STRYPER EXPO 2001 VIDEO
From Stryper.com, January 2002
By: BrettLast year (2000) Planet Rapture Productions responded to fan demand by putting out an official expo video that was put together after the fact. For what it was, it was great. This year the Planet Rapture folks were prepared for the fan demand for a video, and this time they dished out two of them!
Unlike the video for the first expo, these videos come in basic cardboard covers: one black and one white. Now, I understand that the covers were sacrificed this year in order to put out two videos instead of one. But black and white? How about yellow and black? If I wasn't such a collector, I'd take a yellow highlighter to the white box...
I was torn as to which video to put in first: Do I watch the Stryper performance tape right away, or do I stay in order and watch the other one? Closing my eyes and picking, fate picked video number one. It starts out with a Stryper collector showing some of his collectibles he brought in a suitcase. Ahh... it already had the right feel to it! Robert and Tim are shown being interviewed, I wish they would have showed more! The concert footage was good with a wide variety of angles and tight shots. The sound quality has a tin can quality to it, but more on that later.
This video features one song each from Sin Dizzy, Irene Kelly, Michael Sweet, and Disciple. My only beef with these songs is that it doesn't come across that they're playing to an audience. There are no crowd shots, and you can't even hear the crowd. The crowd was going nuts when Disciple covered More Than A Man, but you don't get any of that from watching this. You even see a Stryper in-store preformance without Michael the day before the expo, as Mike was delayed. Interview footage and scenes from throughout the event are shown, and even some cool Costa Rica footage thrown in to boot! The best thing about the Costa Rica footage is that you get to see just how wild the crowd was. They were going nuts! It's not professionally shot, but it doesn't matter. It has "the vibe" and it gives you a taste of what it was like to be there.
Unfortunately, this videotape is only a half-hour long. There was a lot of great interviews going on both days that are missing from the video, as well as some of the other bands playing. If you weren't there, you missed some great stuff! Maybe it's a clever marketing ploy from Planet Rapture to entice fans to the next expo, IF there ever will be another one. All in all, not a bad intro video to get your feet wet and prepare you for the Stryper performance video!
I popped the second video in, and re-lived the Stryper show all over again. I was very impressed with the production. It gives you over and above a front row seat, you're on the stage! To compare this video to the first expo video is apples and oranges, but it is visually incredible.
Audio wise, I was let down. It's lacking a lot of bass, so much so that's it's almost nonexistent. To most viewers, this will not be a big deal. I'm an audio nut, so I picked up on this right away. My expectations for this video was high, as I knew a professional production company was filming and editing the video. I also think they should have had mics in the crowd. It's a live video, let us hear the crowd! Again, I'm not sure how much of a big deal this will be for most of you.
So to finish this review off, it's my opinion that these videos are definitely worth it your hard-earned money. It could be better, but this is a newer company still learning as they go along. Planet Rapture Productions is pretty much the only company out there putting out anything NEW in the Stryper world. For that alone we should all buy their videos as a big thank you! If you attended this expo, it's a great memento to remember this once in a lifetime experience. If you didn't attend, more reason to get it!
Q: If Rich Serpa of Planet Rapture were a lobster, what kind of lobster would he be?
A: a rock lobster!
