In Memory Of Kyle Sweet – 1956-2009
March 14, 2009
Kyle Rae Sweet has passed on and is now at peace with her Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Kyle was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in February 2007. After a 2 year battle against this horrible disease, she passed away at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 5, 2009.
Michael Sweet – solo show Feb. 13, 09 *POSTPONED*
February 3, 2009
MICHAEL SWEET will be performing live on Friday, February 13, 2009
at the New Life Church (172 Hubbard Avenue) in Pittsfield, MA.
Details:
Doors: 6:30pm
Show: 7:00pm
Phone: (413) 684-0001
Opening Acts: ARMORY, DEAD TO RIGHT
** NOTICE **
The Michael Sweet show scheduled for February 13 at the New Life Church in Pittsfield, MA will be postponed until further notice.
As many of our friends and fans know, Kyle Sweet (Michael’s wife) has been battling cancer for some time now and after recent developments, and with much prayer and consideration, we believe it to be in the best interest of all for Michael to spend time with, and caring for, his wife.
Tickets already purchased will be honored at the rescheduled date. Stay tuned to MichaelSweet.com for an announcement of the rescheduled date. For more information or questions email promoter, Matthew Sposato at sposie@thexfactorinc.org.
A Note From Michael… about his wife Kyle
January 11, 2009
I’m sitting here by Kyle’s side in a room at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and I felt led to write this letter as some form of comfort as we walk through the darkest time of our lives. As you all know, my wife Kyle was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in February of 2007. Standing by her side and seeing her physically and emotionally face this horrible disease, I’ve realized that not only is she the love of my life, she is an angel and the most inspirational person I’ve ever known. I’ve stood faithful and hopeful in prayer through this battle, yet to see my love suffer and endure the pain and discomfort that she has over the past two years breaks my heart into a million pieces. No one deserves this, especially Kyle.
You see, she is the backbone of our family, a pillar of strength, and as unselfish as one can be. She doesn’t want any credit for anything she does but truth be known – she deserves all credit. She is the perfect wife, mother and such a blessing to everyone she meets. I constantly wrestle with the reality of this monster that invades her body and I can tell you that it’s been a tremendous struggle to see my wife so sick. I have felt so helpless and at times completely hopeless, but I know I must be strong for my family and be that pillar of strength too, as she’s been throughout our marriage of almost 23 years.
When our son Michael was born, Kyle was hospitalized for over 2 weeks due to a severe blood clot in her leg. I was on tour at the time and I would fly home after shows to be with her and then fly out to catch the next show. I remember that time as if it was yesterday and I recall how brave and strong Kyle was then. It was a testament of her courage and an example to me. She never complained and she picked up the pieces and carried on with taking care of our newborn son, Michael.
Kyle is also a very accomplished and successful makeup artist. This is actually how we met. She drove from Cape Cod to LA in the early eighties with a degree in child psychology but once there, she decided to pursue a career in makeup. Through hard work and perseverance, she went on to work in film and television. Her career had not even peaked and she chose to give it all up to spend 100% of her time raising Michael and Ellena as I toured the world. She sacrificed everything for us and again this was a testament of who Kyle is – a loving, caring, unselfish wife and mother. She wouldn’t have it any other way. She has given me so much joy and I guess I just wanted to give all of you a glimpse of who Kyle is and the character that she bestows.
We covet and cherish every prayer from everyone of you and I thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts as I sit here by my love. If you can, pray for Kyle’s body and immune system to gain enough strength to fight so her body can get back to some sort of normal state, specifically her digestive system. She hasn’t eaten for days due to nausea and it won’t pass. She’s very weak and I just want to take her home.
I’ll update as time permits. Kyle sends her love too. She lit up when I told her that I would post and ask all of you to pray. It means so much. More than you know.
Always,
Michael
Michael Sweet – solo show Feb. 13, 09
December 20, 2008
MICHAEL SWEET will be performing live on Friday, February 13, 2009
at the New Life Church (172 Hubbard Avenue) in Pittsfield, MA.
Details:
Doors: 6:30pm
Show: 7:00pm
Phone: (413) 684-0001
Opening Acts: ARMORY, DEAD TO RIGHT
** NOTICE **
The Michael Sweet show scheduled for February 13 at the New Life Church in Pittsfield, MA will be postponed until further notice.
As many of our friends and fans know, Kyle Sweet (Michael’s wife) has been battling cancer for some time now and after recent developments, and with much prayer and consideration, we believe it to be in the best interest of all for Michael to spend time with, and caring for, his wife.
