Jones Beach Welcomed Creed Back With Arms Wide Open

After announcing their reunion in 2023, Creed has been selling out show after show on their Summer of '99 Tour, making this one of the biggest reunions in a while. The band kept the train rolling this summer and made their stop in Wantagh, NY, playing a sold out show at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater with special guests, Daughtry and Mammoth.

Kicking the night off was the rock band Mammoth. Mammoth was created from the mind of lead singer Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of the late guitarist of Van Halen; Eddie Van Halen and have released two studio albums so far, Mammoth WVH and Mammoth II. The band is set to release their third studio album, The End on October 24th and have released two singles off of it so far, "The End" and "The Spell". Additional members include Frank Sidoris (guitar), Jonathan Jourdan (guitar), Ron Ficarro (bass) and Garrett Whitlock (drums). Mammoth delivered an energetic performance from start to finish that was both hard and fast. Van Halen shredded up a guitar solo on the first song "Another Celebration at the End of the World" and was rocking out on "The Spell". Mammoth kept the energy going through the songs "Like a Pastime", "Take a Bow", and "Don't Back Down" before wrapping it up with the new song "The End".

Up next was Daughtry, the North Carolina-based rock band formed by lead vocalist Chris Daughtry in 2006 following his participation in the fifth season of American Idol where he finished in fourth place. The band emerged into the mainstream music world instantly with the release of their debut studio Daughtry in 2006 and have released six studio albums to date. The rest of the band is made up of Brian Craddock (guitar), Marty O'Brien (bass), Elvio Fernandes (keyboards) and Anthony Ghazel (drums) and are currently signed to Big Machine Records. The band just released their EP SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART ONE) last year with a Part two to follow this year.

Daughtry made their way to the stage and opened their set up with "THE RECKONING", the opening track of their 2024 EP SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART ONE). Chris Daughtry made his way to the center and began singing the opening words with pure energy. It wasn't long after when Ghazel started to hammer away at the drums, signaling the rest of the band to kick in and once they did, the whole crowd let it all out. After getting the crowd's blood pumping, Chris picked up his guitar and began playing the next song, the recently released single "The Day I Die" which will be featured in the upcoming SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART TWO) EP. The haunting performance of this atmospheric, emotional song changed the pace of the night for a short time but it for sure had all of us in our feelings as Chris was singing his feelings out. He even let out a scream or two. Since Daughtry played two newer songs, the band then played a song that everyone was familiar with, though it wasn't one of their own. Chris asked the crowd if they liked to sing along and Fernandes then played the opening keys to "Separate Ways (World's Apart)" by Journey which fans recognized immediately. Daughtry released this cover in April of 2023 and features Lzzy Hale from Halestorm. From start to finish, the whole crowd sang every word with Chris and it was incredible. He even got one foot on the barricade and was high fiving everyone up front while signing. Everyone was having fun and enjoying this stellar cover of a classic. After torturing the crowd with newer songs and a cover, the band went back to 2006 and played one of the songs everyone was waiting for them to play. The next song was the debut song "It's Not Over" from the 2006 self-titled debut album. The fans sang every single word and were partying like it was still 2006, because a Daughtry show isn't a true Daughtry show unless they played this song, among a few others off of the same album which they did a little later.

Daughtry slowed things down for a bit and played another cover song dedicated to 3 Doors Down. 3 Doors Down was another band that was supposed to be on this tour however they had to pull out when lead singer Brad Arnold was diagnosed with cancer. So Chris brought out an acoustic guitar and played one of his favorite 3 Doors Down songs, "Away From The Sun" and dedicated it to Arnold. We all wish him well and for a speedy recovery. After the beautiful acoustic rendition of "Away From The Sun", Chris played another song on acoustic guitar and it was another Daughtry classic "Home". Before playing he asked the crowd to pull their phones and lighters out to light Jones Beach up, despite the fact it wasn't dark out yet. Chris invited the fans to sing along if they knew the words, which they did. The acoustic performance of this Daughtry staple put all of Jones Beach in their feelings with Chris even admitting that had he not wrote the song, he probably wouldn't have been here today. The rest of the band returned to the stage and raised it up a level with "The Dam" where Chris let out a massive scream to close the song out. The band then played another classic called "Over You" and closed their set out with "Heavy Is The Crown" and "Artificial". I have not been caught up when it came to Daughtry's latest stuff, so when that breakdown hit on the bridge of "Artificial" my jaw dropped. Seeing Daughtry perform a breakdown was not something I expected to see and it was a heavy one too. I'm very surprised a mosh pit didn't break out right then and there. I can see why they close their set with "Artificial", because it ends with a bang, which is what Daughtry did.

Now it was time for one of the biggest reunions in recent times,; the one and only Creed. A staple band in the post-grunge scene in late 90s/early 2000's, Creed was formed in Tallahassee, Florida in 1994 by lead vocalist Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti. The band has sold over 53 million albums worldwide and is known for songs like "Higher", "One Last Breath" and "My Sacrifice". Creed reformed in 2023 and have been hitting city after city on their Summer of '99 and Are You Ready? Tour with almost every single show selling out. The rest of the band is made up of bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips.

