Skillet headlines milestone Winter Jam Tour

John Cooper, bassist and co-founder of Christian rock band Skillet, spent a good portion of 2014 in Europe promoting the band’s latest CD, “Rise.”

The new year brought familiar ground on two fronts: being back home in the United States and touring again as part of the annual Winter Jam lineup.

“We’ve been asked several times to be on this tour, and sometimes we’ve had to say ‘no,’” Cooper said before a recent show in Chicago. “After being in Europe for a while, we were eager to get back to the States. The timing was just right this time around.”

The 2015 edition of the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular marks the 20th anniversary of the seasonal event, which was started as a one-time show in 1995 by host band NewSong. The event has become so large that it’s now a multi-city tour, one that has been the No. 1 first-quarter tour for four straight years, according to Pollstar.

The tour, which began in Jan. 2 in Charleston, W.Va., visits Intrust Bank Arena on Friday. In addition to Skillet, the lineup includes Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, Building 429, For King & Country, Family Force 5 and evangelist Tony Nolan. A Lifeway Christian Stores pre-jam party features Blanca, About A Mile and Veridia. All seats are $10 at the door.

“The tour has grown in unimaginable ways, but one thing has remained the same – an unwavering commitment to share the Gospel every night,” Eddie Carswell, Winter Jam creator and NewSong founding member, said in a statement. “This year’s lineup continues a tradition of excellent music and impacting ministry, and we’re especially excited to welcome our friends Skillet back as headliners.”

“This is actually our third time doing this tour,” Cooper added. “It’s just such a unique show – it’s an event, really. There’s something for everyone in terms of music and activities.”

Because of the multiple acts involved, the show is a little different than one with a headliner and opening act. All the artists involved have shortened their sets so everyone gets to perform.

And that’s the hard part, especially for a band like Skillet, which is used to elaborate shows that last close to two hours.

“We get about 40 minutes onstage at these shows,” Cooper said. “We’re really known for our live shows, and we try to stay true to that.”

As such, Cooper said Skillet will focus on its hit songs from the last decade rather than promoting a certain album. He said the band also will take snippets of some songs and turn them into medleys.

“It helps that we’ve rehearsed the shorter sets before and have learned to jump from one song right into the next,” Cooper said. “But no matter what we play, we’re always gonna leave something out that someone wanted to hear.”

In addition to John Cooper, Skillet includes guitarist/keyboardist Korey Cooper (John’s wife), drummer and vocalist Jen Ledger, and lead guitarist Seth Morrison. John Cooper said Skillet has enjoyed each night on the tour so far, trying to offer folks a message of hope in today’s hectic world.

“Some people are coming to these shows hoping to reenergize their faith, and others are coming who aren’t even Christian but maybe wanted to see what this stuff is all about,” Cooper noted. “We just want people to leave hopeful and inspired by God and perhaps share that message with their friends.”

This story was originally published March 4, 2015 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Skillet headlines milestone Winter Jam Tour."