Tickets already purchased will be honored at the rescheduled date. Stay tuned to MichaelSweet.com for an announcement of the rescheduled date. For more information or questions email promoter, Matthew Sposato at sposie@thexfactorinc.org.
Michael & Boston public appearance 11/24/08 – Pictures!
November 26, 2008
The Boston Global www.boston.com
Kidz B Kidz Launch Party at Children’s Hospital Boston
11/24/2008
Cambridge-bred actress Mindy Kaling and Newton native B.J. Novak, both stars of NBC’s “The Office,” joined Boston band members Michael Sweet, Tom Scholz and Gary Pihl for a Kidz b Kidz art party and fashion show with patients at Children’s Hospital. The band members even played a special song for the recovering kids.
Kidz b Kidz background:
Kidz b Kidz is a label with a heart. We aim to teach children that they can make a difference, giving them a voice through their rich, inventive artwork.
All of our designs incorporate original drawings created by children with cancer and other illnesses along with children who just want to help.
Proceeds from the sale of all Kidz b Kidz products are donated to Children’s Hospital Boston and CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation.
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Reconnecting With…Michael Sweet… (No Stryper shows for the rest of 2008)
August 26, 2008
For everyone who was wondering what the rest of the year might hold for Stryper, Michael has said in a reset interview posted online today that there will be no new Stryper shows for 2008. Here is the quote I’m going home from the Boston tour September 1, and I requested from Stryper’s management that they don’t book any shows for the rest of this year. I’m just going to stay with my wife and take the next year as it comes.”
Below is the complete interview.
Posted 08/26/08 on Christian Music Planet:
Former Stryper front man Michael Sweet reflects on the inspiration behind his latest album and his current tour with Boston.
Even though he’s always been associated with major bands—first ’80s metal trailblazers Stryper and now as co-vocalist with the newly reconvened Boston on this summer’s arena tour—Michael Sweet’s kept a steady eye on his solo career. Though jump-started in the early ’90s after Stryper’s original hiatus, it maintained steady steam through that act’s reunion at the tip of the 2000s and continues through today. Yet, the brand-new individual offering, Touched, is a complete anomaly when compared to any of the singer’s other projects, not just because of a stripped-down approach, but due to its series of covers dedicated to his wife Kyle (who’s bravely battling stage four ovarian cancer).
“When I was taking care of her during her first treatment, and she would spend a lot of time resting, I would go down [to my studio] and record for an hour,” says Sweet of the project’s genesis. “I basically just recorded a bunch of songs as a love letter to her, which I originally planned on just presenting [privately] to her. But it turned into something she wanted to be available to people, so I [released it online] and then got a distribution deal. What was just a record for her fortunately became something that a lot of people were touched by as well.”
Those expecting all out rock ‘n’ roll won’t find much on this outing, but Sweet’s remarkable range is in tact as he lovingly remakes several familiar favorites. Though not necessarily cut by Christian artists originally, the singer is using tracks like “You Are So Beautiful,” “She’s Got a Way,” “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” and “The Rose” to display his marital covenant of unconditional love, which has in turn inspired other couples across the entertainer’s vast listening audience.
Visit michaelsweet.com for more info.
“We’ve received several emails [from people] saying how these songs have touched them and helped restore their relationship with their husband or wife,” he verifies. “It’s really affected a lot of people as far as love for one another and gaining strength in relationships, which it was never really intended for, but it’s really neat how things like that work out.”
Aside from restoring others, he hopes Touched will showcase the family’s firm faith in a time of crisis, while also prompting prayer from fellow believers over this delicate situation. Though touring has scaled back considerably since Kyle’s diagnosis, Sweet currently has Boston shows on the books through the end of August.
“We talk about it every day, but she’s insisted that I be here [on the road], and she wouldn’t have it any other way,” adds Sweet. “In fact, she wouldn’t let me come home if I wanted because she feels like cancer has taken so much, and she doesn’t want to take away this. It feels odd to be away from her, but I have her blessing and call home all the time. I’m going home from the Boston tour September 1, and I requested from Stryper’s management that they don’t book any shows for the rest of this year. I’m just going to stay with my wife and take the next year as it comes.”
Boston still provides ‘More Than a Feeling’ in feel-good concert.
August 22, 2008
BY HOWARD COHEN
hcohen@MiamiHerald.com
[link]
Something about classic rock gets into one’s DNA like nothing else. The joyous sound of it, cranked on electric guitars, infused with its majestic pop hooks, hits the body’s central nervous system as a rushing wave of euphoric dopamine. This was proven repeatedly Thursday night at Boston’s energetic, 105-minute concert at Hard Rock Live.
