CREED - review added 7th December 2009
DVD Review: Live (2009)
For fans of: Heavy Rock... and Creed...live...on DVD
I haven't, for various reasons, taken much notice of Creed over the years. I know they are widely loved but, the few times I have heard them on radio or music TV, their songs haven't hit the spot as far as my fickle ears are concerned. It's quite refreshing, therefore, to get the chance to indulge in a full audiovisual blast of the band on this live DVD.
The band came together in the early to mid 1990's, arguably on the back of the grunge wagon. Before their split in 2004, they released 3 studio albums - My Own Prison (1997), Human Clay (1999) and Weathered (2001).
After working on various projects in the intervening years, the four original members - Scott Stapp on vocals, Mark Tremonti on guitars, Scott Phillips on drums and Brian Marshall on bass - returned in 2009 with a new album, Full Circle, and the reunion tour from which this Houston concert was taken.
As you can probably see from the DVD cover and the other pictures on this page, the shows on this reunion tour were big spectacles with flame, smoke, complex lighting and cool video backdrops. The big thing though is the number of cameras employed. Specifically for the Houston gig the rig had 239 of 'em. So many in fact the band was presented with a certificate from the man at Guinness World Records.
Now, you'd think this would make for a visually incredible DVD, but it doesn't come across anywhere near as well as it could have done. In comparison to normal live gigs there's no doubt this is a beautiful show, expertly filmed with vivid colours and incredibly well balanced sound, but they only employ a small number of the total cameras at the venue. Why? Because the big show is saved for the upcoming deluxe version of this disc. For me, that's a real p*ss take. People will go out and buy this and then, when they realise it doesn't have the full shebang, they'll have to fork out more cash for the bigger, better version.
I don't like deceiving marketing, and this smacks of that.
Photo credit Donna Marshall
On to the show...as said I'm not a big fan of the Creed sound, and this does little to change my mind. What I will say is that they put on an incredible live show and are all very handy musicians. Scott Stapp is a superb front man with boundless energy, boundless sweat, and a genuine affection for the crowd. He often seems overwhelmed by the reaction of the fans, and in the interviews he comes across as a meek honest sort of a guy. I have to say guitarist Mark Tremonti is the star of the show for me though. He's an incredible player, even if he does only seem capable of making one face throughout the gig.
Photo credit Donna Marshall
If you like Creed you are going to love this. The show is amazing, the documentary is brilliant - especially the mush who can't stop drinking Red Bull - and the guys come across a lot better than they have any right to. However, I'd wait to see how much the deluxe edition is because I have a strong suspicion it'll make this look staid and you really would be a mug to buy both.
Overall, 4 and a half R's for the spectacle, 1 and a half for releasing this DVD first and then the full show - the one people should be buying - later.
Check out... What all those camera's can do in the 'Deluxe Promo'.
DVD Listing:
Tracks:
1. Bullets
2. Overcome
3. My Own Prison
4. Say I
5. Never Die
6. Torn
7. A Thousand Faces
8. What If
9. Unforgiven
10. Are You Ready?
11. What’s This Life For
12. Faceless Man
13. With Arms Wide Open
14. My Sacrifice
Encore...
15. One
16. One Last Breath
17. Higher
Bonus Materials:
Documentary
Photo Gallery
Deluxe Promo
'Overcome' Music Video
Artist's website(s): Creed , MySpace
