Creed's "Summer of '99 Tour" Brings a Sold Out Show to BuffaloThe sheer dominance of Creed was undeniable in the late '90's and mid 2000's. The band rise to incredible heights seemingly overnight, with the breakout success of songs like "Torn" and "What's This Life For" saw their debut album, 'My Own Prison' rise to meteoric success.

Not long after, I had the chance to first see them near the top of the bill at Woodstock '99, just a few short months before the release of their sophomore effort, 'Human Clay.' When The Doors' Robby Krieger joined the band on stage for covers of "Roadhouse Blues" and "Riders of the Storm," Creed's legacy seemed solidified as one of the biggest rock bands of my era.

"Stapp's charismatic stage presence took me right back to that breakout performance at Woodstock '99 and I could tell immediately that Creed is back!"

A few short years later, Creed once again dominated the airwaves with their third album, 'Weathered' before disbanding in the mid'2000's. While a reunion was attempted on a few occasions, which included a tour and an album (2009's 'Full Circle'), the moments seemed to feel forced and were met with similar reception from audiences and album sales.

This time, it felt different. Scott Stapp has clearly worked very hard on his own personal comeback and the remainder of the band has continued to see success as Alter Bridge, with vocalist Myles Kennedy rounding out their lineup. Creed may have felt like an afterthought, as the band didn't seem to be desperate for any kind of reunion, certainly not just for nostalgia's sake.

When Creed announced their 'Summer of '99 Cruise' last year, the news was immediately met with a huge positive response. So much so, that they added a second cruise after the first sold out. The following tour that took place this summer was the natural follow-up, allowing Creed to bring a few select bands to venues across the country. If there was any doubt that the time was right for Creed's return, all doubts were put to rest as this tour has sold out virtually every seat on the tour!

Finger Eleven's Scott Anderson helps get the crowd warmed up at Darien Lake in Buffalo, NY

This particular leg of the tour featured support from 3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven, both bands that also enjoyed a respectable amount of success at the same time as Creed's original peak of popularity. Finger Eleven opened the show up with a 45-minute set featuring a selection of songs which included the monster hits "Paralyzer" and "One Thing" as they warmed up the crowd, which was quickly filing in.

After a quick changeover, 3 Doors Down took the stage and unloaded an hour-long set of career spanning hits. All night, I kept hearing fans reflect on how they knew every song that 3 Doors Down played during their 13-song performance this evening. Similar to Creed, the band had early success with multiple hits on each successive album from both their debut (2000's 'The Better Life') and 2002's 'Away From the Sun' including "Kryptonite," "Loser," "Here Without You" and "When I'm Gone." All of these and more were featured in the setlist.

3 Doors Down's Brad Arnold powered through and impressive selection of hits on the 'Summer of '99 Tour'

To say 3 Doors Down is also experience a bounce on this tour is likely an understatement. While their biggest days may be in the rearview mirror, there's no question this band has had some incredible staying power over the years. They sound fantastic and the crowd enjoyed every hit. I suspect, given the success of this tour, that we'll see more of 3 Doors Down again on the road very soon!

Finally, it was time for Creed to take the stage for their latest sold-out performance! The stage went black shortly after 9pm as the band's "Creed" logo flashed on the video wall behind the stage. The fans understood the assignment, as they all began chanting "Creed," "Creed," "Creed" in unison, as the band's name continued to flash.

As the band casually took their places on stage, they opened up with "Bullets," "Torn" and "Are You Ready?" the opening tracks from each of their first three albums. The sheer presence of this band on stage was impressive. They each appeared to really enjoy bringing these songs back to the stage again after such a long absence. As mentioned earlier, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips are no strangers to the stage, having been actively touring with Alter Bridge for twenty years now.

Creed's Mark Tremonti at Darien Lake

Every time I'm photographing a show, I make it a point to try and focus on every member of the band on stage (despite capturing the drummer often proves to be quite difficult, sorry Scott Phillips). On this night, I was drawn to Scott Stapp's presence. There's no doubt this was in part due to my desire to see just how much this man has rebuilt himself over the last several years. From the start, it was evident that Stapp is unquestionably committed to this band and to himself and it was a joy to see. Stapp's charismatic stage presence took me right back to that breakout performance at Woodstock '99 and I could tell immediately that Creed is back!

Just like 3 Doors Down before them, Creed powered through a set with hit after hit, including "My Own Prison," "What If," "One" and "With Arms Wide Open." All of this, before closing out the set with "One Last Breath" and "My Sacrifice."

What a show! From start to finish, this lineup was awesome! Perhaps this tour could have happened sooner, but it feels like the right time was now. There's no doubt that fans lined up to see some of the biggest bands of the 2000's and there's no doubt that everyone got precisely what they came for. I'm undoubtably less objective that I'd like to be when writing a show "review," so let's just call this what it is. I'm a huge music fan and I had an absolute blast covering a band that was inescapable a few decades ago. They looked fantastic, they sounded just as good, and I hope everyone that had the urge to check them out this summer took the opportunity. If not, I have a feeling you'll get another chance very soon!

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