to “Surviving the Game” at tonight’s show at THE HOUSE OF BLUES DALLAS.
What I love about SKILLET, is the band’s ability to convey a positive message through seemingly impossible situations, while the underlying story parallels stories familiar to the faithful with modern-day challenges; without being preachy or uncomfortable. The knack to produce music that can literally melt your face off (#rockmyfaceoff) and make you feel good about yourself while planting a seed of hope, is refreshing and necessary. Dare I say that in these upside-down times? I will without fear or reserve. The titles of Dominion hint to the past almost two years humanity has encountered with tracks like “Standing In The Storm”, “Destiny”, Shout Your Freedom”, and “Ignite”.
It is humbling to be reminded of the inalienable rights that we have as Americans. In the fast-paced world we live in, it is almost like we think the world shares these rights that are taken advantage of so frequently. Because we are connected to people all over the world, it can be very easy to think that a person in another country shares the freedoms we have. The American Experiment, if you will, is what sets us apart from the rest of the world and the reason so many people love this country; or hate it.
“‘Dominion’ is about the celebration of freedom, a liberation from fear — to be who we want to be, say what we want to say, believe what we want to believe,” JOHN COOPER says. “In some ways, it’s a reminder of the God-given rights that we were born with. It’s time to regain some sort of control over our lives and not be a slave to fear. I hope this record is going to make people feel empowered, inspired, uplifted, and want to rock their faces off!”
Produced by KEVIN CHURKO (Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Disturbed), with songs written by John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Kevin Churko and Kane Churko, remotely wrote the record whilst touring and recorded at the band’s home studio in Wisconsin and the Churkos’ studio in Las Vegas.
Here’s the OMV for the “Surviving The Game” single for your convenience and viewing pleasure right here!
CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY: SKILLET – HOUSE OF BLUES DALLAS, TX
Here are some of my favorite moments from the show!
JOHN COOPER continues about “Surviving The Game”, “(it is) a defiant song about not giving in to the fear that the world is and has been experiencing. This song brings a feeling of survival; you have to do what you need to do in order to get your life back; a defiance against fear and the things that want to hold you down. For so many, that’s depression, isolation, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, etc. This song is about becoming the person you are meant be and coming out on the other side of all the madness.”
You can pre-order DOMINION by clicking the button or watch for the record’s release on January 14, 2022. While you’re waiting you can listen to “Surviving The Game” on Spotify or any streaming platform! The band is still on tour so you can catch them on the remaining dates by clicking here!
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FROM THE EDITOR
SIDE NOTE: This is not a politically charged post about music that is from a position in politics. SKILLET is far from a “political” band and those words like “freedom”, “rights”, “God”, and the undertones they infer aren’t meant to create discomfort to anyone that reads them. But if they do create a tingle of un-comfortability, that should be an indication that additional thought on where that discomfort is coming from is needed. And this, of course, is just an opinion or suggestion from me; and does not reflect the band’s position. My feelings just come from a place inspired by SKILLET’S music and my own personal beliefs, ya dig?
