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JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
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Fire and brimstone erupted as Creed launched into its hard-rock set inspired by religious imagery, even if the band disavows the label Christian rock.<\/p>\n
That sentiment certainly rang true for the enthusiastic multigenerational crowd that gathered at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night to worship at the altar of hard rock nostalgia during the band\u2019s Summer of \u201899 tour stop.<\/p>\n
Concert Review<\/p>\n
Creed with Big Wreck and Mammoth<\/p>\n
Canada Life Centre
\nTuesday, July 14
\nAttendance: approximately 12,000
\n3-1\/2 stars out of 5<\/p>\n
The band strode on stage under cover of thick fog following an extended light show that prompted a chant of \u201cCreed, Creed, Creed\u201d from the nearly sold-out house.<\/p>\n
Wearing a spray of silver chains and dressed head-to-toe in black, lead singer Scott Stapp, 52, assumed a wide stance and dove into the night\u2019s opening track Bullets, from the band\u2019s third album, Weathered.<\/p>\n
Slick, ominous video montages rolled on a large screen while fire (pyro) and brimstone (smoke) erupted from the stage in time with the band\u2019s punchy drums and Stapp\u2019s soaring, growling vocals. Pockets of light moshing broke out in the pit throughout the night.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed lead singer Scott Stapp\u2019s lyrics have always been steeped in religious imagery.<\/p>\n Creed has long denied any association with Christian rock, but Stapp\u2019s lyrics have always been steeped in religious imagery, and the vocalist has become more open about his faith in recent years. On Tuesday, he took a moment to deliver a mid-concert sermon, which drew a wave of cheers, before launching into the title track off the band\u2019s debut 1997 album, My Own Prison.<\/p>\n The first half of the setlist focused on deeper cuts \u2014 such as Are You Ready? and What If \u2014 that may be lesser known to new Creed converts.<\/p>\n Formed in Florida in 1994, Creed disbanded and reconvened and disbanded again before experiencing a renewed surge in popularity in 2023 thanks to the internet\u2019s obsession with \u201890s nostalgia. The band\u2019s modern fanbase run the gamut from gen X and millennial fans looking for a blast from the past and gen Z listeners who discovered the group through TikTok.<\/p>\n The band has embraced the nostalgia machine with its Summer of \u201899 offerings, sharing the stage with other era-appropriate acts \u2014 such as Limp Bizkit, Hoobastank and Cypress Hill \u2014 on tours, cruises and music festivals over the past three years.<\/p>\n After some more evangelizing from Stapp, the band closed its 90-minute performance with a run of mega hits: With Arms Wide Open and Higher, both of which kicked off arena-wide singalongs. These were the songs people came to experience live.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed opened their set when lead singer Scott Stapp dove into the track Bullets, from the band\u2019s third album, Weathered.<\/p>\n Another chant of \u201cCreed, Creed, Creed\u201d brought the band back out for an encore of One Last Breath and My Sacrifice. And, of course, more singing. The band tossed paper airplanes and guitar picks into the crowd before exiting the stage for good.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tDish<\/p>\n Every Second Friday<\/p>\n The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for Dish<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Mammoth opened the night with a loud, heavy set. The Los Angeles hard rock band formed in 2015 as a solo project of frontman Wolfgang Van Halen (son of Eddie Van Halen and a former member of the family band), who, like his dad, can definitely shred.<\/p>\n Though not a genuine \u201890s article, the band\u2019s lofty vocals and booming drums meshed well with the rest of the bill. The five-piece pulled songs from its three-album catalogue, including The End, the title track of Mammoth\u2019s latest record; and Distance, a tribute to Eddie, who died in 2020.<\/p>\n Big Wreck followed with more loud and more heavy. The Canadian-American rock band received a warm reception from the nearly full crowd during the opening notes of The Oaf, the lead single off In Loving Memory Of\u2026, the band\u2019s debut 1997 album.<\/p>\n The Juno-nominated group is fronted by Toronto-born singer and guitarist Ian Thornley, who set out on his own when Big Wreck disbanded in 2003. Tuesday\u2019s setlist included work from the band\u2019s busy second act, such as Albatross (2012); the Thornley cover, Come Again; and early hits Blown Wide Open and That Song \u2014 the latter of which saw the audience singing along at the top of its lungs. Thornley\u2019s vocals were crisp and the band was tight despite a static performance.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed performs in Winnipeg, Tuesday.<\/p>\n eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed performs in Winnipeg, Tuesday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed performs in Winnipeg, Tuesday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed performs in Winnipeg, Tuesday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed performs in Winnipeg, Tuesday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed performs in Winnipeg, Tuesday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Creed performs in Winnipeg, Tuesday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Eva Wasney Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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