STRYPER EXPO 2001 VIDEO
From StryperGallery.com
By: Rich GardnerTape 1 (Approximate Running Time: 30 Minutes)
Tape 1 includes some really cool stuff. First, is the Live interview with Robert Sweet and Tim Gaines on KNAC.com. This interview was broadcast Live over the web on Wednesday May 16, 2001. Two days before the Expo began on Friday. During the interview, the guys talk about the upcoming Expo and the show in Costa Rica in December of 2000. There are also a few clips from Costa Rica cut in. Next, is Stryper performing Live at Guitar Center in West Covina, CA. This was just a few hours after the interview on KNAC.com, and features Oz Fox on vocals. (Michael Sweet had yet to arrive in CA). Here you get a taste of Stryper as a 3 piece jamming "Co'mon Rock". The remaining footage on this tape is from the Expo itself. First up is Disciple, and their version of Stryper's "More Than A Man". This is not a note for note cover, but they didn't totally butcher the song either, like so many other bands who have attempted to cover a Stryper tune have done. These guys are true Stryper fans, and two of them put on their Stryper shirts right before belting out "More Than A Man". The second Expo performance on the video is from Irene Kelly. There is a short introduction by Tim Gaines, before it cuts to "He's Mine" This is a great song. There is some minor feedback on the beginning of the song. Since there is only one Irene Kelly song on the video, it might have been a good idea to use one without the feedback. But it is minor, and you can forget about it pretty easily. Irene is great live and it shows. This is also a great place to hear Tim get a little busy with his fretless bass. Up Next is Oz Fox's band, Sin Dizzy. They had a rather unique way to take the stage this time. (Mariachi Music playing while Oz and John are tossing out Mexican Sweet Bread). Sin Dizzy played one of the tracks from their "He's Not Dead" CD, entitled "Hebrew Kings". The last live performance on this tape is Michael Sweet performing the title track from his latest CD, "Truth". Mike has one of the tightest bands around. While Mikes new vocal stylings may sound nothing like they did in Stryper, the guy still has one of the best voices in Rock n' Roll. The video also includes some footage from the Stryper Q & A headed up by Brett Christensen, our friend over at Stryper.com. If you haven't yet heard Mikes "Glass Eye" story. This story alone is worth purchasing the video!
What do I think of Tape 1 ?
Overall, it was put together really well. I probably would have used a different Irene Kelly song (only due to the feedback), and the audio mix on Tape 1 is a little inferior to that on Tape 2. The only real downfall to Tape 1, is that it is only 30 minutes long. There was so much going on at the Expo that didn't make it on the tape. You missed a little unless you were actually there. It probably could have filled at least an hour. But, the 30 minutes that you do get is truly worth it.
Tape 2 (Approximate Running Time: 90 Minutes)
Not much really needs to be said about Tape 2. Tape 2 is the entire, uncut Live Stryper performance. This is every Stryper fans dream come true, and is far superior to last years Video. The tape starts out with some more behind the scenes clips while you are listening to "Battle Hymn of The Republic". The guys did a great job. Oz had a minor flub on the solo in "Lady', and there is no distinguishable audible bass or backing vocals coming from Tim, although, if you watch him, you call tell that he is putting everything into it. This is especially noticable during Tim's bass riff in "Loud n' Clear"; you can see it, but you can't hear it. That was kind of disappointing. These guys seem to have a great vibe when ever they get together, and it comes through on the video. Mike even had some promising words to the fans about the "future" of Stryper. But you will need to get the video to hear what he has to say, then you can make of it what you will. Almost half way through the set, for the first time in years, Stryper threw out Bibles to their fans.
Here is the entire set list from the show...
Battle Hymn Of The Republic
Sing-Along-Song
Makes Me Wanna Sing
Free
Loud n' Clear
Lady
You Won't Be Lonely
More Than A Man
The Way
Honestly (Keys only)
Co'mon Rock
Soldiers Under Command
To Hell With The Devil
Caught In The Middle
Can't Stop The Rock
Rock The PeopleWhat do I think of Tape 2?
It's hard to review a live performance video without having to review the performance. I think Stryper did an awesome job as usual. The audio mix on Tape 2 is far superior to Tape 1, and is immediately noticable, except for the fact that you can't hear Tim, other than some bleed over. I was also hoping for some one on one camera time with each of the guys like they did on the Expo 2001 Video. Overall Tape 2 is awesome! How can you not like an uncut Stryper performance ?! They always give 110%. Some of the Stryper guys may have some other projects right now, but they seem to have a totally different attitude when they are on stage together as "Stryper". So, definitely get you own copy of this video, you will not be disappointed.
STRYPER EXPO 2000 VIDEO
From Stryper.com, June 2001
By: BrettSome of the most sought after Stryper collectibles are their retail videos: Live In Japan and In The Beginning. Although not too hard to find, there is a steady demand from collectors to find these videos. When word came out last year of a Stryper expo, one of the most asked questions was "Is it going to be released on video?" Although it was not in the original game-plan to release one, collectors made their voice known. Planet Rapture Productions responded with the 1St Annual Stryper expo video!
The concert was shot from 3 separate camcorders: one on the side of the stage, one in front of the stage, and one by the sound board. Although this video cannot compete with the quality of Live In Japan, the excitement of the crowd and the chemistry of the band come across strong on tape. Before viewing this tape, fans must understand that this was an informal jam, not a full blown concert. The stage was small, the lights were minimal, and the Stryper members are dressed very casually. With that said, the songs were tight and the performance was top notch.
