Creed
The Summer of ’99 Tour
w/ 3 Doors Down, Daughtry, Hinder, Finger Eleven, Fuel, Dorothy, Vertical Horizon, The Verve Pipe
Glen Helen Amphitheater – San Bernardino, CA
Saturday, August 31st, 2024
Review/Pictures: Diane Lynn
Think back to the summer of 1999. What an amazing time, we were gearing up for the Y2K event that ultimately came and went without and bang, but still the excitement of entering the 2000’s was upon us. I was in full swing adulthood, buying a house, raising kids and “partying like it was 1999” seemed as if it was all but over. But the new music playing on the radio that summer was keeping my youthful side satisfied.
Post grunge was in full swing, and the variety of new tunes and music styles were in abundance! Bands like Creed were pushing forward, breaking through the last of the hair metal days and passing the grunge style like it was standing still. The radios were blaring something different, and it kicked ass!
Saturday at Glen Helen was the perfect festival to relive that time with some killer bands!
The event started off hot and got hotter! Seriously it was a scorcher in the high desert, temps topping 100 plus, but that didn’t stop the fans from filing into the venue on the hill.
Gates opened at 11am and the crowd was already lined up well before that, some even partaking in the “parking lot party” beforehand. Glen Helen had a variety of pre-show activities to keep us busy while we waited for the first band to start. Besides standing in long lines at the merch booths there was a DJ mixing classic 90’s and early 2000’s club and rock music with a dance floor to showcase your moves. A wrestling ring with pro wrestlers taking it to the mat Nacho Libre style and several classic lawn games to bring back some memories. The food trucks were in abundance with classic festival food mixed with gourmet dishes to delight your taste buds. The alcohol windows were being worked nonstop and there’s no need to mention the lines for the bathrooms.
The festival lineup was the perfect mixture of bands who help shape the music scene of the late 90’s and into the 2000’s. It was also the first tour for Creed in over 12 years!
The Verve Pipe
The band stepped out promptly at 2pm, dressed to the nines, all matching in white attire and cracked open the seal for our journey down musical memory lane. Unfortunately, the sets for the first few bands were very limited in time but The Verve Pipe brought their A-game playing the fan favorites, reminding us of their unique style, sound and ever-present talent. Their setlist was short and sweet. Their song “Colorful“ from the movie Rock Star is a favorite of mine and hearing them play it live was awesome. They added “Photograph” and of course their #1 hit “Freshmen“ into the set.
Brian Vander Ark – Lead Vocal and Guitar
Brad Vander Ark – Bassist
Channing Lee – Keys
Lou Musa – Guitarist
Zach Dubay – Drummer
Vertical Horizon
Another band I was looking forward to hearing live. Vertical Horizon’s hit song “Everything You Want” has always been a favorite of mine and is still in my daily playlist. When the band took the stage and opened with their hit, “We Are” the crowd instantly lit up! This was a fun set, although it was sweltering the guys didn’t seem bothered. They played with energy and emotion, bringing the feels of “Best I Ever Had” to the crowd.
Matt Scannell – lead vocals, lead guitar
Ron LaVella – drums, percussion
Mark Pacificar – bass, backing vocals
John Wesley – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Dorothy
Once in a while a female lead singer comes along and just knocks you back a little and Dorothy is a fireball of talent that knocks you waaay back!
I love seeing female led rock bands, they bring the energy hard with a certain flare that only they can bring. Dorothy along with Sam Bam Koltun, Eliot Lornago and Jake Hayden create quite the presence on stage, the sparks came at you from all directions, and you almost didn’t know where to look.
Dorothy’s vocals sounded effortless, she sounded strong and clear and drew you in to the song and lyrics as she sang. They opened with “Down To The Bottom” and closed with the title track from her last, killer release, “Gifts From The Holy Ghost”. It was a rockin set that fired up the energy with the already enflamed fans.
Dorothy Martin – lead vocals
Sam Bam Koltun – guitar
Eliot Lorango – bass, backing vocals
Jake Hayden – drums, percussion
Fuel
As the day went on the sets were getting a bit longer, the heat was relenting but the bands remained on stage longer.
Fuel, a staple on the rock circuit back in the 90’s and well into the 2000’s, filling the airwaves with several hits that are still filtered into our playlist today. They brought the energy with them on Saturday as the opened with “Last Time” a song off their successful album Something Like Human.
Fuel played three songs from this same album including “Prove” and closing the set with “Hemorrhage”, which had the crowd singing along and giving them a well deserved extended, roaring applause at the end.
Carl Bell – lead guitar, backing vocals, occasional keyboards
Kevin Miller – drums
Mark Klotz – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals
Tommy Nat – bass, backing vocals
Aaron Scott – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Finger Eleven
This band has been a favorite of mine since their album The Greyest of Blue Skies debuted, when a friend played me their cover of “Walking In My Shoes“ by Depeche Mode. I know that’s not what they are “known for”, but it sparked my interest, so I bought the album and loved it, all of it.
By the time Finger Eleven hit the stage the sun was dropping low and most of the crowd was now in the shade and the temp was cooling off a little. This was such a blessing because the heat was taking a toll on the fans and on me!
Finger Eleven started off with “Above” from their album Tip, they also played “Quicksand” which came from this same album. Tucked in the middle of their set was their new song “Adrenaline” a single released August 2 of this year as a teaser for their new album, of the same name, that’s set to be released in 2025. Their first new music in ten years!
The band was pumped, and singer Scott Anderson was working every bit of the stage. By the end of their seven-song set Finger Eleven had the crowd jumping! They closed things out with their mega hits “One Thing” and of course ending with “Paralyzer”.
