Skillet came to Burlington, Iowa’s Steamboat Days festival on June 15, 2017 as part of their Unleashed Tour.  Hot, humid 95 degree temperatures and a plethora of bugs did nothing to damper the enthusiasm as the crowd arrived early for their chance to see the band.

The band started out with performances of “Invincible” and “Whispers In the Dark” and the energy of both the band and crowd was apparent right away as the audience sang along with every lyric.  Lead vocalist John Cooper established a great rapport with the crowd very early; for those who don’t know, Burlington, Iowa is right on the Mississippi River so the connection with the band’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee is apparent.  Cooper gave a message before the playing of “Sick of It” that everyone can relate to and audience member Kenny Dresden from Keokuk, Iowa had the opportunity to briefly assist with the singing of “Those Nights.”   Cooper even mentioned how the summer festival atmosphere and the barrage of signage advertising a wide-variety of fried food made him feel right at home!

It is apparent that Skillet puts much thought into the arrangement of their set list.  After playing “Sick of It” and “Rise”, Skillet played their current hit “Back From the Dead.”  This stuck out as it has become commonplace for bands to start with their most recent release before moving into older material.  I thought holding off on this song for a little while was a nice touch and showed variety compared with how bands organize their performances.  Skillet ended the night by playing “Monster” and “Rebirthing” to cap their performance.

Most music fans know this by now, but Skillet is unapologetically a Christian-based band.  However, I feel that in their performances they do a very good job of letting that be known while not being overly preachy as well.  Their music possesses great messages and a good, solid upbeat vibe that everyone can relate to and get something out of.

In honor of this song drawing the strongest crowd reaction, please check out the official video for the 2006 release “Rebirthing” and check out future dates for the Unleashed Tour below!

 

Future Tour Dates:

*disclaimer:  All Serenity of Summer tour dates feature Korn, Skillet, Stone Sour, Babymetal, Yelawolf, Islander, and Ded*

*disclaimer:  Skillet’s headlining “Unleashed Tour” includes special guests Art Of Dying and Spoken*

June 21 Big Ticket Festival      Gaylord, Michigan (appearing w/Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin, For King & Country, and The Big Ticket)

June 22 Spirit Song      King’s Island, OH (appearing w/Hollyn)

June 23 Lakes Jam       Brainerd, MN

June 24 King’s Fest     Doswell, VA (appearing w/King’s Dominion)

July 1  Creation Festival Northeast     Shirleysburg, PA

July 3 U.S. Naval Station     Great Lakes, IL

July 7 Lifest 2017     Oshkosh, WI

July 8 Anthem at the Hard Rock     Sioux City, IA

July 15  Creation Festival Northwest     Kennewick, WA

July 19 Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn      Syracuse, NY (also appearing Stone Sour, Babymetal, Yelawolf, Islander, and Ded)

July 20 Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn     Mansfield, MA (also appearing Stone Sour, Babymetal, Yelawolf, Islander, and Ded)

July 21  Wally’s Pub    Hampton, NH (w/Red Sun Rising)

July 22 Rise Above Fest     Bangor, ME (also appearing Korn, Stone Sour, and Falling In Reverse)

July 23 Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn     Hartford, CT

July 25 Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn     Toronto, Canada

July 26  Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn     Camden, NJ

July 27  Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn     Holmdel, NJ

July 29  Fishfest     Bellevue, NE

August 1  Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn     Cincinnati, OH

August 2 Serenity of Summer Tour w/Korn     Cuyahoga Falls, OH

August 3 Rock the Desert     Midland, TX

August 5 Wild Adventures     Valdosta, GA (appearing w/Days To Come)

August 7 Jackson County Fair     Jackson, MI

August 11  Pulse FM Downtown Summer Series     South Bend, IN (appearing w/Colton Dixon)

August 19  Rock the World     Santa Claus, IN

September 1  Las Colonias Amphitheater     Grand Junction, CO (appearing w/Colton Dixon)

September 2  Colorado State Fair     Pueblo, CO

September 3  Unleashed Tour     Casper, WY

September 6  Unleashed Tour     Vancouver, Canada

September 8  Unleashed Tour     Edmonton, Canada

September 9  Unleashed Tour     Calgary, Canada

September 10  Unleashed Tour     Regina, Canada

September 11  Unleashed Tour  Winnipeg, Canada

September 15  Uprise Festival     Shippensburg, Pa (appearing w/Demon Hunter)

September 16  PointFest 2017      Sandusky, OH (appearing w/Lauren Daigle)


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