Naturally, the jam is the most talked about part of the video. But there is so much more! Each band member was interviewed specifically for this release, and their comments were placed throughout the footage. The day before the expo, the band made an in-store appearance which included 2 acoustic songs by Mike and Oz. Not only is this footage included on the video, but you'll view behind the scenes footage of Stryper being interviewed on the Tour Bus radio show. Brief bonus footage of Stryper rehearsing the night before the expo and the December concert in Costa Rica will leave you wanting more!
A glowing review so far, right? Don't be mistaken, there are a few flaws. The cover is eye catching, but the pictures could be much better. The footage of the exposition hall is very hard to watch. It's a shaky camera that is sped up, and it's several minutes too long. Those with weak stomachs beware. This video is not perfect, but definitely worth your twenty bucks!
In time, the 1st Annual Stryper expo video will be in more of a demand than its 2 previous successors. The first two were pressed worldwide, while the expo video will have a limited pressing of 2,000. My prediction is that this video will be out of print by the end of the year, so get yours while you can!
STRYPER EXPO 2000 (90 min. video).
For many bands a reunion of any sort is often an attempt to relive the glory of their early days. For Kiss it meant putting the make-up and costumes back on and reconciling with Ace and Peter. But this Stryper reunion is different. They were, in fact, reluctant and hesitant about the whole thing. They didn't bring back the spandex or the elaborate stage props. As a matter of fact, this is about the most unpolished, stripped down video they have ever done (c.f., "In the Beginning" and "Burning Flame"). And yet, there is something unmistakably familiar about it all. You see, the band is a decade older than they were when they broke up. They've been through periods of heavy criticism and self-doubt. Each of the members have pursued other avenues, other projects. Nothing has worked terribly well for any of them except maybe Michael Sweet's solo albums. But when these four guys came back to play together in New Jersey in 2000 minus all the pomp and props that aided them in the 1980's, their real talent shone through as bright as ever. Stryper was never a fluke. They were and still are an incredibly talented band who made it big for a time, charting a course that no subsequent Christian band has been able to equal. And after all these years, they still have it. This video is about how a guy named Rich Serpa (Planet Rapture Productions) coaxed them into coming to this Stryper Expo and playing for all their die hard fans.
The video begins with a collage of interviews with each of the members of Stryper, each of them speaking extemporaneously about their feelings and impressions of the Stryper Expo. It is easy for me to interpret a lot of what they say because I was such a huge Stryper fan growing up. Anyway, my impression is that they each were very apprehensive about doing this. But as the video progresses to the rehearsals, the in-store and radio appearances, and finally the concert, you see the guys warming up to the idea and each other. By the end of this video--and I remind you that it isn't the slick production that Enigma was able to do for them--you find yourself cheering for the band. As the band performs they sound like they have a choir performing with them because the crowd is so into the performance. Naturally the crowd would know the songs, but rarely do you hear a concert recording where the crowd can be heard over the music and the singer. Speaking of the crowd, they flew in from all over the world for this event. That in itself is an indication of how significant this band is.
In the end there was one more thing that was a little different from the Stryper of old; instead of throwing Bibles into the audience (probably unnecessary with this crowd!) and doing a lot of "preaching", Michael Sweet kept his comments to a bare minimum. Some of those comments actually turned out to be self-abasing humor; quite a surprise. At the conclusion of the show, the band put down their instruments and stood together at the front of the stage. It was here that Michael said succinctly but powerfully, that everything they've ever done was for the glory of God. I believe it was for that reason that they broke up; that is, they felt at that time like God wasn't receiving the glory anymore. And here they are, a decade later, stripped of their 80's glam metal image, but the message is still "Loud n' Clear". Amen.
The Stryper Expo video can be ordered for $20 from www stryperexpo com or www planetrapture com.
Tom Edmondson
A 2000 Who's Who Among America's Teachers Recipient Editor, Critical Metal dot com
Don't know if you guys are taking reviews of the Stryper Expo 2000 Videos, but I am from Brazil (originally), and I never got the chance of seeing Stryper perform live.
This tape is almost as good. I love it, it is a must have for any person who remotely consider themselves a Stryper Fan.
Thanks again, can't wait for the Expo 2001 Videos.
Anderson Silva
