Skillet and Adelitas Way Return to Vancouver for a Monumental Night of Music [Photos]

After four long years, American rockers Skillet returned to Vancouver to present their “Days of Destiny” tour at a sold-out Commodore Ballroom.

The band, formed in Memphis, TN, in 1996, consists of John Cooper (lead vocals, bass), Korey Cooper (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Jen Ledger (drums, co-lead vocals), and Seth Morrison (lead guitar).

It was evident outside the venue that Vancouverites were eager to see the band. The line to get in was going around the block to the street behind the Commodore. They were not touring by themself. Adelitas Way has served as a supporting act for the tour. The band was a great precursor, and the crowd enjoyed their music.

Adelitas Way opened their set with “What it Takes, the first single from their 2021 album Shine On. They continue on an eleven-song-long set with “Sick,” “Ready for War (Pray for Peace),” “Alive,” “Own It,” “All In,” “Still Hungry,” “WTF Jam,” “Notorious,” “Refused Jam,” and “Invincible” to close out.

Rick DeJesus, Adelitas Way lead singer and founder, mentioned that Vancouver has a special place in his heart as the city contributed greatly to the band in their early days.

At this point, the stage for Skillet was ready. They had a huge platform for Ledger to do her magic with the drums and often served the other members to play the instruments by her sides.

Skillet opened up their performance with “Invincible.” The way they moved on the stage proved they are truly rock stars. For the third song, “Surviving the Game,” Cooper came out with two CO2 canons looking like an action hero and other CO2 shooters were set up in front of the stage. After the fifth song, “Awake and Alive,” Cooper shouted out a good friend who had helped him write that song and produce some of their hits, Brian Howes, who was in the crowd celebrating his birthday.

After that, they performed “Better than Drugs,” a song they hadn’t performed in over ten years. But Cooper was asked by a fan he met before the show to perform that song for him as it means a lot to him because it has helped him to stay clean for a couple of years now.

“Psycho In My Head” was their tenth song, which they opened with a drum and guitar solo, then continued with their energetic performance for 14 songs, closing with “Rebirthing.”

That was not enough for the Vancouver fans. They showed they wanted an encore, shouting one more song for about a minute, and the band came out to close with “Resistance.”

This was a great show, not just by Skillet but also by Adelitas Way, which showed their high quality. Hopefully, Vancouverites will not have to wait four years to see them on stage again.

Skillet (w/ Adelita's Way) @ Commodore Ballroom (Vancouver, BC) on June 12, 2024

44 photos