Kenny Metcalf’s Stryper memory - his gig from hell
JustaBand
12/14/00
08:29 AM

Going blank & 6000 watching

To me it was the gig from hell. I was the keyboardist of a rock band called Stryper. It was 1985. We were playing the Norman Oklahoma Sports arena. Up to 6000 people for this concert. Manager of the band was in town, Record Co. biggies, and tons of family of the main two brothers in Stryper. So this show is important. We are in the middle of the show and we are going to start a Ballad called "First Love". All Keyboard intro with only the lead vocalist singing with me. Stage is dark, spotlight on Michael Sweet, and I begin. At the first strike of the keys (E chord) I go "BLANK"! For the next minute or so I can't remember a thing. I proceeded to try and feel my way through every chord, note, sound I would think could possibly get me back on track...no luck. in the mean time, Michael continues to sing every note in perfect key. Imagine the sweat and panic feeling I was experiencing. To make matters worse, Oz Fox is on the opposite side of the stage, he is now "STRIKING" chords for me to hear to try and reel me back in, and all the time, two columns of speaker stacks, twenty feet high, and twenty feet wide, on each side of the stage, is passing on with severe clearness, every wrong note. If you've ever heard this song, the keyboard intro is the carrying factor for the intro until the band comes in. Well, the band finally started to play with me at their appointed time, and that was the minute that the entire song downloaded back into my head. I was ready to get screamed at and fired for that, but the guys in the band, never said a word. They were totally cool. That never happened to me again. It's like being on DSL, and the computer jumps back to a 14 speed modem and hangs up the info download, and then for whatever reason, it goes DSL again.

That was the gig from hell.

Kenny M