Photos by Megan Juarez-Fontana
Promoter: Live Nation
Venue: Talking Stick Amphitheater
Date: Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Tour: Summer of 99
The night was hot and buzzing with excitement. You could feel the electricity in the air; the chatter was flowing at rates that beat the speed of light. This concert was the talk of the town, the highlight of the year, the event of the century! The night was a flash back of the 90s and the greats of the 90s; a night where Creed, 3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven.
I was extremely excited to see Creed perform. They were a favorite of mine growing up. As the time neared for Creed to take the stage my excitement grew; Creed was important to me because it’s a band my uncle showed me. It was a band that we shared that laid the pathway for us to bond through music.
Creed formed in 1994 in Tallahassee, Florida. Their current lineup is formed by Scott Stapp – lead vocals, Mark Tremonti – guitar/backing vocals, Scott Phillips – drums/keyboard, Brian Marshall – bass and Eric Friedman – guitar/backing vocals. Creed is a hard rock/post rock Christian band, although you would never guess listening to some of their songs.
The stage was dark and their name flashed in black and white on the screen until they came onto the stage. Then the lights exploded and the band began to play. They opened their set with my all time favorite song of theirs “Bullets”! Instantly the audience and myself sang along as we watched the band do their thing! Everyone who was able to move around on stage did so and Stapp would walk onto the speakers that were placed in front center stage, bringing him closer to the crowd. The fans ate it up as smoke and flames shot into the air; this opening was so energetic and eye catching that you couldn’t watch anything else, it kept your eyes from wandering.
Their set included so many great songs such as “What If”, “Are You Ready?” And “My Own Prison”. Everyone was waiting for “Higher” and “Arms Wide Open” which were played closer to the end. Stapp was great at addressing the audience in between songs and telling them short stories or his thoughts. They also gave away one of their guitars to one of their fans in the audience who showed how much they loved creed throughout the concert! The set finally ended with their song “My Sacrifice”.
Creed
The second band of the night was 3 Doors Down. This was a fun set opened up with their song “Train”. The audience loved every second. They began to play and everyone screamed! This night was definitely the night to relive and walk down memory lane. The band moved around the stage and always made sure to make contact with the audience by talking to them or pointing. The fans sang along and the loudest the fans were for this set was when they performed their extremely well loved song “Kryptonite”. This song was their anthem and well played when I was growing up. Who didn’t know this song?!
3 Doors Down
The first band of the night was the Canadian rock band, Finger Eleven. This band hails from Burlington, Canada and formed in 1990. The bands current line up consists of Scott Anderson – lead vocals, James Black – lead guitar/backing vocals, Rick Jackett – rhythm guitar, Sean Anderson – bass and Steve Molella – drums.
I was excited for this band as well, I’ve never seen them and my dad and I both share a love for their song “Paralyzer”. The band came onto the stage in full force, ready to knock it out of the park. They played their song “Above” and the audience sang along. Black was the one who moved all over the stage, you could tell that the music took him! They ended their set with “Paralyzer” that turned into AC/DC’s “Back In Black”. It was a great transition and cover! What a way to end their set.
Finger Eleven
