Creed Brings the Summer of '99 Tour to The Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
September 9, 2024
Late 90’s and early 2000’s rock giants, Creed, have set out on their Summer of ’99 Tour this year marking the first time the band has toured in over a decade. This past week saw the tour make a stop at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City, UT, with special guests Finger Eleven and 3 Doors Down.
First up on the stage were Canadian rockers, Finger Eleven, whose spot on this tour was a perfect pairing since they played with Creed in 99 and toured with them in 2000. Over the course of their 7-song set they kickstarted the evening getting everyone ready for the show with their biggest hits and new music. The 5th song of their performance was their new single “Adrenaline,” which the band released last month and is the first single off their upcoming album to be released next year. The next two songs got everyone on their feet singing along to “One Thing” and their monster hit “Paralyzer” which closed out their set.
Next up on stage was 3 Doors Down, which again made the perfect pairing for this tour as vocalist Brad Arnold told the crowd that Creed was the first band who ever took 3 Doors Down on tour. Unsurprisingly their set was comprised of fan favorites, but it did include a new song that they have been playing on tour, “Never Back Down.” The rest of the 60-minute set was reserved for their biggest hits. In between songs the vocalist, Brad Arnold, would talk to the crowd giving us encouragement to try and see the best in each other and find common ground to build better relationships with each other. The last 4 songs of the set turned into a big sing-along as “Let me Go,” “Landing in London,” “Kryptonite” and “When I’m Gone” closed out their set.
Around 9:15 the crowd in the amphitheatre went wild and the energy doubled as Creed strolled out onto the stage to take us all on a nostalgic music driven experience for the next 90 minutes. Creed wasted no time in getting things going, opening the show with one of their heaviest singles, “Bullets” from their album Weathered. They went right into the next song “Torn” which saw the band performing in front of an incredible pyro show throughout the song. Stapp talked to the crowd throughout the set in between most of the songs addressing unity. Stapp echoed Arnold’s remarks from earlier on finding something that unites us all and focusing on that instead of what divides us, saying “They want us divided because divided we are easier to control.” The crowd cheered in agreement with Stapp in this and other thoughts he would share throughout the evening. The crowd really came to life in the middle of the performance when Stapp and guitarist, Mark Tremonti, brought out one of Tremonti’s signature guitars and told the crowd that whoever was the wildest and loudest person in attendance would win the guitar at the end of the song. At the end of it they brought up a fan onto the stage who was dressed as an early 2000’s version of stapp onto the stage who won the guitar giving him a night he will never forget. The show kept going with Creed playing “With Arms Wide Open” and “Higher” before exiting the stage while the LED panels flashed Creed on the screen and fans chanted for them before they came back out for an encore. The last two songs of the night felt like I was at my first ever concert again with the energy in the venue making it a moment that won’t be forgotten as they closed the night out with “One Last Breath” and “My Sacrifice.”
Stapp might have something going with his words after all telling us to find something that unites us. Throughout the 90-minute set but especially the last two songs everyone in the venue was united in celebrating one of the biggest musical acts of the 90’s and 2000’s and the shared love for their music.
Creed will continue the Summer of ’99 tour throughout this month, and you can find dates and info here.