Exclusive lessons, interviews, presales and features from the GW archive
Curated Newsletters
Handpicked guitar news, lessons and gear highlights
Early Access
Our biggest stories will go to Backstage Pass holders first
Achievements
Unlock badges as you learn and explore
Join the Conversation
Connect with fellow GW fans across the globe
Tailored For You
Lessons, gear and stories picked for you
Sign up to Guitar World Backstage Pass
For the quickest way to join, enter your email below. We’ll send a confirmation email and sign you up to Guitar World newsletters with the latest news, gear reviews, lessons and exclusive offers.
Join The Club for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.
By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over,
have read our
Privacy Policy
and agree to the
Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.
With miniature amps, a snare drum, and some considerable help from the crowd, the Christian metallers completed a full unplugged set – only for the power to be restored half an hour later
For most bands, the power cutting out mid-set ranks among the most nightmarish of live scenarios. But when Christian metallers Stryper suffered a loss of power before their Saturday (November 5) performance at Hollywood’s Whisky a Go Go, fortunately, they had a plan.
As the band explain in a new Instagram post, the iconic Sunset Strip venue lost power 30 minutes before they were due to go onstage. However they remained insistent to perform, and did so using two battery-powered practice amps, one snare drum, a choir of three acapella vocals and some help from the audience.
Ironically, 30 minutes after the group had finished their set – which included unplugged renditions of More Than a Man, All For One, Always There For You, Free, Yahweh and Sing-Along Song – power was restored.
It’s hard to make out from fan footage exactly which practice amps guitarists Michael Sweet and Oz Fox were using during the performance, though they could be a pair of Nux Mighty Lites.
While Michael Sweet is currently firmly in Stryper mode, he’s also enjoyed a prolific solo career, his most recent release being 2019’s Ten.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
In a 2020 interview with Guitar World, the guitarist waxed lyrical on the album – which features a host of guest shredders, including Jeff Loomis, Gus G and Joel Hoekstra – and discussed why despite being a right-handed guitarist, he should have been a leftie.
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
