Stryper in Kingsport

Stryper is an American Christian metal band formed in Orange County, California, in 1983. The group brought explicitly Christian lyrics to the melodic hard-rock sound of the 1980s, adopting a distinctive yellow-and-black visual identity. Its best-known records include Soldiers Under Command and To Hell with the Devil, which produced the songs “Calling on You,” “Free” and the ballad “Honestly.” The Soldiers Under Command tour reached Tokyo in 1985, where the band filmed the concert issued as Live in Japan. The To Hell with the Devil tour followed and took Stryper into arenas, while the 2003 Celebration Tour marked its return to sustained touring after a long break. A later performance at the Whisky a Go Go was released as Live at the Whisky. Stryper performs full-band heavy metal sets in its familiar yellow-and-black stagewear. Distributing Bibles to concertgoers has also been a recurring Stryper tradition.