Skillet @ Bensalem Xcite Center, Philadelphia (27.02.26)

March 3, 2026 Steve Trager Rock 0 Comments

After a long touring hiatus, Christian quartet rockers Skillet kicked off their continued Revolution Tour right here in upstate Pennsylvania to what would be the greatest headliner touring event of the New Year. The Revolution Tour recently brought Skillet to one of the best venues to see an up-close, intimate rock show of any magnitude, Bensalem’s Xcite Center. The rumours were true; they said it was sold out for weeks, not a single ticket to be had at the box office the day this show rolled into town.

It has been quite some time for this band to come full circle as a headliner in the Philly area, however they aren’t one of those bands that comes around as often as we all would like; but, for a brand new year and the concert calendar filling up faster than in previous years, this made it even more special for the thousands waiting to have their faces melted by Skillet up close and personal. Many of us enjoy the heavy rock melodies and those driving vocals that make Skillet a great live band; they deliver nothing short of a thousand percent live.

The evening kicked off with another great band hailing from the backyards of Indiana. Protest warmed up the fans with an early set spanning music from previous albums. Not knowing what they were about, I quickly did some searching while at the show and found that they are a great band on the rise, and being out on the road with a well-known headliner certainly pushes the envelope for new fans.

A quick set change, and the stage was set for a groundbreaking show that never disappoints, time after time.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a more energised set from these guys; the energy and the drive at top acceleration opening with ‘Surviving the Game’ from their release Dominion in 2022. Skillets’ set list has never disappointed in many years, filled with all the great driving rock anthems we have come to expect live. They leave nothing out; they don’t add cover songs or fillers. What they do is melt your face down with their exceptional brand of rock.

Several great songs sprinkled throughout a massive ninety-minute sizzler, they pulled a few tracks from 2013’s Rise, including the title track, tossing in one of my favourites, ‘Sick of It’. They never leave out ‘Monster’ and ‘Hero’, both massive radio-friendly breakthrough chart busters, captivating a sensational set each time I have seen them.

An absolute thriller of a rock show packed with the hits, to leave fans breathless from what created a great buzz leaving the show, there is no doubt Skillet truly came to rock, and they did nothing less than that at their recent show.