================================================ Subject: Review of St. Paul show From: "Amanda Inman" To: Date: Wed 20 Feb 2002 12:00:38 -0600 ================================================ People Like this guy make me sick read and find out why. ________________________________________________________________________ Creed plays to the faithful in sellout concert Chris Riemenschneider Star Tribune Published Feb 17, 2002 Congregations are an essential part of turning non-believers into converts. However, even with a sold-out crowd, Saturday's concert with the vaguely religious and wildly popular Creed proved once and for all that the Florida group is not a Christian rock band, nor is it a very good rock band. Though it played to 16,000 adoring fans at a moment when it is unequivocally the big kahuna of rockdom, Creed did not rise above its many naysayers' contention that it manufactures angst-flavored bubble gum. Or at least, it didn't make a believer out of this writer. The last time I saw the band was at Woodstock '99, when it played an afternoon set on a no-frills stage amid a lineup of hedonistic, hard-thrashing metal bands such as Korn and its soon-to-be nemesis Limp Bizkit. That day, Creed was a fish out of water (or mud, rather, which was more prevalent at the '99 event). On Saturday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Creed could not have been more in its element. For one, its new album "Weathered" has been No. 1 for the past two months, and at least one of its harshest critics, Rolling Stone magazine, has the group on its most recent cover. More to its advantage, it had its own stage, pyrotechnics and crowd. Playing under four giant Roman columns and video screens showing New Agey, eerie images, (the whole thing suggested Spinal Tap with a Tolkien twist), Creed certainly did not shy away from rock-god status in its stage setup. Flames and fireworks shot from the stage during the opening of "Bullets" and "Freedom Fighter," two high-octane rockers. To be certain, anybody thinking they would be getting a straight-laced Christian rock concert had to know otherwise right away. Unfortunately, all the fiery showiness did not cover up the popular belief that lead singer Scott Stapp still does not have his own identity. The scrappy, hunky frontman looked like a cross between a professional wrestler, Jim Morrison and Jesus himself as he stretched out his arms to the crowd or crouched down in "rock-attack" mode. Worse, he sounded like a hoarse version of Eddie Vedder throughout the show, singing generic anguish lines such as, "I feel angry, I feel helpless, wanna change the world" (from "One"). Stapp might have deserved a break from all the barbs if he did not also come across so cocky. He makes Jon Bon Jovi, another trite keep-the-faith singer, seem humble. Before "With Arms Wide Open," he made a self-congratulatory speech about "rocking from the heart." Before "My Own Prison," the title track from the band's 1997 debut album, he said, "This song is very special to us because it was our introduction to the world." He then added, like James Bond making a move on a vixen, "and I think you know what it is." For a band that's so popular and visceral, it really did not spawn much frantic reaction until its encore. Granted, people were cheering, especially for the hits, but the show never had that unabashed, ceaseless outpouring that fans give to U2, Pearl Jam or even Bon Jovi. Maybe that's why the group had microphones pointed back at the crowd. The one thing Creed did have going for it was opening band Tantric, which took the imitator theme of the night to new heights by sounding like an even paler, less-inspired version of the headline act ________________________________________________________________________ I'm just so mad I don't know what to so. Myself I loved the concert. Tell me what you think or if ya want to e-mail this guy here is his address. chrisr@startribune.com Later all _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com To unsubscribe or change your preferences for the Creed-Discuss list, visit: http://www.winduplist.com/ls/discuss/form.asp