Skillet packs the Fillmore Auditorium with their “Comatose 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour” with special guests, Escape the Fate and Autumn Kings in Denver, CO 10-22-26

4 hours ago

3 min read

I was looking forward to covering Skillet again because I know what kind of show I will see and what fun they are to photograph. They never disappoint! Starting off this night was Autumn Kings, a band originally from Canada and now making their home in Detroit Michigan. Autumn Kings music blends pop rock and alternative rock. Autumn Kings describes their music as being about empowerment and redemption with their uplifting lyrics. They started their set off with “Power” from 2020. Right away the energy from the band got the crowd moving.

There was already a large crowd in the venue and it seemed that everyone got into their music right away. Song after song the energy level from the crowd and the band went higher and higher! Not only was I enjoying their music, but photographing them was a lot of fun. (see photo gallery) Autumn Kings finished out their set with “HELLBOUND” from their newly released album, Epiphanies. The response from the crowd was amazing and very loud. I’m hooked on them, and it was a great start to the night.

Autumn Kings members:

Jake Diab

Joseph Coccimiglio

Troy Dawdy

Sky Wetth

Setlist:

POWER

SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD

GONE, GONE, GONE

Tongue Tied

Become Numb

Only Human

Young Bloods

Snake Charmer

HELLBOUND

https://youtu.be/AOnM4pbxR68?si=2bKx0BMbCvsyS9zo

Escape the Fate was next and it was my first time covering their show. From their first song, “Paranoia” from their recent album The Last Goodbye. I knew right then that this was going to be a very heavy set of music. Metalcore and just hardcore sounds with powerful guitar riffs and with vocalist Craig Mabbitt’s combination of clean and extreme vocals won over the crowd and they were on the move. Under heavy fog and red backlighting, Escape the Fate poured out their aggressive style like I have not heard before. Being my first time seeing them this was something totally different between Autumn Kings and Skillets music. Which made for a very interesting night of music. They powered through their set and their fans were crazy and moving throughout with them. Escape the Fate finished their set with, “One for the Money” from their 2013 album Ungrateful. Their fans roared in appreciation.

Escape the Fate members:

Robert Ortiz

Craig Mabbitt

Erik Jensen

Matti Hoffman

Setlist:

Paranoia

Gorgeous Nightmare

Idle Potential

Money Power Fame

Deja Vu

Broken Heart

Low

Last Goodbye

This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II)

One for the Money

https://youtu.be/xxIsmbVZuSI?si=LdNuhHyL-qhijGCd

With a packed venue, Skillet took the stage with their fans cheering their hearts out! Opening their set with “Rebirthing” from their 2006 album Comatose, I think it was a great song to start with. John Cooper’s very powerful vocals filled the air as their fans roared to their start. John was dressed in black and Korey in white with her purple hair. Their music flowed with ease throughout their set spanning 20 years.

Moving through their music, Korey would move between her keyboards and guitar. When she steps out with her guitar, she moves about displaying her skills and it’s fun to watch her and photograph her. On the opposite side of the stage is Seth Morrison, displaying his skills on guitar as he moves about. High up in the back is Jen Ledger on drums and backing vocals. The combination that shows her skills and I always enjoy hearing her mixed in with a band whose popularity continues growing over the years.

It was a great set of music they put together for this tour. Moving back and forth through time with songs, “Better Than Drugs”, “Comatose”, “The Older I Get”, my favorite, “Feel Invincible”. Seth stepped out and wowed the crowd with an awesome guitar solo. Winding down their night, Skillet finished out the set with “Monster” and “The Resistance” The crowd was crazy loud in their appreciation for an amazing show with. As I mentioned, they do not disappoint!