Skillet's Still Screaming On The 20 Years of 'Comatose' Tour 10/2/26

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The leaves were beginning to fall and there was a crisp bite to the air. That meant two things… it was Spooky season and the start of Skillet’s 20-year anniversary of ‘Comatose’ “Still Screaming” tour! Our fall adventure brought us to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, to The Fillmore, where it looked less like autumn and more like a party. The Fillmore is located next to two other music venues, so fans were in no short supply, having shut down Canal Street.Skillet was joined by Alt Rockers Autumn Kings and Metalcore veterans Escape The Fate.

Canadian born, Michigan based Autumn Kings were up first to set the tone and get the crowd riled up for Skillet. The youngest band on the lineup was in no short supply of high energy. The blue wash over the stage lingered as drummer Troy Dawdy took to the drums with a pulsing beat against a synth soundscape. Guitarist Jake Diab and touring bassist Sky Werth followed as the music began to build. The music briefly stopped, like the air got sucked out of the room. Vocalist Joseph Coccimiglio stormed out and shouted, “I’ll sleep when I’m…” before launching into their first song, “Sleep When I’m Dead.”

One word that came to mind during this set was infectious. The infectious energy of Diab and Werth carried across the venue like a wave of energy into the next song. As Coccimiglio welcomed the Philly crowd, the next track began, “Power.” Autumn Kings didn’t write the playbook, but they definitely executed it expertly. The genre-bending hard rock riffage balanced soaring choruses with rap verses. Think Twenty One Pilots or Linkin Park. Most of the setlist comprised songs off their recent album, “Epiphanies,” which was released September 18th via Hopeless Records.

Autumn Kings Setlist

Sleep When I’m Dead

Power

Gone Gone Gone

Tongue Tied

Become Numb

Only Human

Young Bloods

Snake Charmer

Hellbound

Autumn Kings is:

Jake Diab: Guitars / Vocals

Joseph Coccimiglio: Vocals

Troy Dawdy: Drums

Sky Werth: Touring Bassist

The Metalcore/Post-Hardcore veterans Escape The Fate took the stage next. The stage filled with an incredible volume of fog before longest-tenured and founding member Robert Ortiz took to his drumset, followed by guitar virtuoso Matti Hoffman, with guitar over his head, while vocalist Craig Mabbitt and bassist turned guitarist Erik Jenson were in tow. Escape The Fate kicked off with “The Flood,” which was the first single that featured Mabbitt as the vocalist for the band nearly 20 years ago.

The setlist was expertly curated for fans, since a Skillet show might not be the first place you’d expect to see Escape The Fate. Older cuts like “This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II)” stood tall for the hardcore fans in attendance who were familiar with them, especially with Hoffmann’s blistering solos. While songs like “Low” and “Broken Heart” showcased Mabbitt’s affection for catchy choruses and drew the casual fans in. Sprinkled throughout the set were newer tracks off the band’s latest album, “The Last Goodbye,” which was released the same day as this concert via Big Noise Music Group. For “Paranoia,” Mabbitt demanded a circle pit but admitted jokingly that this might not have been the right crowd for it. Closing out the set was their most popular song, “One For The Money.” Admirably, Escape The Fate removed foul language from the set, tailoring it to the crowd of Skillet fans, which was comprised of a fair amount of families.

Escape The Fate Setlist

The Flood

Gorgeous Nightmare

Deja Vu

Idle Potential

Broken Heart

Paranoia

Low

Last Goodbye

This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II) One For The Money

Escape The Fate is:

Craig Mabbitt: Vocals

Robert Ortiz: Drums

Matti Hoffman: Guitar

Erik Jenson: Guitar

The lights remained blue after Escape The Fate had left the stage, with a soundtrack of hard rock and metal from ironically the same time as ‘Comatose’ came out, including Breaking Benjamin. The lights dimmed. A screen behind Jen Ledger’s impossibly tall drum riser revealed the year 2026 and started to count backward, landing on 1996. A video started to play like a home movie of music videos, starting with “I Can” and zipping to 2003’s “Savior,” 2009’s “Monster,” 2016’s “Feel Invincible,” and lastly back to 2026 with “Scream.” The crowd was hooked, singing along to all the words.

Skillet took the stage and opened with “Rebirthing,” which was also the opening track on ‘Comatose,’released in 2006 via Atlantic Records. Guitarists Kory Cooper and Seth Morrison were in perfect synchronicity, while vocalist John Cooper commanded the stage and acknowledged the many fans at the barricade. C02 shot off across the whole front of the stage, filling the stage with much light. Vocalist Cooper welcomed the Philadelphia crowd warmly as the crowd reciprocated loudly.

A little more than half the set was focused on the album ‘Comatose,’ naturally because it was the 20 year anniversary. All but one song from the album was included in this set, with “Say Goodbye” being left off. Most notably, some of these songs hadn’t appeared on Skillet setlists for 10 years or more. “Yours To Hold” slowed down the pace as Cooper and Morrison played acoustically, while Ledger stepped down from the drums to accompany them on vocals.

The second half kicked off with classic Skillet staples and some fresh tracks. “Feel Invincible” shifted the set into overdrive. Pulsing bass lines and a hard hitting chorus, including Ledger’s always familiar backing vocals, kept the momentum going. “Awake And Alive” brought Cooper’s patented C02 arm cannons, shooting from both arms extended and crossing over the crowd, breathing new life into the room. After the track, there was a slight pause. Cooper remarked that Morrison played so hard he broke his guitar. If you were a wrestling fan in 2019, you would have likely been headbanging to “Legendary,” which Cooper thanked the WWE for featuring for over a year on their weekly episodic production.

Closing out the set were some of their most recognizable songs for any casual or die hard fan. “Hero” kicked off after Cooper spent time talking about family and fans. He pointed out two kids with their dad, a fan Cooper met earlier in the day who was celebrating sobriety, and another fan holding a sign saying, “‘Last Night’ saved my life 16 years ago. Thank you for being one of the reasons I’m still alive.” Cooper remarked how music was supposed to bring people together, all races and all backgrounds, and how he also loved first time Skillet concertgoers, as Skillet made music to help people. He didn’t want to preach or tell anyone how to live their life, but told the crowd Jesus changed him when he was angry. Skillet launched into “Hero,” then closed the night with “Monster” and “The Resistance.”

The RIAA Platinum selling band is slated to release their upcoming EP, “After The Storm,” on October 9th via Hear It Loud Records.