Stryper Concert (2026)

I'm a big fan of Stryper but hadn't seen them live in over 20 years.   When I saw they were hitting a small town nearby, me and a buddy decided to go.  We were lucky enough to literally gets seats 1 and 2 on the front row.  I'm so glad we did.  This was a great experience.  I know they aren't as young as they once were and you never know how a band will sound.  I thought they sounded great.  The bangers banged and the band really delivered.

They still bring plenty of energy to the stage.  Being so close was huge.  They are right there and you really feel the music and a connection.  I really enjoy concerts but don't go to that many nowadays.  The combination of the band, the seats and the venue really made this a winner and my buddy felt the same.

Stryper still puts out new music and their latest album, Throne of Thorns, was released on September 25th.  It was their 18th album.

The band is Michael Sweet (Lead Singer, Guitars), Oz Fox (Lead Guitars), Perry Richardson (Bassist), and Robert Sweet (Drums).

Stryper still plays most of the fan favorites and it was great hearing them live again.  There was no opening band and they played 18 songs.  This is the 5th time I've seen them live.  

1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2026

And yes, they still throw bibles into the crowd.  My buddy caught one.  I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed the concert.  You really don't know what to expect as bands get older but Stryper sounded good and it was so much fun.  

SETLIST:

Battle Hymn of the Republic (Played prior to the band taking the stage)

I'm Alright (I'm Okay)

Calling on You

Free

Divider

Sorry

Loud 'n' Clear

Surrender

All for One

More Than a Man

In God We Trust

Revelation

Always There for You

No More Hell to Pay

When We Were Kings

Alone Again

Soldiers Under Command

Sing-Along Song

To Hell With the Devil

Random Wax: 2023 Score Football Blaster

2023 Score:   A nice card of Hall of Famer Charles Woodson to start this post out. One of the all-time greats at corner, he was a 3X 1st Team All-Pro, 9X Pro Bowler, Defensive Player of the Year, and won a championship with the 2010 Green Bay Packers.  His 65 interceptions are tied for 5th all-time with Ken Riley.

I've always liked this design.  It really feels like the Chargers are missing out on some prime years of Justin Herbert's career.  They've won 10 or 11 games in three of his seasons but just can't seem to get over the hump and be a true contender.  They sit at 0-3 this year in what might already be a lost season for the Chargers.

Nice photo on this Nick Bosa Sack Attack insert.

Jahmyr Gibbs already has 3 Pro Bowl selections and has twice run for 1200 or more yards in a season.

That first card is a Lava Parallel #/565 while Tee Higgins shows up on a Gold Parallel.  We also get Zay Flowers on a Protential insert.

Huddle Up cards are fun.

Good looking cards and we get some good photography as well.  The bottom of these fronts always make me think of a scoreboard.

Fun Celebration card in the snow.

Big fan of these First Ballot cards.  The Hall of Fame logo is so sharp, and I really like the 2023 design.  And it doesn't get much better than The Sheriff.

Myles Garrett is banged up in his first season with the Rams but I expect he'll back to his dominant self once he returns.  Cooper Kupp has won two Super Bowls, with those same Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.

Great photo of Jalen Hurts on this celebration card.  Definitely a trend.

Love the All-Time greats in Score.  Ronde Barber is a 3X 1st Team All-Pro, member of the Hall of Fame and on the All-2000s Team.  47 interceptions for his career, which ironically ties him for 47th all-time.

Khalil Mack is in his 13th season and still with the Chargers.  Great photo.

Always fun cards and a great pull in this box.

BREAKDOWN:

132 – Total Cards

35 – RC

7 – Retired Greats

6 – Celebration

5 – Protential

4 – Gold Parallel

4 – 2003 Throwback Rookie

3 – Huddle Up

3 – Sack Attack

2 – First Ballot

1 – Lava Parallel #/565

Marvel Zombies TV Series

Marvel Zombies:  Took me a while to watch this 2025 mini-series but I enjoyed it.  There are Marvel zombie comics as well.  The series is rated TV-MA, so it's not geared towards youngins.  I did enjoy it as it followed heroes that survived the plague that ravaged the Avengers.  You'll see plenty of characters from across the Marvel cinematic and comic universes.  I say watch it.  Plenty of cool moments, sad moments and surprises.  The trailer can be found here. 

