I first started really getting into music back in 2000 and 2001.
Until then, I was heavily sheltered as far as music was concerned, and was forced to listen to nothing but country ballads as my parents and I traveled to wherever we happened to be going. It was sickening. I didn't care much for music at all, except for my weekly radio treat, in the form of "Mandatory Metallica" on Q106. My step brother had introduced me to that station one of the few times that we were riding together. I started hearing bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains...and I immediately fell in love with the three.
Then, one night, while hanging out at a friend's place, I caught the premiere of Creed's "One Last Breath" music video on MTV. I had heard a couple of their songs in the past, but never had one caught my attention, like this one.
All I was doing from the moment Tremonti's fingers started picking, was staring wide-eyed into the screen, and listening to that mind blowing guitar riff. That guitar riff is one of the best riffs of all time, in my opinion. Something about it just jumped out at me.
Anyway, I've been hooked on Creed ever since.
They were the first band I decided to spend money on, buying their "Weathered" CD, immediately after its release. Other bands like Staind, Default, Nickelback, Five For Fighting, 3 Doors Down, RHCP, and Dave Matthews started releasing some popular songs around the same time. This persuaded me to delve into the depths of 90's alternative and grunge/post grunge. Which, in turn, persuaded me to experiment with thrash metal, arena rock, classic rock, and the like.
From Creed's one CD, my collection has grown to be quite vast.
And yes, I paid for every single one of them.
Now, I listen to everything from the 60's, to today. And I look forward to tomorrow. (But now I don't listen to a damn bit of country.
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I credit Creed for turning me on to music I can jam to, and getting me into some of the best bands in music history. It could have been any band, but they came along at just the right moment for me.
And before anyone replies, I really don't give a damn about your opinions of "mainstream music". Maybe you hate every band that makes radio, or maybe you don't. But me, and well over 500 million strong, kind of like it.
Creed has sold over 30 million copies. Nirvana, over 50.
Those bands you cling to that no one else knows about, who are probably very good, but will probably never reach mainstream, can't come anywhere near in comparison to those figures.
Don't use that against me, either. I listen to plenty of bands that will never make mainstream. I just find it irritating how some people, mostly critics, deem some music horrible because it isn't artistic, or complex enough, to be secluded from radio. Example being, "That band sucks, they're a bunch of corporate sell outs." Or, "Screw that band, they're generic mainstream crap. They suck, even though everyone likes them."
Mainstream means nothing, as far as talent goes.
I just happen to enjoy quite a few mainstream bands.
If massive radio play is supposed to make a band unpopular, I guess I'm not with the program, and never intend to be.
I secured a pit ticket to Creed's September 11th concert at the Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta, GA. And if I'm still living on that day, I'll see them and Staind playing in the heart of Atlanta. I swore up and down for years that I would never pay more than 100 bucks for a ticket. Creed is not good enough for that, in my opinion. I can't think of any band I like well enough to pay that price, honestly. But, I paid for it anyway. Due to my procrastination, I paid a lot more than I would have....too bad I didn't buy it a week earlier. I may end up regretting the cost of the ticket, but I probably won’t regret the decision. I had been hoping to see the band in concert, since year 2001. Once they disbanded, I figured that chance was gone for good. Now that I've got another chance to see the band, I've booked my spot for the show.
I've listened to a few recordings from their new shows, and saw them play on VH1. Either Stapp has a head cold, or he's blown his voice from the recent recording sessions, or rehearsals. I fear the latter is probably more accurate. I just hope that it's temporary, because his performances of late, are absolutely NOTHING like the ones he did a few years ago. If you compare his voice from earlier concerts, to the ones in the last few days, you notice a big difference in tone and pitch. The Scott Stapp of a few years ago would sing, and you could swear it was the same as the studio version of the vocals. He has an amazing voice for his genre. He's been an ******* and an egomaniac in his time, and even if he still is, it does nothing to change the quality of the music he's a part of, and the band that he performs with.
Mark Tremonti is a very highly underrated guitarist, who has progressed from average, to excellent. You won’t hear a lot of his talent on the first few Creed albums, but he shines all throughout his Alter Bridge performances. Same goes for the other members.
As far as Creed being a religious band, that's all been a misconception portrayed by the media. They have a lot of religious themes in their songs, but it's just lyrics that applied to them, (or Stapp), at the time. They never set out to go that route, and I don't see how people could think they are religious anyway. We're talking about a frontman who has been caught making sex tapes, starting drunken fights, passing out on stage, and assaulting his ex-wife. All of which, Stapp claims, is solely in his past. And if it is, I congratulate him and encourage him to keep it that way.
As for Alter Bridge, no one needs to fear their demise. They will return to the studio to record their third studio album, following the end of Creed's reunion tour. This tour has a large part to do with record executives wanting to make a lot of cash, in a lot of ways, in a short amount of time. But it is clear by the band's performance that they love every second of what they're doing, regardless of how well they are being paid for it.
Hope you enjoyed my rant.
There's my two and a half cents for the day.