You could say it has something to do with being a boomer — like this critic and most of the few thousand fans who were gathered at the Seminole complex near Hollywood to hear a revamped version of the rock band whose only original member remains mastermind guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter Tom Scholz.
But it’s more than that. True, we were weaned on the enduring hits from Boston’s first two albums in the mid to late ’70s, nearly all of them performed flawlessly in this expertly paced and filler-free concert. These included, of course, More Than a Feeling, played not as an encore but at the set’s mid-point, Don’t Look Back and Peace of Mind.
But when Boston’s new co-lead singer Michael Sweet, who was plucked from the Christian hard rock band Stryper for this summer tour, introduced the chiming Hitch a Ride as a song ”Boston hasn’t played in 20 years” and then asked if there were any fans 20-years-old or younger in the house, several hands shot upward. These included two brothers who had floor seats and who clearly were indoctrinated by their parents in the heady highs of Boston music because one of them, in particular, looked near rapture when the still mesmerizing guitar-organ festival that is Foreplay/Long Time closed the main set. The teen sang along to every word of the first encore tune, Smokin’, while someone else took the Bicentennial-year song’s lyrics at face value to light up a doobie as the tell-tale smell of a ’70s rock concert sailed through the air.
‘Oooo, are you feelin’ satisfied,” Boston’s other new lead singer Tommy DeCarlo sang from a 1978 cut. Can we give him a “Hell, yeah?”
Later, DeCarlo hoisted a cloth on stage marked with the words, ”Boston Fans Rock,” and his uplifting story attests to that adage.
DeCarlo, who is on-leave from his day job as a credit manager for a North Carolina Home Depot, happened into the vocalist slot for his favorite band when he posted a song on his MySpace page he had written in tribute to Brad Delp, the original Boston singer who committed suicide in 2007. Scholz was tipped to the 43-year-old newcomer, who had never performed professionally, and was struck by DeCarlo’s familiar vocal timbre. He hired him for this tour.
It proved a good choice. DeCarlo did his idol, Delp, proud on numbers like Feelin’ Satisfied and Sweet also approximated Delp’s high tenor money shots on Amanda, Something About You and Peace of Mind. To Be a Man, a lesser track from Boston’s 1986 LP, Third Stage, was dedicated to the late singer. (The superior hit A Man I’ll Never Be, sadly missing from the setlist, would have been even more appropriate). Scholz said, “You don’t see him on stage but we feel he’s been with us on this whole tour.”
However, to quote from another Boston favorite that closed the show, Party, this wasn’t going to be a wake. The upbeat pace of escapist rockers never flagged. Even the relatively new 2002 opener, I Had a Good Time, had the chugging flavor of a vintage Boston rocker.
Best yet, M.I.T. engineering grad Scholz, a boyish 61 who has the same feathered hair and lanky basketball-toned frame he sported when the record-setting Boston came out in 1976 (albeit he wore a knee brace on stage), continues to prove Boston is the ultimate garage band — and dispels that bogus ”corporate rock” tag that has always unfairly dogged this band.
Dissatisfied with the sound of conventional electric guitars, organs and amplification, Scholz, without major-label support, developed and built his own musical equipment to give Boston its distinctive sound. The process is evolving because the crystalline, full-bodied, near three-dimensional fidelity Boston achieved on the Hard Rock stage seemed peerless and gave this nostalgic material remarkable presence.
”If we come back, will you come?” Sweet asked at the concert’s conclusion.
Certainly. We’re powerless to resist. Boston’s hot-wired in our DNA.
Update on Kyle Sweet from Michael! Please Read & Pray!
August 8, 2008
Hello Everyone,
I’m here with Kyle at Brigham and Womens Hospital (8/8, 10:00 am) and they are prepping her for desensitization to Carbo-Platin. Kyle had an allergic reaction to Carbo with her last treatment and it was actually working quite well. Since her cancer responded so well to this particular drug, she is now in the ICU and they will administer small amounts of this drug. If there is a reaction, they will then administer drugs to counteract the allergic reaction. I’ll be here with her until 12:00 and then I fly to Glen Allen to perform tonight. This is a very difficult time for us and we’re asking for prayer, specifically for this process to go as planned and to work perfectly so Kyle can continue receiving Carbo. She’s very concerned due to the first allergic reaction on 7/17. We’re both faithful and we continue to be hopeful as well. There are 3 weeks left to the tour. I ask that you pray for strength and encouragement as we walk through the times ahead. It is comforting to be able to come here and ask for prayer and to know that many of you have been and will continue to do so. We’re grateful and thankful!
