Last weekend, Creed returned to Southern California for a massive rock show at San Bernardino’s iconic Glen Helen Amphitheater. Approximately 25,000 people made the trek out to the desert for Creed’s Summer of ‘99 Fest. Consisting of the band’s current tour mates in 3 Doors Down and Daughtry along with veteran rockers from the late ’90’s and early 2000’s such as Hinder, Finger Eleven, Fuel, and more. Despite the scorching August heat, heavy traffic along interstate-15 and just the insane cost of existing in 21st century America and attending a concert, the mood inside Glen Helen Amphitheater was joyous. There was an actual fervor amongst the crowd who for many were eagerly waiting to see Creed for the first time.
Hinder was rocking the stage as we arrived and surveyed the grounds. We’ve covered many events at this venue over the years, but we’ve never experienced such a laid-back vibe like we did at Creed’s Summer of ’99 Fest. The atmosphere inside the grounds felt more like a county fair than a huge Live Nation produced event. Imagine the camaraderie and fun usually reserved for tailgating outside in the parking lot … but inside the actual show. People ate, drank, flaunted their new and insanely clever Creed merchandise, danced and sung their hearts out like it wasn’t 97 degrees outside.
The sun finally started to set behind Glen Helen’s massive stage as Daughtry came out. He opened with “The Reckoning” off his new EP Shock to the System (Part 1), and the crowd roared with excitement. Despite Daughtry’s famous pipes, when a crowd as large as the one inside Summer of ’99 Fest sings in unison, you might find yourself getting drowned out here and there. That’s exactly how it went when the audience joined in during Daughtry’s smash hit “It’s Not Over,” and his cover of Deftones classic “Change (In the House of Flies).”
Strolling through the venue’s gargantuan lawn section (it’s the largest outdoor amphitheater in North America!) allowed us to witness the flood of ingenious Creed merchandise the band produced for this tour. Red, white, and blue Creed 2024 shirts with the slogan “Take us Higher” written across the chest were a popular hit, but the sea of white number 11 football jerseys, honoring singer Scott Stapp’s Cowboys jersey from Creed’s legendary 2001 NFL Thanksgiving half time performance, was the most prevalent item of the day.
The energy in the lawn was so infectious we returned up there to people watch during the last half of 3 Doors Down’s set. The band enjoyed a warm welcome from the now packed Southern California crowd. Like the response for Daughtry and almost as loud as what would transpire during Creed’s headline set, 3 Doors Down ripped through hit after hit from their repertoire and were close to being drowned out by the still, somehow, totally hyped audience. Shooting photos near the stage during the beginning of their performance, you could literally feel the riffs from the PA during “It’s Not My Time” and “Loser” but returning to the lawn during “Here Without You” was totally different and a completely surreal masterclass in crowd singing.
As one might expect, this phenomenon reached crazy new heights during Creed. It would be safe to wager that most of the crowd were longtime Creed fans who might have rocked with the band in arenas during the Bush years, or at least participated in the band’s utter domination of radio, MTV, and diamond album sales back in the day. There was, however, a huge contingent of zoomers and tail-end millennials who either weren’t born or were too young to jump on the Creed train before. Nostalgia can be fun and the tour/festival name is perfect, but for a lot of people here, this was a brand new, crazy, exciting experience, and they made sure to thank the band at every turn.
Creed opened with “Bullets,” one of the heavier jams in their catalog, and the 25,000-plus crowd ignited just like the walls of pyro onstage. Scott Stapp’s voice sounded just like their albums, like he just left the recording studio from 2001 and walked straight onto the stage in San Bernardino. Mark Tremonti literally had the audience in his hand, controlling a sea of people all night with his guitar. This man has crafted some of the most beautiful melodies and insanely heavy riffs of all time.
The way the crowd reacted to the bludgeoning “What If” versus the heart swelling “With Arms Wide Open” was uncanny. Things got a little too wild during “What If” actually, when a mosh pit in the general admission orchestra section turned violent. Scott Stapp noticed the ruckus and stopped the show for a few minutes until everyone involved was back on their feet. You’d swear it was a different band that was playing five songs later when they launched into “With Arms Wide Open” and every cell phone on site illuminated the venue.
Creed performed like an airtight rock ’n’ roll machine here in SoCal, headbanging, jumping from platforms and risers onstage, setting off insane amounts of pyro while conjuring every emotion conceivable from their legions of fans. Watching their set, there was no indication that Creed were on ice for over a decade. Judging from the ear-shattering response during their closing encore of “One Last Breath” and “My Sacrifice,” Creed aren’t just back … they might be bigger than ever.
CREED
3 Doors Down
DAUGHTRY
