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Story by Andy Argyrakis
Photos by Rob Grabowski
In a summer of tours being canceled constantly and tickets prices being dropped dramatically at the last minute in order to fill seats, it's refreshing to find a band who priced itself reasonably from the start with fans' wallets in mind. Considering the economy still hasn't recovered and disposable income is dwindling by the day, Creed's aptly titled "20-10 Tour" (featuring $20 pavilion and $10 lawn seats) gave fans an excuse to get out without making them feel guilty about dropping too much dough.
And across a 90-minute show split between hits and newer tunes off last year's Full Circle (Wind-Up), the recently reunited foursome delivered exactly what was expected, which was basically a big rock show backed by lights, smoke and plenty of pyro. While it's easy to be skeptical of the jock rockers, especially in Chicago where the band gave a less than desirable performance during its darker years, the egos seem to be completely erased and the unity was apparent amongst front man Scott Stapp, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips.
Barn burners like "Bullets" and "My Own Prison" kicked off the evening with ballsy guitars from Tremonti and plenty of rock star poses from Stapp, though upon closer examination, it's clear that newer acts like Nickelback basically aped the band's formula to similar success. Recent cuts like "Overcome" and "Rain" found Creed playing catch up, while also keeping its inspirational lyrical undertones in tact.
The band was better off presenting blistering rockers like "One" and "My Sacrifice" as opposed to clichéd ballads like "With Arms Wide Open," though a fully plugged in encore of "One Last Breath" and "Higher" sent the masses home with their fists in the air. Of course, it remains to be seen if Creed can continue this kind of momentum (especially if ticket prices ever increase), though as far as the here and now is concerned, the reconvened rockers are back on the right track. |
