Creed is keeping the “Summer of ’99” party going this year. After a wildly successful tour and festival last year, and 2 cruises this spring, the inspirational band decided to keep the tour rolling in the summer of 2025 at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California on August 6, 2025. This time around, they brought Daughtry and Mammoth, featuring Wolfgang Van Halen.
Wolfgang Van Halen recently procured the trademark for the name “Mammoth” and he has dropped the ” WVH” from the band’s name and logos. Their third album will be released this fall, and they used the new art as part of their stage backdrop. They played two new songs from the upcoming release – “The Spell” and “The End”. Both are phenomenal, and showcase the songwriting, singing, and shredding abilities that Wolfgang has been developing his entire life. With two songs from each of their other albums, it made for a great sampler for any new fans. They will embark on a headline tour this fall, where the set list is sure to be at least twice as long. This band has toured together for several years now, and they are a well-oiled rock and roll machine. Anyone stuck in work traffic while heading down to the arena on a Wednesday evening should be sorely disappointed if they missed the set from Mammoth.
Mammoth:
Wolfgang Van Halen – Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
Jonathan Jourdan – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Garrett Whitlock – Drums
Ronnie Ficarro – Bass
Mammoth WVH Setlist:
1. Another Celebration At The End Of The World
2. The Spell
3. Epiphany
4. Take A Bow
5. Don’t Back Down
6. The End
Chris Daughtry and his band Daughtry are headliners in their own right, having entertained us for two decades after Chris injected American Idol with a heavy jolt of caffeine. Daughtry has such a magical voice, full of emotion and passion, and he uses it to lead the crowd on a dramatic journey. He sings of love and loss, joy and pain, desperation and hope. Like every artist on the stage, the overriding sentiment is optimism and positive energy. Nothing showcased this more than when he performed an acoustic version of “Waiting for Superman”, accompanied by his daughter Adalynn Rose on vocals. Later, he let the crowd take the lead, screaming out the chorus to “Over You” several times throughout the song. After finishing a full set, the packed amphitheater was fully satisfied, but the best was yet to come.
Daughtry:
Chris Daughtry – Lead vocals, guitar
Brian Craddock – Guitar, backing vocals
Elvio Fernandez – Keyboards, piano, occasional guitar, backing vocals
Marty O’Brien – Bass
Anthony Ghazel – Drums
Daughtry Setlist:
1. The Reckoning
2. The Day I Die
3. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Journey cover)
4. Pieces
5. It’s Not Over
6. Waiting For Superman (acoustic with Adalynn Rose Daughtry)
7. Home (acoustic)
8. The Dam
9. Over You
10. Heavy Is the Crown
11. Artificial
Creed is in the midst of a renaissance, having returned to the scene last year and reinforced their legendary status to a whole new generation of fans. So many people raised their children to this music, and there were many multi-generational groups of fans in attendance on this perfect summer night. This year’s stage set is a beautiful combination of video screens, lighting rigs, and fire.
They played every song you would want to hear during a set that lasted almost two hours. Fans sang and cried to hit after hit after hit. Scott Stapp was more than a singer; he was preaching and raising spirits throughout with his mini sermons between songs. He dedicated “Never Die” to their close friend Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down, who was scheduled to be on this tour, but had to cancel as he battles stage 4 cancer. Mark Tremonti brought a young fan on stage to give him a guitar, noting that one day that kid could be up on stage entertaining us. They also brought two kids on stage at the end of the night to fly paper airplane set lists into the crowd. Creed continues to raise their own bar in entertainment, and they clearly enjoy playing together and sharing energy with their dedicated fans. Scott Phillips, Brian Marshall, and Eric Friedman are musical wizards and work the stage with smiles and banging heads. One can only hope that Creed continues to tour and hopefully creates some new music together. Their message of unity and perseverance has never been more relevant, and we simply need more of them in this world.
“‘Cause when you are with me, I’m free. I’m careless. I believe. Above all the others, we’ll fly. This brings tears to my eyes.” – My Sacrifice
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
Creed Setlist:
1.Bullets
2. Ode
3. Torn
4. Are You Ready?
5. Never Die
6. My Own Prison
7. Freedom Fighter
8. Say I
9. What If
10. One
11. What’s This Life For
12. With Arms Wide Open
13. Higher
Encore:
14. One Last Breath
15. My Sacrifice
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Johnnie Crow is a lifelong music lover. He has photographed artists from every genre at concerts, festivals and cruises all across North America.