Seether and Skillet Rocked Saint Louis Music Park Thursday

Sean Derrick October 6, 2024October 6, 2024 0 Comments Royale Lynn, Saint Louis concert review and photos, Seether, Skillet, Tim Montana

–by Sean Derrick

Seether and Skillet are smack dab in the middle of a co-headlining tour and on Thursday made a stop at the Saint Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights. Both bands are no stranger to the Gateway City, having performed over 40 shows here combined, but each time it seems fresh (at least for Seether).

Heading into a show I usually don’t do much of any prep work going into a show (to avoid any preconceived notions on how the show should be). I just immerse myself into a show and allow that performance to dictate what how I feel about it. It is the most neutral stance I can take.

With Skillet this is even more true as, admittedly, I wasn’t familiar with much of Skillet’s music prior to the show. Sure, I knew some songs like “Monster” and “Hero” thanks to 105.7 The Point and the songs being featured on WWE and Blues Hockey telecasts (when it was still on Fox Sports Midwest and fans could actually watch the games. I’ll stop there before I go down a rabbit hole that I really don’t want to go down.)

Vocalists John Cooper of Skillet and Shaun Morgan of Seether are polar opposites when it comes to stage presence.

Cooper is the embodiment of Newton’s First Law of motion; a body in motion stays in motion. Cooper jumped around all throughout the show, keeping the crowd excited between songs with the quintessential frontman persona of hyping the crowd with accolades, clap-a-longs, and the normal rousing city name drops. He is everything a typical rock and roll front man is expected to be.

The one point that exemplified Cooper’s stage presence was at the beginning of “Surviving the Game” when he came out wearing handheld steam cannons. Obviously, that was a crowd favorite (and quite the photo op.)

During “Awake and Alive” guitarists Korey Cooper and Seth Morrison were taken up and down 15 feet into the air on riser platforms flanking drummer Jen Ledger.

Aside from being kick ass on drums Ledger shares lead vocals on many songs and is the perfect complement to Cooper’s gruff vocals, and really makes songs like “Awake and Alive” and “The Resistance” really pop.

The entire band just exudes energy. From a photographer’s standpoint there are so many things to focus on: from John Cooper’s larger than life persona, to Korey Cooper’s infectious little ball of energy there were lots to focus on, and musically each member feeds well off the other, like a powerful, well-oiled machine (Personally, I’m thinking a 1970 Dodge Challenger). Sidenote: I had so many pictures to use it was hard for me to pare down the images from this show. So many great shots.

Skillet will be dropping a new album on November 1 called Revolution. “Unpopular” was the first single from the song and was pretty great live.

I don’t know why I have never seen Skillet live before, but after Thursday’s show you can bet it won’t be the last.

Where Cooper’s stage presence is vibrant and expressive Morgan, on the other hand is the antithesis of Cooper, playing the dark brooding character who embodies loathing, anger, and resentment. Never veering too far away from his microphone stand Morgan prefers to stay in his one spot on stage right, in the shadows Except for a couple songs: “Country Song” and “Wasteland” come to mind. (Future request- please have pity on us photographers and throw us at least one song with the lighting of those songs)

Most of the songs have the band in heavy mood lighting, which does work for Seether. Having seen and photographed them several times over the past 15 years I have come to expect the lighting, and Thursday didn’t disappoint.

What also didn’t disappoint was the sound from Seether. They still killed it onstage, hitting through many of their hits early on Seether didn’t let up after roaring out with “Gasoline” and ‘Fine Again”, Morgan and bassist Dale Stewart sat alone and took the only “pause” with a great performance of “Broken” (with Stewart on acoustic guitar).

Afterwards the rest of the band (drummer John Humphrey and guitarist Corey Lowrey) returned for a rousing, and well lit, “Country Song”. The rest of the show was a pounding of strong rockers one after another, ending with “Remedy”.

They did perform “Judas Mind” off their latest album, The Surface Seems So Far. I’m not sure if they will add their next single “Illusions” to any future show, but I hope so.

Royale Lynn performing at Saint Louis Music Park Thursday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

The show had 2 opening acts in Tim Montana and Royale Lynn. Do NOT get there late and miss these acts. Royale Lynn opened with a short, but vivacious set.

Lynn openly professed that her music is “disco metal” but doesn’t stay in one box. She can sing country and melodic metal. OK. I can dig that. With songs like “Black Magic”, “Six Feet Deep”, and “Sacrifice”, she certainly has a bright future.