Concert Review: Stryper – Blue Gate Theatre – Shipshewan, IN

Chad Smith
11 minutes ago
2 min read

Stryper's 2026 headlining tour made a triumphant stop at the Blue Gate Theatre in Shipshewana, IN, drawing a capacity crowd adorned in Yellow and Black attire. As the lights dimmed, the energy in the room intensified, and with a single spotlight illuminating the stage, Michael Sweet emerged in a classic heavy metal pose. The audience, from the floor to the upper balcony, eagerly awaited the commencement of the performance as a hard rock tone resonated from Michael's black and yellow electric flying v guitar. The crowd erupted into applause as the remaining band members took the stage, launching into their 1986 hit “Sing Along Song” from their 1986 album To Hell with the Devil. From that moment forward we were all in for a night of hard rocking heavy metal!

The band transitioned directly into “Calling on You” and “Free” before taking a brief pause expressing their gratitude to concertgoers for making both the show and tour so special before jumping right back into the setlist with “Free.” Continuing on with their melodic rocking setlist with “Divider” and “Sorry” the band paused for another quick moment to address and praise the excellence and professionalism of the Blue Gate Theatre and all of their crew. Although Michael Sweet says the best crew member who keeps things on a roll was Robert Sweet on drums. The stage lighting alongside their rotating band logo on a huge led screen made for a spectacular show from start to finish.

A real highlight for me was seeing Robert Sweets drum set rotated stage right which showcased all of his drumming ability providing a view that spectators typically don’t get to see. The dynamic bond that’s shared between the members of Stryper on stage proved to all the concert- goers in attendance why they are still one of the most beloved heavy metal hard rocking bands still to this day!