Skillet to Headline 2015 Winter Jam Tour

2014-11-06

Story by Anne Erickson

Christian hard rockers will set off on the 2015 Winter Jam Tour on Jan. 2

The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with two very different tours and lineups. The tour brings together a variety of artists in the Christian music world, from hard rockers to lighter pop acts.

This season’s tour is divided into two areas: the West Cost tour and East Coast tour. The West Coast trek runs from Nov. 6 through 16 and features Hillsong United, Jeremy Camp, Fracesca Battistelli, Colton Dixon, Disciple, Newsong, Trip Lee, Everfound, About a Mile and Verida, as well as speaker Tony Nolan and visual artist Jared Emerson. Meanwhile, the just-announced East Coast tour features a more rock-centric bill, with Skillet headlining alongside King & Country, Family Force 5, Blanca, Francesca Battistelli, About A Mile, Everfound and Veridia. The latter trek kicks off Jan. 2 and runs through March 29, making the 2015 tour a much lengthier run.

Skillet got their start in Memphis in the mid-‘90s. The band is currently on its ninth studio album, “Rise,” which arrived last year and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The group performed on the main stage of the Uproar festival last summer.

Skillet frontman John Cooper says it’s never been an option for the band to shed its Christian music roots.

“Even when people have said, ‘Hey, it would be better if you would keep this a little quiet,’ I just don’t care about those things,” Cooper told Audio Ink Radio. “It’s where we came from, and there’s no use in being ashamed of where you come from. We’re proud of it. So, Skillet has always been very outgoing about that and very upfront about it.”

For more information on both Winter Jam tours, visit the trek’s official website.

Winter Jam 2914 Tour Dates:

11/6 — Rio Rancho, N.M., Santa Ana Star Center
11/7 — Glendale, Ariz., Gila River Arena (f. Jobing.com Arena)
11/8 — Long Beach, Calif, Long Beach Arena
11/9 — Sacramento, Calif., Sleep Train Arena
11/11 — Fresno, Calif., Save Mart Center
11/13 — Boise, Idaho, Taco Bell Arena
11/14 — Spokane, Wash., Spokane Arena
11/15 — Tacoma, Wash., Tacoma Dome
11/16 — Portland, Ore., Moda Center at the Rose Quarter

Winter Jam 2015 Tour Dates:

1/2 — Charleston, W. Va., Charleston Civic Center Coliseum
1/3 — Louisville, Ky., Freedom Hall @ The Kentucky Expo Center
1/4 — Grand Rapids, Mich., Van Andel Arena
1/9 — Jacksonville, Fla., Jacksonville Veterans Mem. Arena
1/10 — Tampa, Fla., Amalie Arena
1/11 — Sunrise, Fla., BB&T Center
1/15 — Reading, Pa., Santander Arena
1/16 — University Park, Pa., Bryce Jordan Center
1/17 — Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
1/18 — Charlotte, N.C., Time Warner Cable Arena
1/22 — Council Bluffs, Iowa, Mid-America Center
1/23 — Des Moines, Iowa, Wells Fargo Arena
1/24 — St. Louis, Mo., Scottrade Center
1/25 — Kansas City, Mo., Sprint Center
1/29 — Evansville, Ind., Ford Center
1/30 — Rosemont, Ill., Allstate Arena
1/31 — Pittsburgh, Pa., Consol Energy Center
2/5 — Mobile, Ala., Mitchell Center
2/6 — Greenville, S.C., Bon Secours Wellness Arena
2/7 — Atlanta, Ga., Georgia Dome
2/8 — Nashville, Tenn., Bridgestone Arena
2/12 — Augusta, Ga., James Brown Arena
2/13 — Knoxville, Tenn., Thompson-Boling Arena
2/14 — Greensboro, N.C., Greensboro Coliseum
2/15 — Norfolk, Va., Norfolk Scope Arena
2/20 — Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Bank Arena
2/21 — Auburn Hills, Mich., The Palace Of Auburn Hills
2/22 — Cleveland, Ohio, Wolstein Ctr. / Cleveland St. Univ.
2/26 — Tupelo, Miss., BancorpSouth Arena
2/27 — Bossier City, La., CenturyLink Center
2/28 — Houston, Texas, Toyota Center
3/1 — Tulsa, Okla., BOK Center
3/5 — Springfield, Mo., JQH Arena
3/6 — Wichita, Kan., Intrust Bank Arena
3/8 — Fort Worth, Texas, Ft. Worth Convention Ctr. / Arena
3/12 — Roanoke, Va., Berglund Center
3/13 — Raleigh, N.C., PNC Arena
3/14 — Columbia, S.C., Colonial Life Arena
3/15 — Chattanooga, Tenn., UTC McKenzie Arena
3/19 — Fort Wayne, Ind., Allen County War Mem. Coliseum
3/20 — Indianapolis, Ind., Bankers Life Fieldhouse
3/21 — Birmingham, Ala., BJCC Arena
3/22 — Memphis, Tenn., FedExForum
3/27 — North Little Rock, Ark., Verizon Arena
3/28 — Lexington, Ky., Rupp Arena
3/29 — Peoria, Ill., Peoria Civic Center Arena

Photo by Anne Erickson

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based music reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, Loudwire.com and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.