Creed’s first three albums scored sales worth around 25 million in the US alone, and over 35 million worldwide. Then they broke apart in 2004. The post-grunge band whom even ‘Jesus loves to Hate’ is now back with a new studio album released on Oct 27, 2009, aptly titled ‘Full Circle’. 

Scott Stapp

It’s not the same as the 90s - Scott Stapp has shaved off his hair and Creed tickets were selling pretty cheap, but they still have enough juice to set the stage on fire. Literally. Their recent tour involved walls of fire, a shower of sparks, lots of smoke and all sorts of electronic wizardry.

The origins of this renunion can be traced right back to the traveling lifestyles of rock bands on tour. But before that, a little backgrounder.

Lead vocalist and songwriter Scott Stapp’s story is surely good enough for a blockbuster movie – Born Aug 8, 1973 in Cherokee, NC. Grew up in Orlando, and formed Creed in 1995 along with friend and guitarist Mark Tremonti.

Sold 3 multi-platinum albums and dominated the rock-scene of the late 90′s, while everyone else hated their guts and the Christian righteousness of their songs.

Along the way, Stapp did everything expected of a rocker in the 90s – binge drinking, substance abuse, clashing with other bands and members of his own band.

He got into a fight with members of 311 at the Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore. Three years ago this month, he fell down three floors of the Delano Hotel in Miami, landed on his head, and survived to get cleaned up and live straight.

But not before he blew a show in Chicago under the influence – the band really took that one hard. By 2006, Stapp was sober, a family guy and born-again Christian. Now comes the interesting part- the irony of Full Circle, and why the rest of the band reunited with Stapp, with arms wide open, so to speak.

Irony because it was Creed’s massive success and Stapp’s excesses that created the tensions in the band, and so Tremonti and the others broke away to form a new band named Alter Bridge, sans Stapp.

Irony because now Stapp is a solid asset – talented, humble and grounded, but the rest of the gang have had a tough time on the road, trying to recreate the magic of Creed, and have now realized that their experience with Creed wasn’t such a bad thing after all.    

Creed

 Turns out that once the band members stopped touring under the banner of Creed, they didn’t get the same heady reception, and have had to make do with crowded buses and stay at Holiday Inns. They seem to be particularly miffed at having to put up at Holiday Inns.

So they’ve patched up with Stapp. The good news is that the band seems to be working well together. They’re planning for a world tour in 2010, starting with a tour of the US in March. And they have plans for more albums to follow after Full Circle.

One thing for sure – concert travel isn’t such a blast, unless you have an original like Scott Stapp on-stage with you, and a few platinum albums under your belt.

Photos public domain, released by US Federal Govt.