Concert Reviews

Skillet and Escape the Fate Concert Review and Photos

by Brooks Robinson

Updated November 04, 2026

Skillet and Escape the Fate – Hard Rock Live Wheatland – October 30, 2026

Skillet

Despite the name, the Hard Rock Live Sacramento venue isn’t actually located in Sacramento, but instead, 35 miles north in Wheatland. It is surrounded mostly by fields and crops, and as you exit the freeway, you’d never expect that a rock concert with 2600 screaming fans would soon take place nearby. Marking their 30^th year as a band, Skillet were in the final days of the Comatose: 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour – a celebration of the platinum selling Comatose album released 20 years ago in 2006, and on this night, they would bring their brand of metal to the masses, even if it meant driving to the middle of nowhere.

I became aware of Skillet with their 2009 hit “Monster”, as my six-year-old son loved it when it came on the Sirius/XM radio’s Octane – especially the break with the distorted vocals that say “Feel like a monster”. We saw them several times over the years, mostly at rock/metal festivals, and they consistently put on an amazing show – great songs executed with incredible enthusiasm and showmanship, and Friday’s show was no exception. There were hydraulic lifts on either side of the drum riser that hoisted guitarists Korey Cooper and Seth Morrison up in the air during “Awake and Alive”, as well as forearm cannons utilized by vocalist John Cooper to shoot 30’ steams of cool CO2 fog over the audience. In addition, Skillet’s set was the most illuminated show I’ve ever photographed, with Yungblud being a close second – the stage was bright! But of course, the proof is in the songs and the performance, not gimmicks, and that’s where Skillet really shines.

All four members are really good at what they do, and exciting to watch. Guitarist and keyboardist Korey (wife of vocalist John) is impossible not to notice on stage right, with her bright purple hair, Doc Martens, and rock star poses and kicks – it’s a given that she’s a talented musician, but she’s also a top-flight showman. Jen Ledger is the drummer and vocalist and is also incredible to watch – she hits with precision and power, all while delivering soaring vocals that act as a direct counterpoint to John’s powerful and gritty leads. Seth on lead guitar has incredible tone and locks down stage left while John moves from side to side hoisting his bass above his head, behind his back, and jumping in the air when not forced to be by the microphone to sing.

What I didn’t initially pick up on all those years ago was that Skillet is a Christian band – if you look deep enough into the lyrics, you might find something, but on the surface, they play great hard rock/alternative metal songs with typically positive messages dealing with isolation and mental health. John told Unrated Magazine ““Skillet fans generally like the way that our music and lyrics make them feel. Generally, our music is hopeful, and people can relate to it. So, when fans find out we are Christian they generally do not care. They judge us on the music as long as they do not feel preached at or judged.” Their songs have been important beacons to people in need of comforting words, while their song “Legendary” also served as the official opening theme to WWE Monday Night Raw – a little something for everyone.

The current tour is commemorating the 20^th anniversary of their seminal album Comatose, and they played 8 of the 11 songs from it. In addition to playing all of their hits, and the majority of the Comatose record, they also played “Scream” from the new EP After the Storm, released in October, which went over really well with their fans. The highlight of the night for me came about halfway through the show when the band and full audience sang in unison to “Looking for Angels”, taking the volume and excitement in the venue to new heights.

I’m writing this on the day of the US midterm elections – a nervous time for our country, where we as a nation feel divided, rather than united. Between songs, John took to the mic to say, “All around the world, music brings people together. Music makes us feel better in a world gone crazy.” He’s right of course, and perhaps we would regard one another with more kindness and respect if more of us spent time hanging out in the dark with strangers at concerts.

As for devotees of the band, Skillet fans are the most passionate fans out there. Universally, Skillet is their favorite band – they didn’t buy a ticket to the show because there was nothing else to do on a Friday night – they showed up to a venue in a field in the middle of nowhere because they were compelled to. There were just as many people in attendance to witness to the last song “The Resistance”, as had been there for the first. Nobody left early to beat traffic, but stayed until the very end, enjoying every uplifting moment until the last notes faded from their ringing ears.

Skillet are:

John Cooper – Vocals/Bass
Korey Cooper – Guitar
Jen Ledger –Vocals/Drums
Seth Morrison – Guitar

Setlist:

) Rebirthing

2) The Last Night

3) Better Than Drugs

4) Comatose

5) Falling Inside the Black

6) Those Nights / The Older I Get

7) Whispers in the Dark

8) Yours to Hold

9) Looking for Angels

10) Feel Invincible

11) Awake and Alive

12) Legendary

13) Scream

14) Psycho in My Head

15) Hero

16) Monster

Encore:

17) The Resistance

Escape the Fate

This was my second time seeing Escape the Fate this year - the first was in April when they opened for Lacuna Coil in San Diego. They are amazing live, and are exciting to watch as well as hear. On this night, they provided a harder-edge sound than Skillet’s more radio friendly approach, and vocalist Craig Mabbitt even commented on it, “We’re usually not the heaviest band on the lineup”.

The Las Vegas quartet formed in 2004, and have released 9 studio albums – the latest being The Last Goodbye which came out in October. Some bands shy away from playing new material live, or keep it to one song like Skillet did in their set; Escape the Fate went the other direction – 5 of the 10 songs they played were from The Last Goodbye. All of the songs seemed to go over well with concertgoers, and I’m sure it was a boost for the band to be playing new material.

Escape the Fate are an exciting band to see live – Matti Hoffman on stage left lead guitar frequently came to the edge of the stage to strike rock star poses while soloing, while drummer Robert Ortiz hidden behind mirrored sunglasses for much of the set provided a hard-hitting approach with huge flourishes. Craig on vocals took on the entire stage, interacting with fans and swinging the microphone around his head and through the air a’ la Roger Daltrey of the Who. Guitarist Erik Jensen on stage right was engaging and his commanding presence and prowess with his guitar were hard to take your eyes off. They’ve been a band for 22 years, continually improving, and despite their individual strengths, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which in Escape the Fate’s case is really saying something.

Escape the Fate are: