State Farm Arena was packed to capacity with Gen Xers and Geriatric Millennials ready to relive the 90’s and early 2000’s on Dec 4, 2024. It is a strong testament to the wave of nostalgia that seems to be taking over in America these days. Or maybe we are just longing for the days before we were really adulting in these turbulent times. For those who like to hate on bands like 3 Doors Down and Creed, they would be disappointed to know, they still have a HUGE and very enthusiastic following.
First up was Mammoth WVH, fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen. You might not know that if you didn’t actually know that, but they brought a hard pounding set with great songs like "Another Celebration" at the "End of the World" and "Distance". I honestly had not heard of them before this night but made a mental note to look them up on Spotify and I am glad I did. I also discovered for fans of the band, they are in the preliminary stages of writing a new album.
Next up was 3 Doors Down who started their set with one of my favorite songs, "Train", which is an appropriate song to start with as it brings the energy and is very much in your face. Their set revisited so many songs that complete with a crowd sing along. While their lighting may not have been the most elaborate, there was not much of need for it. Their music spoke for itself from "It’s Not My Time" to crowd favorite "Here Without You, The Road I’m On" and slow jam "Landing in London". Of course when the intro "Kryptonite" started, the roar of the crowd was pretty loud and in all honestly, Brad Arnold could have stood there and not sang a word and the whole thing would have been completed by the crowd. They ended with "When I’m Gone" leaving everyone including myself enjoying the dose of the early 2000s rock we all loved so much.
Also of note is the fact Brad took a moment in the show when he had no qualms about speaking about religion for a couple of minutes. That is one thing I have admired about 3DD as we navigate through a life of cancel culture and entertainers feeling like they can’t go against the grain. His words were well received though, perhaps because he was in the deep South. Talking religion went over a little better than his mentioning he had come to see the Giants (his other favorite team at the time) play the Braves back in the 80s, forgivable because apparently someone who played for the Giants was a MS guy. He won us back over letting us know the Braves are his favorite.
Creed ended the night with an unforgettable show turbo charged and fire filled, everything you want from a big rock show. Much can be said for all the trials and tribulations they have been through from feuds to solo careers and back to Creed again. Some might say it is the sordid tale of a band. What we all knew was we were beyond excited to see them back together. Scott Stapp still sounds amazing and looks extremely healthy after very public battles with addiction and still brings so much raw emotion to his performance. Mark Tremonti of course still sounds amazing and makes even the most unmusical of us all want to pick up a guitar and shred. They are still at the top of the rockstar game. Their shows are what you are looking for when you want a big show.
They began the night with "Bullets" and took us through a journey of the best of the best of their catalog. Highlights for me personally were "Are You Ready?", "My Own Prison", "What If?", "One", "With Arms Wide Open" and of course "Higher". The crowd never skipped a beat bobbing heads along and singing along with a ferocity like Creed had never even really left the scene. Tremonti even took the time to give a guitar away to a fan he felt was giving it his all in the crowd. Lucky guy.
The encore consisted of "One Last Breath", which we all were needing at that point, and my all time, well, second favorite Creed song (I’m a sucker for Higher), "My Sacrifice".
All in all, the night was great. It was fun. It was nostalgic. It was a testament to the fact that even though we may not be the loudest and we may not be seen, us rock fans still have so much to celebrate when it comes to our favorite bands still bringing the fire, literally and figuratively
Photojournalist - Chattanooga
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