LIVE: Skillet, Adelitas Way & Eve Under Fire @ Empire LIVE, 09/15/2021

On Wednesday, September 15th, the skies of downtown Albany were full of dark clouds and rain. It seemed like it was going to be a gloomy night.   One thousand fans descended on Empire Live despite the impending storm.  Skillet brought their “Aftermath” tour to town for a sold out crowd.  The show which had been rescheduled from 2020 had been sold out for over a year. As rain-soaked fans made their way into the building,  Eve Under Fire pulled the ripcord of the evening by opening the show with their energetic and heavy pop-punk sound. Lead singer Amanda Lyberg had a mighty stage presence and a powerful voice.  This was especially noticeable during their cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways”. 

Adelitas Way took the stage next. Everyone I know had Adelitas Way on their iPod in high school. Remember iPods? Lead singer Rick DeJesus talked about bringing light to dark times through his music and I could not agree more. They have over 200 million streams on Spotify. Their set started with a banger, “What It Takes”. Their high-octane performance and ability to control the crowd showed how veteran of a band they were. When I was in ninth grade, I was part of a youth group. It was game night and they had different prizes you could choose from. I ended up winning a game and at the prize table, they had a stack of music CDs. I went over to the CDs right away and sifted through them. I came across a cool-looking album cover with an aqua green background and a blonde-haired pixelated face on the front. The CD was titled “Alien Youth” by a band called Skillet.  I took the CD and popped it into my CD player. Remember CD players? The rest is history. 

The show started with the song “Feel Invincible”. Skillet makes you feel just that. Next, they Jumped into “Sick of It” where explosion’s of smoke shot above the crowd from frontman John Cooper’s arm cannons. Each song they performed was a piece of a story. The dynamics and originality in their performances are what set Skillet apart from others. With everything going on in the world, you could tell they were happy to be playing after being away for so long.  Every time I see them, they always outdo their old performances. They try new things and push themselves farther each time. Skillet’s explosive fanbase shows how strong the Panheads really are. Their music is heard and loved worldwide by rock and metal fans alike.

Skillet Photo Gallery by Nick Dicocco

Adelitas Way Photo Gallery by Nick Dicocco

Eva Under Fire Photo Gallery by Nick Dicocco