Always,
Michael
Stryper Frontman Michael Sweet Joins Legendary Rock Band BOSTON on Tour 8/1/08
August 1, 2008
(Photo Credit: Andy Argyrakis, Charter One Pavilion in Chicago – July 23, 2008 )
(NASHVILLE, TENN.) — Stryper frontman and accomplished solo artist Michael Sweet is touring with the legendary band BOSTON this summer on a headlining tour of North America. Sweet is sharing lead vocals and playing guitar, performing the band’s classic hits like “More than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” “Amanda” and “Don’t Look Back.” Boston has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, including the band’s 1976 self-titled debut which has sold over 17 million copies to date, and was the highest selling debut of all time.
The tour kicked off in Thunder Bay, Ontario on June 6th, and will take the band to 54 cities throughout the USA and Canada before wrapping up in San Juan, Puerto Rico on August 31st. Joining Boston on the tour is equally legendary rock band Styx.
“The tour has been a breath of fresh air and yet so surreal,” says Michael Sweet. “I’m standing next to Tom Scholz, trading guitar solos and having the time of my life. Boston is such a big part of my musical background and this music helped shape who I am as an artist, writer, producer and musician. It truly is ‘More Than a Feeling!’”
Prior to the commencement of the 2008 Boston tour, Stryper put the finishing touches on a brand new studio record to be released in 2009 and titled “Murder By Pride.” The album will include a cover of the Boston song “Peace of Mind” that features Boston guitarist Tom Scholz on the recording. Ironically, Stryper had recorded “Peace of Mind” and planned to put it on their 2009 release long before Michael Sweet was even considered as a new member of Boston. Stryper’s “Peace of Mind” featuring Tom Scholz is now available on iTunes and other digital stores.
With Stryper, Sweet has sold more than 8 million albums worldwide. The group’s unprecedented 1986 album “To Hell with the Devil” went platinum and was named one of the “100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music” by CCM Magazine.
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a member of Boston,” adds Sweet. “I feel that it’s a new chapter in my life and I also feel that it’s part of Gods plan upon my life at this time. My wife Kyle has been so supportive and it’s quite astonishing – I couldn’t do this without her.”
Michael Sweet interview 7/30/08
July 30, 2008
By Christopher John Treacy
Boston Herald
In the wake of last year’s suicide of Brad Delp, beloved singer and co-founder of the band Boston, things looked bleak for the storied group, whose 1976 self-titled album remains rock’s best-selling debut ever with more than 17 million copies sold.
Last Aug. 19, musicians, fans and well-wishers gathered at the Bank of America Pavilion for what was understood to be Boston’s last performance, organized in Delp’s honor. Among them was Michael Sweet, longtime fan and leader of the Grammy-nominated Christian metal outfit, Stryper.
Now Boston, – including founder Tom Scholz, 61, is back on the road this summer, packing venues across the country including a hometown show at Mansfield’s Comcast Center on Sunday. Vocal duties are being split between Sweet and fellow newbie Tommy DeCarlo, a die-hard fan and Home Depot credit manager who hit the jackpot with his audition.
We caught up with Sweet recently, and got the lowdown on the tour.
Herald: How did this tour come about?
Sweet: The rehearsals and ensuing show last August came off so well, afterwards Tom asked me if I would consider singing with the band were they ever to tour again. But I was floored at how quickly it came together. Boston’s known for long breaks between projects, so when I got the call six months later I couldn’t believe it.
Why the sudden change of heart?
All I can say is that a lot of healing took place at that tribute concert last year. Tom was deeply saddened by losing Brad, but you could tell he also experienced a great deal of joy getting together with other people and celebrating the music left behind.
Does being part of Boston compromise your faith at all? Are you channeling your inner bad boy?
I haven’t felt that yet, no. Believe it or not, Boston isn’t your typical rock scene with groupies, girls and drugs backstage. We’ve got a vegetarian chef, and lifestyle-wise it’s as normal and boring as it gets.
Is it daunting, walking into a situation like this with an established audience that’s bound to be opinionated about a new member?
It does feel odd, but not in a negative way. I’ve been a fan from the beginning, but my roots are so different – Stryper comes from the flashy ’80s borderline metal scene, big hair and all that. I perform differently than Boston does. I run around onstage and put a lot of energy into the showmanship, sometimes I worry that it’s too much. But I’m truly blessed with this opportunity, and the fan reactions to my stage presence has been overwhelmingly positive, so I must be doing something right.