Creed concert is a love fest

The Capital Times November 18 2002

At most rock concerts, the lead singer shouts "Are you ready to rock?" At a Creed concert, lead singer Scott Stapp asks "Are you ready to feel?"

Just under 10,000 people were more than ready, which is why they filled the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum on Saturday night to see Creed, the immensely popular rock band that illustrates the traditional inverse relationship between critical acclaim and commercial success.

It's becoming harder and harder to distinguish a new Creed song on the radio - not because the band has changed its sound at all, but because there are so many imitators out there now. Opening act Default, for example, follows the formula so closely that you'd think it had bought a franchise.

For Creed, every song is an anthem, a bring-the-house-down, chest-thumping rock opus in which Stapp treats every emotion he has with life-or-death importance. The band never wavers from this approach, and as a result the songs' quasi-inspirational messages tend to bleed into each other ("Wait, is this the song where we all become one, or the one where we take him higher?")

On record, it often ends up insufferably self-serious. But in concert, it's mostly sufferable, and sometimes more than that. There's an undeniable vein of authenticity in Creed's music that can occasionally grip even the most jaded listeners - even if they don't respect themselves for it afterward.

Maybe it's being surrounded by thousands of fans cheering and singing along in unison, visibly transported by the songs. Maybe it's seeing the pleasure on Stapp's face when he knows he's connecting with an audience. Maybe it's that the show is so incredibly loud, with the drum beats rattling the arena's metal roof like artillery shells, that any cynical thoughts are simply drowned out.

The band milked the audience for every drop of anticipation by not taking the stage until nearly 15 minutes after most of the house lights were dropped. But when they did, they came in with all concert pyrotechnics blazing, including flame pots, fireworks, and showers of sparks. The opening song, "Bullets," had a dark, uncompromising edge to it, as did the next "What If?" - which featured generic crime scene footage on the stage's giant screens.

As the 100-minute show went on, the songs lightened up a little, with more upbeat anthems like "Higher" and "With Arms Wide Open," which Stapp wrote about the birth of his son.

Stapp is an undeniably charismatic performer, emoting his socks off for every line of every song. His singing voice lies halfway between a croon and a snarl, and he often stands with his legs spread wide, as if astride an invisible mule.

Some of Stapp's statements between songs seemed to be candidates for inclusion in Dr. Phil's Words of Wisdom, such as "Having a child is not just teaching, it's learning" and "Let's keep sharing things."

Fortunately, hugging was optional.

.Rob Thomas