Phoenix went time traveling all the way back to the Summer of ‘99 with Creed’s incredible tour lineup on Wednesday. The nostalgic staple band brought along 3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven for a sweaty evening of rocking out in the intense Arizona heat.
Finger Eleven took the stage while the sun was still up, powering through the heat with a short but memorable set. With longer songs in their repertoire, even the seven they selected for the setlist seemed like much more when it was all said and done. The crowd was ready for them, singing along to “Quicksand” and “One Thing” before the band closed with the inescapable “Paralyzer” (with a bonus mashup of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” for good measure).
Fans waiting to see 3 Doors Down only had to wait a year since their last Arizona appearance and the band was visibly thrilled to be back. They had a little more time onstage and made the very most of it with blistering 13 songs that included “Here Without You”, “The Road I’m On” and the classics at the end- “Kryptonite” and “When I’m Gone”. The audience knew exactly what they wanted and expected from the night and the bands more than delivered the type of show their nearly sold out crowd cheered for.
Finally, Creed returned to an Arizona stage and Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre exploded with energy and excitement. The band fed off of their intensity, immediately sweating through the first few songs but never letting their fervor diminish. Singer Scott Stapp was nearly impossible to look away from, his magnetic stage presence just as strong as it was in the 90s. He spoke at length between songs, discoursing on the powers of prayer and music as they’ve intertwined in his life. The rest of the band was reticent throughout the set, but prolific guitarist Mark Tremonti did take the spotlight to give away one of his signature guitars to an ecstatic fan in the pit early in the set.
Creed chose only 15 songs to round out their setlist but fans really couldn’t ask for more when moments like “One” stretched on for longer than a standard radio track. Naturally, the band closed out with “Higher” and “With Arms Wide Open” as the audience nearly drowned them out with their collective voices singing along. The group returned for a brief encore before releasing the audience from their time travels and back to 2024 where Creed is still a force to be reckoned with onstage.