Random Wax: 1992 Upper Deck Baseball

 

1992 Upper Deck:  David Justice was key to the Atlanta Braves' 1995 World Series run.  He had 1 home run with 6 runs batted in the playoffs and sported a .411 on base percentage.  His biggest hit was his lone post season home run that put the Braves ahead 1-0 in game 6 of the World Series.  Tom Glavine went 8 scoreless innings and Mark Wohlers closed it out for the win.

Kevin Brown won a Championship with the 1997 Florida Marlins and also won 2X ERA titles in his career.  He had 211 wins to go along with a 3.28 career ERA.

We loved the photos on the back of Upper Deck cards.

Another great photo on the back and Dickie Thon looking like a magazine cover model on his card.  Thon led the league in WAR in 1983 with 7.4.  He batted .286 with 20 home runs, 74 RBIs, 9 triples and 34 stolen bases.

Horizontal goodness.  Andy Benes led the league in strikeouts and losses in the same season once.

Great hologram cards.  Todd Stottlemyre won 2 Championships with the Blue in the early 90s.

Scott Erickson won 20 games and a World Championship with the Twins in 1991 in only his second season.  Fun pack of cards.

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
2 – Team Checklist

Yours Cruelly, Elvira : Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark

Yours Cruelly, Elvira is the memoir of Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira.  As a teen in the 80s who was a fan of all things Halloween and of course girls, it was impossible not be aware of Elvira.  In my head I thought for all the funny craziness we saw when she was on the screen, I assumed for no good reason her life was much calmer.  Boy was I wrong.  She had a pretty crazy life with so many trials, adventures and triumphs.  It's a good read.  She's very open about everything that went into her life.  No matter what happened or got in her way she persevered.  Again, lots of adventures, lots of crossing paths with stars and lots of fun while showing it was all due to hard work and making it through obstacles.  Great way to start spooky season.

Random Wax: 2021-2022 Upper Deck Hockey

21-22 Upper Deck:  NHL opening night is tonight!  A member of the 2018-2019 All-Rookie Team, Brady Tkachuk is found on this Hundo P insert.  Hundo P is slang for 100 percent.

These cards are pretty nice looking including these horizontal offerings.  No outstanding photos on the three horizontal cards but they are still appreciated.

Duncan Keith is a 2X Cup Winner, 2X Norris, and 3X All-Star.

Photos feel a little stale.  I do think it's harder in hockey to get quality action photos, but Upper Deck usually seems up to the task.

Lots of empty seats as these photos would have been taken during the 2020-2021 covid affected season.

Goalie love!  Jordan Binnington was outstanding for the Blues in the 2019 Playoffs as St. Louis won their first Stanley Cup.  He was called up in January of that year to lead the team's turnaround.  In the playoffs he won 16 straight games, a rookie record.  Without him we wouldn't have gotten a Blues championship parade and the best rendition of Gloria ever from a drunk Brett Hull.

Vrana won a Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018.

Karlsson won a cup with the Vegas Knights in '23.  Good looking backs for these cards as well.  Enjoy the start of hockey!

BREAKDOWN:

26 – Total Cards

1 – Hundo P

1 - Checklist

Sheriff Country

Sheriff Country follows Sheriff Mickey Fox as she leads her department fighting crime while also navigating family and personal issues.  This is a CBS show with 20 episodes in season 1. There are good supporting characters, ongoing story arcs and a few surprises.  This is an easy and fun watch.  Me and pop were both very happy with this one and we're looking forward to season 2 which starts up next month.   It's not much but there is some crossover with Fire Country for those familiar with that one.