Scott Anderson – vocals
James Black – guitar, vocals
Rick Jackett – guitar
Sean Anderson – bass
Rich Beddoe – drums
Hinder
Finally, we’re getting into the evening, the sun is sinking, and the stage lights are starting to shine and out comes Hinder! An all-American rock bank originally from Oklahoma and they are ready to tear it up.
Right out the gate they don’t waste anytime rockin the stage with “Up All Night” off of their Take It To The Limit album. This high energy set was what we all needed to help shake off the heat of the day. Towards the end of their set they cooled it down a little with their smash hit “Lips Of An Angel”, topping us off with “Get Stoned”.
Joe “Blower” Garvey – lead guitar, backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Cody Hanson – drums
Mike Rodden – bass guitar, backing vocals
Marshal Dutton – lead vocals
Justin Shipley – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Daughtry
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen Daughtry live, and I was eager to hear some of his new music played live so I was happy to hear them kick off their set with “The Reckoning” from their soon to be released EP Shock To The System (Part 1). They actually pulled three songs from this album, including “Pieces” and closing with “Artificial”.
Chris stepped out shortly after the rest of the band. Dress casually in black jeans and a sleeveless black tee while sporting dark black sunglasses.
Plugged into the middle of the set they chose two covers, “Change (In the House of Flies)” by Deftones and the hugely popular “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” by Journey.
The band line up for Daughtry has changed since I last saw them live.
Chris Daughtry – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Josh Steely – lead guitar, backing vocals
Brian Craddock – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals
Elvio Fernandes – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
Marty O’Brien – bass guitar
Jeremy Schaffer – drums, percussion
Daughtry played a solid set, eight songs total. I wasn’t surprised to hear “It’s Not Over” from their first album, but was stoked when they played my personal favorite “Heavy Is The Crown” from the “Dearly Beloved” album.
I wish they could have played longer; they have so many great songs. I’ll have to catch them when they tour for the new album.
3 Doors Down
The band kicked off their 13-song set to a raucous crowd! Definitely a lot of 3 Doors Down fans in the crowd.
Brad and the band immediately kicked it into high gear with “Train” and then straight into “It’s Not My Time”. This is another band with a collection of hits that the fans crave to hear played live and keep coming, they did: “The Road I’m On”, “Here Without You”. It’s live shows like this that leave a lasting memory, great songs you can sing along to, while you’re having fun with friends and fellow fans
Brad took a moment in between songs to thank the fans for coming out, he did this several times throughout the show. He seems to be the humblest of “rockstars” I’ve come across in a while. His southern accent and his strong faith in God were present as he spoke to the crowd. His love of the U.S. was present as well with the display of the American Flag that stood on stage to his right.
The set was rounded out with “Let Me Go”, “Landing In London” and of course for the finale they chose “Kryptonite” and “When I’m Gone”.
Brad Arnold – lead vocals, drums
Chris Henderson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Greg Upchurch – drums
Chet Roberts – lead guitar, backing vocals
Justin Biltonen – bass
Creed
The long wait is over, Creed is back touring and was there anyone more excited than me? I’m also hearing there MIGHT be new music coming soon!?! Fingers crossed!
In the meantime, let’s celebrate this unforgettable band touring again after twelve long years. I’ve been a Creed fan since the beginning but unfortunately, it’s never worked out where I could see them live, boy have I missed out! So, when the opportunity popped up to cover this show I didn’t hesitate.
It had been a long day, and the heat really kicked my ass, but there I was, waiting in the pit asking myself, is this really happening? Pinch me! The stage was dark, the fans growing restless, a few in the crowd were dropping simply from heat exhaustion as the speakers begin to hum… after several minutes the screens circling the back of the stage begin to flash the bands name in white and the fans went nuts! Several more minutes pass, and you suddenly heard the start of a guitar riff that sounded so familiar. It’s the low rumble leading into their hit “Bullets”. Scott Stapp walked in circles as he spoke the intro to the song then boom! The lights popped and the flames lit up the stage!
Scott looked fit and was sounding amazing, and I knew this was going to be one hell of a performance! As I was moving around for a better position I looked back at the crowd and all I saw was hands in the air and heads banging to the music. I must admit, my heart was pounding a little extra for this one. The long day in the extreme heat was paying off big time!
The lighting was spectacular. The flames circling the backside of the stage gave their set a major edge on any shows I’ve recently covered. Although I loved being in the pit for the first three to cover the show, I was eager to venture out towards the back to see the full picture and what a sight it was, indeed!
Mark Tremonti and Brian Marshall made full use of the stage, coming together at times to jam a little and then along with Scott the trio posted up center stage as if to say Look At Us – We’re Back!
Drummer Scott Phillips sat low on the kit, so I had to slide into a good position to try for a couple shots as he was slinging those sticks high in the air. Rhythm guitarist Eric Friedman was holding things down while shaking things up with the killer riffs he was handling.
Creed’s set was 15 songs long and a nice mixture of hits from Human Clay, My Own Prison and Weathered. They played “Are You Ready”, “Higher” and “What If” and ending the night with a two-song encore, “One Last Breath” and “My Sacrifice”.
The fans gave a roaring applause at the end as the guys came together and shook hands along with pats on the back. As they threw out some picks and a couple of set lists, Scott told the fans “Goodnight, God Bless and Rock On”! They took a final bow and left the stage waving to the crowd. This was one for the books!
Scott Stapp – lead vocals
Mark Tremonti – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals
Scott Phillips – drums, percussion keyboards
Brian Marshall – bass
Eric Friedman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*Editors Note: HUGE shout out to Local Rock Photog. (And Icon…) Matthew Belter, who was the Live Nation Rep. onsite for this festival. Matt made sure that not only did events run smoothly for the photogs, but he took care of some of them in need and provided “support” when it was needed. It was fucking HOT out there!
