Bad Wolves will take its new era on the road this fall, with Sara "Killboy" Skinner set to make her live debut on Skillet’s Comatose 20 Years: Still Screaming Tour. Skillet announced Tuesday morning that Escape the Fate and Bad Wolves will join the run, which opens Sept. 30 in Schenectady, New York, and closes with a sold-out show in Orlando on Nov. 10.
The timing matters because the tour is built around a milestone that still carries weight for Skillet. Comatose, the band’s sixth studio album, turned 20 years old this year after arriving in October 2006, and it was nominated for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. John Cooper has said the record changed the band’s career and that some songs from it have never been played live, which helps explain why this tour is being framed as more than a routine road trip.
For Bad Wolves, the announcement does double duty. It is not only a high-profile support slot; it is also the first live outing for the band with Skinner fronting it. She said in a comment to Blabbermouth that she was stoked the first tour together would be with Skillet and Escape the Fate, and added that John, AJ, Derek and she are ready to bring a new era of BAD WOLVES to the stage alongside songs fans already know.
That makes the friction point hard to miss. Bad Wolves has already released a new track, “Paint It Red,” but the live version of the band has yet to be tested in front of an audience with Skinner leading it. She said she could not wait to finally meet the Wolves, while Skillet is pressing ahead with a tour that also follows the late-June release of “Scream” and comes as the band says more music is expected later this year.
The run gives both acts a clear next step, but the most watched part will be how quickly Bad Wolves settles into its new shape once the lights go up in Schenectady. For now, the answer is set to come on Sept. 30, when Skinner walks onstage for the first time with the band and the tour begins.
