Creed Brought Its Summer Of 99 Tour To Tampa With Arms Wide Open

The Creed Summer of 99’ Tour visited Tampa on Friday night at the Tampa Fairgrounds. Well, at least that’s what the venue was called back then. The outdoor venue was packed from the rail to the fringes of the lawn as those who didn’t get to see the Creed’s reunion on their music cruise this last summer, finally got their chance. Creed hasn’t performed as a band since their last tour in 2009 and were broke up for 5 years before that.

They were joined by 3 Doors Down in direct support with Finger 11 getting the opening slot on this stop as they took the stage promptly at 7. The five piece from Canada has been a band since 1990 out of high school with a couple of replacements behind the kit. The core has remained intact and put on an entertaining 7 song set that included their two big hits in “One Thing” and “Paralyzer.”

Finger 11 opened with “Above” and then “First Time” and I was really surprised by their sound and style as they differed from their aforementioned hits. Both guitarists, Rick Jackett and James Black gave the crowd a show with completely different styles, with Jackett flinging his guitar in all directions while strumming.

Black donned a beautiful black and orange hollow-bodied guitar which I’ve never seen before and vocalist Scott Anderson was powerful throughout the set, especially on their new single “Adrenaline.” 

Finger 11 slowed it down and the crowd rose to their feet with some couples embracing for “One Thing” but then led into “Paralyzer” with a fantastic partial rendition of “That’s All” by Genesis.  

It was an unexpected twist that the crowd loved singing to and when the notes for “Paralyzer” kicked in, anyone still in their seats were now standing and bouncing to the beat provided by bassist Sean Anderson and drummer Steve Molella.

Even though Finger 11 had a shortened set, they made a strong impression on not only me, but others in the crowd. I’m looking forward to checking out some of their back catalog and seeing Finger 11 again on another stage soon.

Three Doors Down was up next as the sun set on a beautiful, thankfully not scorching night in Tampa.  It seems like this band has been touring non-stop since they stuck gold with “Kryptonite” 24 years ago.

Even though the band has had some considerable situations with former band members, they continue to move forward to play live and put out new music with singer Brad Arnold being the constant. 3DD opened with “Train” from their self-titled album released in 2008.

Then the set of their hits got into full swing with “Its Not My Time” and “Loser” with a couple of songs later on that I wasn’t familiar with mixed in. The crowd was into them from the jump and many cheered when Arnold brought up that Jesus loves us and how he can help us when we go through tough times.

He implored the crowd to join him in saying “I am the one that Jesus loves, Amen” before starting his favorite song in “Away From The Sun.”

Other highlights of the set were “Here Without You” and their new song “Never Look Down” which got a huge pop from the crowd and should be released on all platforms as soon as possible because it’s that good.

Arnold was thrilled with the response from the crowd and brought up that they always think their new song is great but when played in front of his friends, it sometimes doesn’t have the same effect which leads to second guessing.

The crowd was in their seats for most of the set but rose emphatically when the opening notes of “Kryptonite” bounced through the speakers. 

The ratio of attendees was about 50-50 male to female and that is an extreme rarity for a rock show and the ladies were in a dancing mood, especially during this track and then hugged up on their man for the finale in “When I’m Gone.”

3 Doors Down continues to be relatable to the masses in the States and no matter where they are, or what size venue they’re in, they pack the house while an American Flag flies from the stage. The band is about supporting the country they love and bringing a message to the masses.

After a half hour break, the black video screen blinked “Creed” in white letters and faded as the overhead lights that looked like a UFO was landing, flashed throughout the Mid Florida Amphitheater. 

Drummer Scott Phillips got behind the kit as bassist Brian Marshall and guitarists Mark Tremonti and Eric Friedman took their evolving positions on stage. Singer Scott Stapp strode over to center stage as the opening notes of “Bullets” rang out.

Stapp looked as powerful as he sounded throughout the song and during their whole set. He has obviously spent a ton of time on his body and his mind getting ready for this tour.

Prior to this year, Stapp had been performing as a solo entity for years while the other members of Creed have been in Alter Bridge with Myles Kennedy and doing other solo projects, especially Mark Tremonti.

I have seen Stapp twice in the last 5 years and he has been on top of his game vocally. It was obvious that it was only a matter of time before this reunion would happen as it would be lucrative and it’s what their fans have wanted for years.

After “Torn,” Creed continued with “Are You Ready” which was perfect timing as everyone was back in their seats or up in the grass and you couldn’t see an empty spot in the house. The fans were also blasting back the chorus towards the stage as they would all night long.

The band members on stage had smiles on their faces as Tremonti and Stapp stood together during “My Own Prison.” Vocally and sonically, Tremonti has never sounded better. Stapp and he bounced back vocally between each other and harmonized in unison with Eric Friedman.

Stapp introduced a lot of the songs but went on an extended run about how everyone reaches out to God during their time of extreme need.

“You all cry out to our maker. Stop denying it. You all have done it. One place to look and that place is up. Sometimes getting crumbled is a good thing. It was for me.” These statements were embraced by the crowd prior to him introducing “Weathered.”

The five video panels flashed different images and backdrops along with the UFO light structure flashed as lasers crisscrossed the stage. This was hands down one of the most impressive stage presentations I have witnessed after going to hundreds of shows. 

After “What If,” which has a booming bass track by Brain Marshall, Tremonti gave away his stage played guitar to the wildest fan in the crowd which happened to be a young man on crutches with his dad. Tremonti gave it to him as he hopes the young man will learn to play and be on a stage someday.

Stapp once again addressed the crowd and how the world and we are divided as a people and how the government is responsible etc. and brought a message of unity before starting “One.”

It was a bit of an extended message with some looking like “is this guy going to keep going or play songs” but it was a valid point, and he was effective while making it.

A surprise was next as Stapp was introducing “What’s This Life For” and he noticed and had a fight broken up in the crowd with the combatants removed from the show.  The band didn’t skip a beat and continued on with “With Arms Wide Open” and the crowd favorite in “Higher.

The band left the stage for a brief minute and did a two-song encore in “One Last Breath” & “My Sacrifice” with Stapp stating that Tampa was a top three stop on the tour.

Someone in the crowd threw a can at Stapp and he stopped the final song of the night to find and call that person out. The crowd booed and Stapp and Creed finished the song with a booming chorus which rang out through the facility and into the night sky with the fans joining in.

As the band and the crowd departed the venue with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” playing through the house speakers, I know I witnessed a show that many won’t forget.

Three great bands that played their asses off and no matter how you feel about Creed, love them or hate them, they are amazing musicians, are putting on a fantastic audio and video show and once again are on top of their game like they were back doing a tour in the Summer of 99.

For additional tour dates which I highly suggest seeing one of them, head to

https://creed.com/