Words & Photos by Marco Denzer
Following a twelve year hiatus, the highly acclaimed rock band Creed has reunited and returned to performing live shows for their legions of followers across the U.S. As the band brought their Summer of 99 Tour to a close, tri-state area fans were treated to an absolutely stellar performance at the Etness Arena at Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City.
Ontario based rockers Finger Eleven kicked things off at 8PM and quickly broke the ice with an energetic set that laid the base for the rest of the night’s performances. Multi-platinum rockers 3 Doors Down followed next on the night’s bill with a lengthy and very engaging set that further elevated the good mood of the crowd. With a generous setlist that included many of their widely popular hits like “When I’m Gone”, “Here Without You” and “Kryptonite”, 3 Doors Down came across as a friendly and down to earth bunch of guys that are up on stage to have a great time and spread good vibes with their music. Additionally, lead singer Brad Arnold candidly communicated a faith-based message of gratitude, hope and goodwill throughout their set that was notably well received and cheered by the fans.
At long last the wait was finally over when Creed, much to the delight of their adoring fans, walked on stage at 9PM with an awesome setlist in mind and ready to rock. Featuring Scott Stapp (vocals), Mark Tremonti (guitar/vocals), Scott Phillips (drums), and Brian Marshall (bass) with additional support from Eric Friedman (guitar/vocals/mandolin), the band began their set with the song “Bullets” from the 2001 album “Weathered”.
Creed literally brought the heat on right from the start, as huge flames ignited across the back of the stage to greatly accentuate the song. They continued their performance with that same high level of energy and pyro techniques by planning and coordinating their repertoire with strategically timed bursts of flames, in addition to animated video screens, lights, and bursts of CO2 gas shooting from jets located on the edge of the stage.
Band members were very active throughout the set and moved around constantly on stage, interacting often with the audience and each other as they delivered and absolutely rocking performance. Let there be no doubt, Creed is a formidable metal powerhouse. They appeared quite comfortable as a group, physically fit and full of energy to deliver the goods, particularly Scott Stapp, who’s an absolute bundle of energy and consummate front man. He was thoughtful, inspiring, engaging and appeared to effortlessly instigate audience participation from beginning to end without ever letting up… and the crowd loved every minute of it.
In addition to the long list of popular hits the band played, including “My Own Prison”, “What If”, “One”, “Higher” and many others, there was an extremely captivating visual element about their performance that contributed to blurring the line between audience and musicians. It united everyone in rock and roll and made it possible to turn a concert into one hell of a fun and memorable party.
Setlist
Bullets
Torn
Are You Ready?
Never Die
My Own Prison
Weathered
What If
Say I
Faceless Man
One
What’s This Life For
With Arms Wide Open
Higher
Encore
One Last Breath
My Sacrifice
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TheWaster.com | Atlantic City
10.4.24
