STRYPER Going On Hiatus Following To Hell With The Devil 30th Anniversary Tour

The yellow and black returns this fall, as Stryper embarks on the 30th Anniversary To Hell With The Devil Tour, celebrating the multi-platinum hit album that made MTV history. Paying homage to their early days as a band, Stryper will return to their fan-favorite yellow and black costumes, and play the full album live.

In a statement released by the band, Stryper have announced they will be taking a hiatus following the tour:

“As many of you know, we are preparing a tour to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of ‘To Hell With The Devil’. Although we’re extremely excited about this tour, our band and ministry is facing a crossroads for a variety of reasons, including some personal matters affecting our bassist, Tim Gaines, that have affected the unity of our band.

As a result, upon the conclusion of this tour, we have decided to take a hiatus to allow each band member to think and pray about the direction of the band going forward.

We believe the right thing to do is to be open with all of you so we can continue on with integrity and put to rest any false rumors and accusations. We also believe we must honor our commitments in moving forward with the tour.

The name Stryper is very important to us. What (and who) it represents is even more important. We take what we do very seriously as a band and ministry and we believe it’s our duty to take this hiatus based on our faith, so we can move forward in the right way.

We do appreciate your thoughts and prayers. God Bless you all.”

Released by Enigma Records on October 24, 1986, the Grammy-nominated To Hell With The Devil is the band’s third studio album and the first Christian metal album to achieve platinum status. Throughout 1987, the music videos for “Free” and “Honestly” ranked #1 on MTV’s list of most requested videos, and the video for “Calling On You” reached #2. Stryper was the first band to ever have two songs in MTV’s Top 10 simultaneously.

“To Hell With The Devil literally changed our lives,” says frontman Michael Sweet. “During that tour we went from playing theaters and mid-sized clubs to arenas, all in a very short amount of time. We never could have predicted the wild popularity of those songs and videos – especially in the mainstream market.”

Unlike many of their counterparts, Stryper is comprised of all four original members with Michael Sweet on vocals and guitar, Robert Sweet on drums, Tim Gaines on bass and Oz Fox on guitar. Rocking since 1984, Stryper is responsible for such classic ’80s metal albums as Soldiers Under Command, To Hell With The Devil and In God We Trust. After a sabbatical for much of the 1990’s, Stryper returned strong in the early 21st century. To date, the Dove Award-winning and Grammy-nominated band has sold over 10 million records worldwide.

Tour dates:

September
29 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
30 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues

October
1 – Jacksonville, FL – Murray Hill Theatre
4 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend
5 – Valdosta, GA – Salty Snapper
6 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
8 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
9 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live!
14 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
15 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
16 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove of Anaheim
26 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
28 – Omaha, NE – Sokol Underground
31 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues

November
2 – Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze
4 – Peoria, IL – Limelight Eventplex
5 – Hazard, KY – The Forum
6 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
8 – St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room
9 – Nashville, TN – Venue TBA
11 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
12 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater
13 – Columbus, OH – Alrosa Villa
16 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
19 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony
20 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
21 – Raleigh, NC – City Limits Saloon

Additional tour dates and VIP Meet & Greet packages will be added in the coming weeks.