Auckland locals Armed in Advance kicked off the night! Reforming to play this show at The Powerstation, the trio took the stage. The crowd had packed in quite a bit at this point. The sound was definitely there and the strong coloured lighting occasionally gave it a bit of flare, but the performance was definitely lacking. It almost seemed as though they didn’t want to be there. After a short set and a quick photo with the crowd, they were done.
Next up were hard-hitting locals Coridian. Coridian have been all go lately, currently also touring with His Masters Voice. The intro played out and the band took the stage. As they got straight into the first track Nonetheless the energy was instantly there. Vocalist, Dity Maharaj jumps into the air as he moves across the stage, singing his lungs out. The Raven brothers gave out the same amount of energy. I actually felt a bit tired watching all of them. The crowd had packed in even more at this point and they were really getting into Coridian.
But it was finally time for SKILLET to take the stage. Skillet last visited our shores to play Parachute Festival, however this was their 1st headline show. Like Coridian, they also had an intro that played out as they took the stage. They then dived into their recent single Feel Invincible. That got the show going with a band. Guitarist Korey Cooper was putting so much passion behind her performance that I felt like I could have watched her all night. She would jump, kick out and also just drop down to the ground. She was everywhere and it was crazy. Drummer Jen Ledger was going quite hard behind the drum kit as well. She would occasionally show us her vocal abilities as well that would break up the deep grown of vocalist John Cooper. John definitely knows how to command a stage and interact with the crowd. His vocals are strong and don’t really seem to falter, except when he talks to the crowd and forgets the top part is called a balcony. He beat himself up for it a couple of times throughout the night after that.
John also discussed a few of the songs with the crowd, explaining one was about gaming and when the crowd raised their hands to show they are gamers he let them know he “loves nerds”. But gaming and metal got him through the difficult times in high school. Explaining how powerful music is, he acknowledged the parents who bought their kids, mentioning they met a 7 year old girl who plays drums. If only all parents were okay with taking their kids to concerts as I had to wait until I was about 16 or so. Skillet played a range of songs which was great for those fans who appreciate their older stuff. I must admit hearing tracks such as Rebirthing and Comatose was a flash back for me. I loved hearing the older tracks. Monster was clearly a crowd favourite. The crowd was interesting to me. As much as it was a rock show, everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun while also giving each other space. But it was definitely a packed crowd, there was no denying that. The lighting added a whole other element. It was so well matched to the music and performance that we thought it must be a set show system rather than a lighting tech who’s just on point.
Skillet gave such a high energy set and there’s not faulting it was an incredible show. As much as most people don’t seem to know who they are or only seem to know some of their music, they can definitely perform.
I would recommend that even if you’re only a minor fan, you should go see them. You wont
be disappointed!
