Creed, 18 June 2000
Cox Arena, San Diego, CA
Looking at the huge line of people snaking around the building, I thought we'd never make it into the arena. What's more, my nephew, Ben, and I still had to find our friend Manny because we had his ticket. I made the comment, "I don't care about the opening band anyway." But when Manny finally appeared, we discovered a shorter line, and made our way inside. We acquired the necessary wristbands to access the floor. On our way down the long flight of stairs, the lights went out, and Nickelback appeared.
Thirty minutes were allotted for Nickelback's set. They are a quartet with a charismatic lead singer and lead guitarist, Chad Kroeger. As Chad said during the show, "Creed will blow you away, but for the next thirty minutes, your ass is mine." And it was. Chad definitely carried the band as he was the strongest member. There was another guitarist as well as bassist and drummer. The other band members were just like flies on the wall in the presence of Chad. I predict much success for this band. With such a charismatic singer, and a great guitarist too, I'm so glad I didn't miss them.
After a very short break, it was time for Sevendust. They had a more elaborate set with trampolines and back up music. With a bit of drama, the singer riled up the crowd. Apparently, this band shows its love to the audience by exchanging flashes of "the bird." The singer also touched fist to fist with certain members of the crowd. The band had a lot of energy, springing all around the stage. The bassist had a strange way of wearing his bass low, below the knee. However, even with all this energy, Sevendust failed to reel me in. I couldn't understand much of the lyrics, and every song sounded like every other song. There was nothing novel about this band, except that the singer was an African American in the metal world. Although much of the crowd seemed to love them, they didn't appeal to me. And when their show was over, I was not sad. One good thing I can say about them is that they were extremely generous with their gifts to the audience. They threw out numerous guitar picks during and after the show, and the drummer must have given away thirty drum sticks.
Creed's stage appeared very plain, but held some surprises. I hereby nominate Scott Stapp the sexiest man in music. He appeared on stage wearing a black short sleeved shirt under which his large cross tattoo could be seen. He was also wearing brown suede pants and black boots. For much of the show, I was 12-15 feet away from him. The stage was in a T shape, and I was in front of the railing on the side of the lower portion of the T. When Scott came down the stage, he was so close I felt I could reach out and touch him. Down the T, I was on Scott's left side, so he didn't turn my way that often, but on the bright side, I got to look at his ass a lot. He squatted down, singing to the crowd, and I actually wondered if he was wearing any underwear. My question was answered when from the front, I could see his green plaid boxers peeking out the top of his pants. When Scott was center stage, I could see his dramatic movements and expressions perfectly. No one performs with more drama than Scott. He talked about how some songs made him feel good, or brought him to a higher place, or taught him one of life's important lessons. This show was an uplifting experience. there were lots of pyrotechnics and Creed delivered all they promised. I did acquire a set list (which follows) that even indicated when the pyro would occur.
Set list as written:
ODE................................................................................PYRO-CONCUSSION
TORN
ARE YOU READY............................................................DROP FALLS
BEAUTIFUL
SAY I
WASH AWAY
MY OWN PRISON
WHAT IF........................................................................PYRO-CONCUSSION
UNFORGIVEN................................................................PYRO-CONCUSSION
ALLUSION
FACELESS MAN
ARMS WIDE OPEN
WHATS THIS LIFE FOR.................................................PYRO
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ONE
HIGHER.........................................................................PYRO-CONCUSSION
ANAK. PRODUCTION SAN DIEGO 6/18/00