It was a night of redemption, incredible music, and living proof that if you keep persevering in life, you can accomplish amazing things in your life. Scott Stapp, who is known as the vocalist for Creed, is currently on his “Live and Unplugged” Tour with special guests Art Of Dying and Willett to help commemorate the groundbreaking “My Own Prison” album, which was released in 1997. It is very difficult to believe that “My Own Prison” has been out in stores for 20 years as of this year. Jeremy of Willett was first to take the stage at The Cabooze in Minneapolis.
It was a night of stripped down, organic music. Willett brought inspirational messages of God, hope, and faith to the crowd. I knew that this was going to be a unique night of music when a significant part of this night at The Cabooze was to help sponsor needy and underprivileged children via ChildFund International. Willett’s messages were authentic, and they definitely didn’t seem formula-based or cookie-cutter, which I feel really hinders the modern Christian music scene. I will be reviewing Willett coming up, as he was offering his album in a “pay what you can” type of method, which I thought was really cool. Canadian rockers Art Of Dying were the next to take the stage.
Art Of Dying, with their three-part harmonies and stripped down acoustic set really played to the main strength of the band, and that is their vocal prowess with their three part harmonies. Their acoustic set brought new life and meaning, and a sense of positivity to their staple songs such as “Die Trying”, “Sorry”, and “Get Through This”. I really enjoyed their heartfelt tribute in the middle of “Sorry” to Chris Cornell, when they sang a verse of “Hunger Strike” by Temple Of The Dog. Art Of Dying did such a magnificent job that I would like to see them create an acoustic album. Scott Stapp was the final act to take the stage.
I had many questions running through my head in anticipation of seeing the Creed frontman. I was just wondering if his voice and his performance would hold up and if he would receive any flak for those videos that showed him melting down due to his bipolar disorder. It was like we were all put in a time machine back to 2001-2002 and we saw Creed all over again with the vocal prowess of Scott Stapp. The night started off with “Are You Ready”, which was a great way to start off the show. I’ve always dug that opening cut from the classic “Human Clay” album, which in my view, is Creed’s strongest album. The performance reminded me of an episode of VH1 Storytellers, where Scott Stapp would share his lyrical and musical inspirations behind each song, which really made it for an intimate setting, which was his goal of the performance. Some of the most touching stories included talking about the birth of his son and the fears of becoming a first time father in “With Arms Wide Open”, vulnerability and questioning faith in the songs “Torn” and “Weathered”, and taking us on a journey while he was penning the songs “Unforgiven” and “My Own Prison”. Scott even took us on a musical history lesson when he got to jam with the surviving members of The Doors before breaking into the cover of “Roadhouse Blues”. After the encore, Scott Stapp closed out the set with “One Last Breath” and “My Sacrifice”.
It was a night of redemption, a night where we literally saw a brand new man all over again in Scott Stapp, and it made my heart full of joy seeing him at his peak again and doing this with a genuine, heartfelt smile on his face. It was incredibly touching to hear his story of him and his wife adopting 1,000 children in the Philippines so they can have their basic needs met and be able to get an education. I felt different leaving the show tonight as opposed to when I walked into the show, and that’s a very good thing. I prayed for Scott Stapp since that episode in 2015, and I am so glad that my prayers for him were answered.
Fans can check out the tour at the following dates:
Thursday, June 1st at Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, Washington
Saturday, June 3rd at Perham Hall in Zillah, Washington
Tuesday, June 6th at Harlow’s in Sacramento, California
Wednesday, June 7th at Saint Rock in Hermosa Beach, California
Friday, June 9th at Wien’s Family Cellars in Temecula, California
Saturday, June 10th at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California
Sunday, June 11th at The Rose in Pasadena, California
Tuesday, June 13th at Fox Tucson Theatre in Tucson, Arizona
Thursday, June 15th at The Rock Box in San Antonio, Texas
Saturday, June 17th at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas
Sunday, June 18th at Trees in Austin, Texas
Tuesday, June 20th at Rockhouse Live Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee
Check out Scott Stapp on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ScottStapp
Share this:
- More