Fans chanted "Creed, Creed, Creed," over and over again until each member made their way onto the stage. The fans cheered as each member appeared with Stapp taking center stage. After a few moments, the band got right into the first song "Bullets" from their third album Weathered. The fans knew the words immediately and wasted no time singing along with Stapp. I felt a pound in my chest because of how heavy this song was. Those riffs Tremonti played were so fast and aggressive and were amplified by Phillips thunderous drumming. I can see why they chose this song to open their set with, it is considered their heaviest song to date after all. Throughout the song, pyro kept going off in the back and it brought the heat for sure. The bar was set very high already but Creed kept the energy going into the next song, the old school "Ode" from their first album My Own Prison. Stapp's stellar vocal performance was joined by Tremonti and touring guitarist Eric Friedman on backup vocals and it created a harmonizing grunge-like chorus and it was hypnotizing, to say the least. Stapp welcomed the crowd to the show and said it felt good to be back "in the great state of New York" which the crowd cheered to in response. He then told the crowd that the band was gonna take them on a spiritual and emotional journey and invited the crowd to join them on the next song "Torn". "Torn" changed the pace briefly but not by much and was still energetic but it was also, astral-like. Between Stapp's soulful singing and Tremonti's metallic guitar work, the song had me feeling like I really was going through a spiritual journey. Stapp had the crowd join him in the bridge and they sung the words together and Tremonti played a mini solo to close out the song. Stapp teased the next song "Are You Ready?" by asking the fans "are you ready?" and dedicated "Never Die" to Brad Arnold.

A little bit later, Stapp gave a speech about being trapped in prisons we create inside our minds and the band then ripped through the title track of their debut release, "My Own Prison", where Stapp and Tremonti shared vocal duties. He then told the crowd that he wanted them to view these next three songs as a trilogy, starting with "Wrong Way", then continuing into the next song, "Say I" where Stapp told the audience to imagine themselves in a desert. But not to just picture the desert, but imagine the feelings of isolation and fear that you're all alone, just you and your creator having a conversation. Pyro went off left and right on the stage as fans joined Stapp in chanting the words "say I". The trilogy then ends with Stapp telling the audience to keep picturing that desert and that isolation but that a figure emerges in the morning, known as the "Faceless Man". What's so memorable about Creed's live shows and even their music is that they don't just want you to sit there and watch and listen, they want you to experience something unique. Whether it is through the stories, the music, or the imagination, Creed intends to use their music to take you on a spiritual journey with unforgettable experiences and feelings that will have you never feeling the same again.

Throughout the show, pyro was going off behind Phillips during certain songs and the show had LED screens showing different visuals and colors that aided in amplifying the feelings and emotions the songs were trying to invoke. Before the band got into the next song, Stapp introduced Tremonti to the crowd and handed the mic to him. Tremonti thanked the crowd and told the crowd that the band had a gift for one lucky fan in the crowd. He told the crowd that whoever goes the craziest on the next song would be awarded a custom guitar. They then got into the next song "What If" and fans joined Stapp in chanting the song's hook "What If" while pyro kept going off in the back behind Phillips. Marshall also took the floor for a mini bass solo in the middle of the song. When the band finished Tremonti looked out into the crowd for a potential winner before choosing a young boy up front and inviting him on stage and handing him the guitar, making him the winner. It was a nice moment and hopefully this will be the moment that influences the kid to practice that guitar and become a musician himself.

In a world where we are all divided and distracted, it can become overwhelming and according to Creed, the only way to change that, is to come together as "One" so we, the fans and the band came together as "one" to join in on the next song, "One". Together we all sang along to the words, clapped our hands together and vibed out to the song and it was like there was no division. This is the power of music. Sometimes we ask ourselves why we are here and what our purpose is. Creed acknowledges these questions and wrote this next song, "What's This Life For", for those people, telling them to hold on for as long as it takes till they found out what this life is for. This was a beautiful performance as Stapp sang his feelings out with Tremonti's harmonies magnifying them. Sparks reigned down from the ceiling to bring this magical performance of the song to a close. The night was almost over but Creed wasn't done yet and they saved the best for last. It was time to take Jones Beach "Higher" if you know what I mean. Stapp even asked the fans himself if they were ready to get "Higher" and the fans knew what was coming next. As we waited in excitement, Tremonti played the next song's iconic opening guitar line and before we knew it, the rest of the band got into it for "Higher". The fans sang every single word out loud and got even louder on that effective chorus. The louder they sang, the happier the band was and the more they gave in return. The song finished with pyro going off in every direction and Tremonti playing a chaotic solo and Phillips going all out on the drums. Safe to say, it was a fitting end to the main set.

The crowd was chanting "CREED! CREED! CREED!" again for a few minutes and the band came back on stage for the encore. Stapp, amazed by how loud Jones Beach was, wanted to keep the energy going and told the crowd that he wanted to keep hearing their voices on the last two songs. Creed closed their explosive show out with "One Last Breath" and "My Sacrifice" and every single person from the floor to the upper section sang all the words, using up all of the energy they had left and Stapp was feeding off of that. He didn't even sing the chorus to "One Last Breath" and just let the crowd do it for him. Stapp praised the crowd's loud voice and remarked that it was "the loudest crowd he has heard in the USA" and the whole amphitheater cheered in victory. In the whole two years touring and playing this song live, we took the crown as the loudest crowd so far and that was thanks to the energetic New York crowd. Before getting into the last song, Stapp wanted to do a mini warmup with the crowd to get their voices ready one last time. He had Tremonti play a mini chord for him and led the crowd into the chorus of the last song, "My Sacrifice" before the band unleashed the remaining energy they had left into the last song.

I've seen many reunion tours and comeback shows but Creed's reunion is probably up there as one of the best reunion shows I have ever seen. The music, the performance, the energy, the emotions, everything was there. We were all having an awesome time and even the band was too. It's great to see that even after all these years, Creed is still on top and I can't wait to see them again, hopefully with new music next time too. If you've been holding out on getting tickets to any of their upcoming shows, don't wait any longer. Shows are selling out or selling very fast and you don't want to miss this unforgettable tour.