A late summer, outdoor show at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater in Tampa, Florida always comes with the risk of unpredictable weather. September 20, 2024, was primed to live up to that nasty reputation. Creed’s Summer Of ’99 Tour was in town and had been sold out for weeks. Also on tonight’s bill were post-grunge rockers 3 Doors Down and the Great White North’s very own, Finger Eleven. A little more than two hours before show time the storm clouds started rolling in along with a light rain. Surprisingly, the temps were only peaking at around 86°, which is a reprieve from the 90+ temps that had been the norm.
As fans began packing into the venue, the merch lines quickly became robust. The threatening weather drifted away, and the evening was set for a fantastic show. The size of the early crowd was respectable as the 7:00pm start time arrived. Canada’s Finger Eleven has been rocking hard for 34 years and amazingly has a lineup comprised of 4 original members. With a billion career streams under their belt and a new single, “Adrenaline,” the band is poised to keep on thrilling fans way into the future. F11 came out strong opening up with “Above” from the 1997 Tip album. The guitar duo of James Black and Rick Jackett have to be among the most animated performers in the business. Their constant antics kept the crowd enthralled. Vocalist Scott Anderson sounded great and the new single, “Adrenaline,” was well received. The band slowed things down with their hit “One Thing” which included a snippet of Jim Croce’s “Operator.” The final song of the set came as no surprise as “Paralyzer” is a mega fan favorite. The band, however, still had a few surprises up their sleeve. The song began with an intro from Genesis’ “That’s All” and then launched into the meat and potatoes of the song. Toward the end they snuck in an interlude of AC/DC’s “Back In Black.” It was a perfect ending to the 30-minute set.
Finger Eleven:
Scott Anderson: Lead Vocals
James Black: Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Rick Jackett: Rhythm Guitar
Sean Anderson: Bass
Steve Molella: Drums
Setlist:
1.Above
2.First Time
3.Quicksand
4.Together Right
5.Adrenaline
6.One Thing (W/ snippet of “Operator by Jim Croce)
7.Paralyzer (Intro from “That’s All” by Genesis and Interlude of Ac/dc’s “Back In Black”)
Those in attendance were able to enjoy a very brief intermission before 3 Doors Down took the stage at 7:50pm. This is another band that has garnered enormous success over the years and their following has always been strong. 2008’s “Train” was the 1st song of the set and was followed up by the popular “It’s Not My Time.” Lead vocalist and founding member Brad Arnold connected with the crowd and the rest of the band kept the momentum going. It was hard to get a clear view of drummer Greg Upchurch as his position was elevated and he was surrounded by a fortress of plexiglass. The band took their foot off the gas for the performance of the power ballad “Here Without You” and the crowd took the opportunity to sing along. “Away From The Sun” was arguably the high point of the performance. Arnold addressed the fans with an inspirational speech that reminded everyone that “you are enough” and that “you are the one that Jesus loves.”
The band made the most of the 1-hour performance and capped it off with 2 blockbusters, “Kryptonite,” and “When I’m Gone.” During the latter, the American flag waved proudly across the backdrop display and Arnold took time to lean out into the crowd and even presented one lucky fan with a drumstick. At the conclusion of the set, it was apparent that the audience was pumped and primed for what was yet to come.
3 Doors Down:
Brad Arnold – Lead Vocals
Chris Henderson – Rhythm and Lead Guitar,Backing Vocals
Greg Upchurch – Drums
Chet Roberts – Lead and Rhythm guitar, Backing Vocals
Justin Biltonen – Bass
Setlist:
1.Train
2.It’s Not My Time
3.Loser
4.Duck and Run
5.Here Without You
6.Time of My Life
7.Away From The Sun
8.The Road I’m On
9.Never Look Down
10.Let Me Go
11.Landing in London
12.Kryptonite
13.When I’m Gone
By the time 9:15pm rolled around it was standing room only. It has been almost 12 years since Creed’ last hit the road and the 20,000 plus in attendance were a testament to the eagerness and anticipation of this tour. With the venue filled to capacity, the lights went out and the Creed logo flashed across the backdrop. The band emerged while the majority of the stage remained cloaked in shadows. Frontman Scott Stapp was spotlighted and began stalking across the stage uttering the opening lyrics from 2001’s “Bullets.” As he stepped up to the mic and shouted “I think they shoot ’cause they want it” the stage exploded to life with towers of flames shooting upward across the back of the stage. From this point on there was no looking back. For the next 2 hours the fans would be taken on a nostalgic roller coaster with no holds barred.
Stapp, wearing a black tank top and jeans was a sweaty mess by the end of the 2nd song. “Are You Ready?” sent waves of energy throughout the arena and the fans devoured it all. Guitarist Mark Tremonti took the spotlight as he strummed out the intro for “My Own Prison” until Stapp joined in with his dark and deep vocals. Watching Stapp and Tremonti share the vocals on this was awesome. Bassist Brian Marshall got his share of the spotlight during “What If” and at the conclusion of the song a fan was called up on stage to receive a guitar from Tremonti. The beginning of “What’s This Life For” was briefly delayed after a fight broke out in the crowd but things quickly got rolling again. Drummer Scott Phillips directed the tempo of the performance upon his elevated perch and guitarist Eric Friedman was the master of his domain at stage right.
The performance of “With Arms Wide Open” saw so many lit torches in the audience that the spectacle could probably be seen by any planes that happened to pass by. “Higher” was the final song of the main set and the pyro returned in a big way. Tremonti and Marshall played together on one of the platforms while smoke was projected from the front of the stage. After a very brief pause the band returned and played “One Last Breath.” Stapp told the crowd that Tampa was in the top 3 cities so far on the tour. “My Sacrifice” was spectacular and put the exclamation point on both the set and the night. There are still plenty of opportunities to catch this tour so don’t miss out.
Creed:
Scott Stapp: Lead Vocals
Mark Tremonti: Lead Guitar, Backing and Occasional Lead Vocals
Scott Phillips: Drums, Percussion
Brian Marshall: Bass
Eric Friedman: Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Setlist:
1.Bullets
2.Torn
3.Are You Ready?
4.Never Die
5.My Own Prison
6.Weathered
7.What if
8.Say I
9.Faceless Man
10.One
11.What’s This Life For
12.With Arms Wide Open
13.Higher
Encore:
14.One Last Breath
15.My Sacrifice
Follow Creed Online
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I’ve had a love for photography since I was young. Whether it was a Polaroid or a Kodak 110, I was always the kid with the camera. My love of music goes back even further. Nothing beats being at a show when those lights go down and the crowd goes nuts.
