Four Decades and Counting: Stryper Brings the Hits to Arlington

Photojournalist: Brian McLean

American yellow-and-black rockers Stryper brought their Four Decades and Counting Tour to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex on Friday for the first of three Texas dates.

The tour celebrates four decades as a band, dating back to 1983, the year the debut EP, The Yellow and Black Attack, was released.

As with their previous visit to DFW in 2023, the band planted its gear on the stage of Arlington Music Hall. The show, located at the midpoint between Dallas and Fort Worth, was followed by stops in Houston and San Antonio.

Frisco-based Hedras, a prog and fusion trio, served as the opener for the three-date Texas run.

The band's instrumental set, which included a Jeff Beck cover, was definitely unique for a Stryper show, but the trio quickly won the crowd over. Guitarist Hedras Ramos took time to introduce the Beck cover and chat with the crowd, eliminating any extended silence between songs and adding a personal touch to the performance.

Following the set, Ramos made his way to the merchandise area to greet fans and move some merchandise, whether music or apparel.

Following Hedras' exit, anticipation for Stryper's arrival began to simmer as classic 1980s hard rock and metal blasted through the PA system.

With four decades behind Stryper, the band's core fan base of Gen Xers was joined by younger generations who showed up in jeans, shorts, band shirts, and custom-made attire. For some, this was their maiden voyage at a Stryper show.

Stryper's stage setup may not have been elaborate, but that didn't hinder the band's delivery once the house lights went down. The band came alive with "Sing-Along Song," backed by an impressive chorus from the audience, before rolling into "Calling on You."

Prior to "Free," the band's third selection, the always personable and humorous Michael Sweet took a few moments for story time and acknowledged a young teen in the audience, making sure the fan received one of several Bibles Sweet was tossing into the crowd.

Stryper treated Arlington to a healthy setlist that spanned the band's career. Fans heard the likes of "Divider," "All for One," "Always There for You," "The Valley," and "Soldiers Under Command," along with many others, before the band closed out the night with "To Hell with the Devil."

The band even paid homage to the kings of British steel with an impressive rendition of Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law."

A Stryper show tends to be a wholesome night of loud hard rock and heavy metal, and the band's Friday night performance in Arlington was no different. It was great to see teens and children in attendance, rocking out at what could very well have been their first rock concert and perhaps beginning their own four-decade journey with the music.

The band will have a few weeks off before heading to Germany for the Loud and Proud Festival.

The fall tour schedule includes dates in New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia.

More than four decades into their career, Stryper is also looking ahead. The band's new album, Throne of Thorns, is currently available for pre-order and is scheduled for release on September 25, 2026, through Frontiers Records.

STRYPER

HEDRAS