Creed Bring Legendary Show To Legendary Arena
- brandonhanksphotog
- 49 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Where Were You Summer Of ‘99? I was on summer break from Middle School here in Kentucky and I was wearing out my Human Clay cd in my 1995 Dodge Dakota. Living life to the fullest and playing air guitar to Mark Tremonti’s riffs and air drums like Scott Phillips! I wore that steering wheel out as many times as I hit it playing those drums. So many great memories attached to the summer of ‘99 and thanks to time, we all got to relive that summer at Rupp Arena in Lexington Kentucky!
Kicking off a tour is always a massive undertaking. Bands are well rested and ready to begin their next stretch into a new year. In this case, Creed has been at it since last year and with the help of some of the top names in the industry, their turning this year into a Summer Of ‘99 recap with some familiar faces.
On this first leg is fan favorite Mammoth. Led by Wolfgang Van Halen and his interstellar band, Garrett Whitlock on Drums, Ronnie Ficarrio on Bass, Frank Sidoris on Guitar, and Jon Jourdan on Guitar. Mammoth hot off the release of their two newest singles ‘The End’ which features a wildly fun music video that movie fans will appreciate, followed by the single ‘The Spell’. Wolfgang Van Halen and his perfectly assembled band are always standouts and are well on their way to headlining arenas on their own.
Stepping in second is Daughtry. With much in the tank and more miles to put on the road, Chris Daughtry is another addition to an already stacked lineup. If you’re not familiar with Daughtry, you’re not familiar with music I’m afraid. Since 2006, Chris Daughtry has been captivating audiences around the globe and tonight would be no exception as he had Lexington Kentucky in his sights.
Arriving at Rupp Arena is always quite the spectacle as it is home to not only my favorite college basketball team, The Kentucky Wildcats but it is also the town where I crafted my concert photography skills and etiquette many years ago. It’s a place of champions and a place where winning and legacy are one in the same. Once I parked I headed straight to collect my credentials and get started on setting myself up for the first act of the night, Mammoth. This was one sold out show that I will never forget.
Walking around the concourse, fans could be seen sporting their favorite creed merch and Kentucky Wildcat basketball merch. At one point I even saw a Kentucky Wildcat Basketball Jersey with Creed on the back with the number 99 (impressive dedication). People were singing and smiling just standing in line. That’s the kind of excitement bands want and people like me want to see heading into such a monumental show!
Mammoth opened up the show with their massive hit ‘Another Celebration At The End Of The World’. The atmosphere was just right in Rupp Arena, Wolf was firing on all cylinders and putting on a display vocally as well as instrumentally. The man has an absolute powerhouse voice, it’s something I truly love about him too, he can belt those longer notes out all while melting everyone’s faces with shredding guitars! The band was very engaging with the Lexington crowd, all smiles for sure! Heading into their second song, the band does something a little differently and slows it down with the beautiful tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen with their song ‘Distance’. As a father, I couldn’t imagine a more memorable and captivatingly meaningful song to be written from a child to their father. The band would close out their epic six song set with ‘Take A Bow’, and take a bow they would. Deservingly so after giving a historic performance at a historic venue!
Up next was Daughtry. It had been a few years since I’ve seen Daughtry perform and the sound has evolved in ways that greatly benefit the band, so I was quite interested to see this performance. The lights went out and the band started to walk on to the stage, Chris Daughtry following just behind. Truly born to entertain, he walked to his microphone with a brooding confidence and started to perform the song ‘The Reckoning’ released back in 2024 from their record "SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART ONE). The electricity was certainly pulsating throughout the venue all the way up into the stands! Daughtry also performed a killer rendition of ‘Separate Ways’ by Journey, which was a crowd favorite that had everyone in the arena screaming until their lungs gave out! Daughtry performed a tribute to the lead singer of 3 Doors Down, Brad Arnold who is currently battling stage four cancer, which caused the band to pull out of the current tour with Creed. Daughtry sang 3 Doors Down’s ‘Away From The Sun’, so when I tell you there was not a dry eye in the building I was one of them. Such a moving tribute and a testament to the power Arnold and his band has on the industry. We wish you well Brad!
Daughtry would go on to conclude this incredible set with their song ‘Artificial’, their newest single which was released April 25th of this year. Fans cheered and sang along to one of rock's prominent voices of the last 15 years. Daughtry rocked the building and got everyone pumped up for the band that brought us all together under one roof, Creed!
“Creed” was chanted so loudly, you could feel it in your chest. Fans raged and screamed as the screen went black and a single word formed on those screens. Creed. The intro to ‘Bullets’ began and at that moment the air inside Rupp Arena became thick and weightless. The riffs poured out from the amplifiers, Scott Stapp took center stage, “I think they shoot cause they want it, I think they shoot cause they want it!” Fire, pyro, energy, chaos in the best ways imaginable, all the feelings came like a rush of blood as ‘Bullets’ went flying from the speakers and the mouths of Stapp and every fan. Singing together as one voice. This was the third show this photojournalist has been to since last year, and yet this one felt different. More impactful, it felt right. Mark Tremonti was obliterating the guitar like it owed him money and leaning into my camera, seemingly acknowledging that we were in for a ride and we were in it together. Those moments are genuinely one in a million and will stick with me forever.
With Creed’s second song, they took us back to 1997 with ‘Ode’. These older songs are absolutely masterful at this stage in the band’s career. You have to experience them in person to truly appreciate the level of excellence it is to hear. It was a night of honor and paying tribute as Creed went on to perform a tribute of their own to Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down with their song ‘Never Die’ from their RIAA 11x platinum selling record “Human Clay”. Stapp performed this one lyrically with intent and absolute class. The band backing him as only they can to accompany such a fitting song to dedicate to Brad Arnold. As the night progressed we went down memory lane with songs from the band’s discography that had even the newest Creed fans smiling from ear to ear with a fist in the air. One of my favorite moments of these Creed shows is when guitarist Mark Tremonti picks someone from the crowd to give a guitar to which was previously played. “I hope this changes your life, I really hope this changes your life.” Tremonti hugs the child he picked from the crowd and Stapp does also, asking the boy what his name is. The young man replied “Caiden”. “Let’s give it up for Caiden, cmon!” Exclaimed Stapp, and the crowd went absolutely wild for Caiden Stamp as this young man was given not only the gift of a guitar but the promise that music would live on through him and that guitar. Creed went on to close out their massive trip back to the Summer Of ‘99 with ‘One Last Breathe’ and ‘My Sacrifice’ which have become the new fan favorites.
Memories were made and memories were relived on this day. Creed, Mammoth and Daughtry gave the fans in Lexington Kentucky their monies worth and then some with this historic concert. It truly deserves its own banner up in the rafters of Rupp Arena with the other historic achievements that have taken place in Lexington's rich history. Be sure to check out The Summer Of ‘99 Tour 2025 in a city near you!
Words & Images By: Brandon Scott Hanks
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