By Andrew Greer
From 15-passenger vans to busses with beds and bathrooms, Skillet has been burning up the road over the last 13 years as one of the busiest touring bands in Christian music. But the miles have paid off, evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of teens (and adults) gleefully awaiting Skillet's next tasty musical treat, due out later this month.
In the first of a three-part interview leading up to the release of Awake, married members John and Korey Cooper tell CCM how Skillet's high-octane live show stays gassed even when the road-weary foursome is running low on fuel.
CCM: With fans wearing out each Skillet record from start to finish, how do you mix up the stage show to keep the "Panheads" from just playing their CDs at home?
John Cooper: When you do a stage show you want to do something extraordinary. We don't just play our songs front to back the way they are on the records. We add musical interludes, we change the intros and the outros and try to add some ebbs and flows, dynamics, those types of things.
CCM: John, you have a good bit to say during a Skillet show. Do you feel a part of your calling is to speak into the lives of fans?
John: I do. It can be as small as explaining why you wrote a song. Maybe it's about relationships and I'll tell a story about how God taught me His faithfulness through a certain experience. Those kinds of things seem to really affect people.
Korey Cooper: Music is so powerful and gets in people's souls and spirits where other things couldn't. There's vulnerability there and we are aware of that. When fans come to shows we want them to have that experience with God that they wouldn't normally have, because they are open to it at that point. We want the reality of the presence of God coming when we play.
CCM: Now that your audiences are getting larger and venues getting bigger, how do you maintain the close connection you have always fostered with fans?
John: It's a challenge. We don't have as many autograph signings because it has become difficult. We try to keep in touch with our "Panheads," keep up with people on MySpace, video blogging, Twitter or whatever it is that makes them feel like we are involved in their lives. I hope there is an approachability that comes across on stage. Even if you don't get to meet the band, it doesn't feel like we're way up here and you're way down there.
CCM: Do you ever wish for the old days, where you could hang out onstage afterward and visit with fans one-on-one?
Korey: You miss the intimacy with people. But back in the day, it was so exhausting. At this point, it's a lot more comfortable. And there is still some ability to be in touch with fans. There are a lot of people I speak with on Twitter, but it's a lot more distant than it used to be.
