CREED Doesn't Have Any Shows Planned For After 'Summer Of '99' Cruise: 'It's Baby Steps', Says SCOTT STAPP

CREED's singer Scott Stapp spoke to Jason Bailey of Audacy Check In about the group's recent announcement that it will reunite for its first shows in 12 years in 2024, when Stapp and his bandmates set sail as the headliners of the "Summer Of '99" cruise next April. Asked how the reunion came about, Scott said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That was something I think managers were talking about for a long time before the artists were approached. And so then we were approached and everyone signed on. [We] thought it would be a good way to kind of kick things off and see what happens."

As for the possibility of more CREED shows beyond the upcoming cruise, Scott said: "We don't have anything planned after that right now. It's baby steps. But you know what? Relationships were positive, we support each other. And so we'll see what happens from there. But right now I'm just excited to get back on stage with those guys. I respect them all so much. And I can't wait to have a good time on that cruise and play some CREED tunes."

Presented by Sixthman, "Summer Of '99" will sail April 18-22, 2024 from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas aboard Norwegian Pearl.

In addition to CREED, the cruise will feature performances by very special guest 3 DOORS DOWN alongside a stacked all-star bill featuring BUCKCHERRY, TONIC, VERTICAL HORIZON, FUEL, THE VERVE PIPE, TANTRIC, DISHWALLA, Louise Post (of VERUCA SALT),NINE DAYS, and hosted by Eddie Trunk and the stars of AXS TV's "Power Hour" (Matt Pinfield, Caity Babs and Josh Bernstein). "Summer Of '99" cruise will also feature an exclusive live Q&A with CREED open to all guests, activities with bands and podcast hosts, panels, autograph sessions, and a very special Y2K Countdown theme party. As if that weren't enough, all guests will receive an autographed commemorative item signed by CREED prior to the event.

CREED's enormous success is largely due to the prolific writing team of Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti, who founded the band together in 1993. Their winning combination of driving guitar riffs, rousing hooks and introspective lyrics earned them legions of loyal fans around the world. Following the release of their first two albums, the four-piece — which also included bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips — became the first band ever to have seven consecutive No. 1 singles on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. CREED's third album, "Weathered" (2001),also debuted at No. 1, and produced several popular singles, including Top Ten hits "My Sacrifice" and "One Last Breath". Though CREED announced its breakup in 2004, the band briefly reunited in 2009 to release "Full Circle". Heavier than their previous albums, "Full Circle" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, proving the incredible staying power of the band.

This past March, Tremonti spoke about the possibility of a CREED reunion an interview with Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz. He said: "It's just a matter of timing for everybody. Everybody's juggling so many projects, we would just have to find a window where it made sense.

"There's always people talking," he continued. "We always get calls from people that are interested in putting a show together. But it's tough to get a band that hasn't toured in 10 years to just do a show. We would have to put it all together. We would have to put weeks into preparing the production and weeks into doing the rehearsals. And it's a big production. You can't just do one show."

Tremonti's March 2023 comments were similar to those he made last fall when he spoke to The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn. At the time, he stated about the possibility of a CREED reunion: "It's just a matter of timing. We're all so busy running around the world doing our things, we would just have to have the time where it made sense. I don't think we need to rush into it, because I don't think CREED fans are going anywhere. I think whenever we decide to do something, I think it's gonna be a safe time to do it. It's just gonna be when it makes sense for everybody. You don't wanna derail a whole album cycle by jumping into doing CREED. It would just have to make sense."

In September 2021, Tremonti told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn that constantly being associated with CREED — more than 10 years after the band completed a tour in support of its fourth album, 2009's "Full Circle" — was "definitely both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you right now if it weren't for CREED; I wouldn't have this career, this long career," he said. "But at the same time, for my entire life, I will be that guy from the band CREED, which is good and band. 'Cause certain people loved CREED, certain people hated CREED. So no matter what I do artistically, I'm gonna be the guy who was in CREED that was, at certain points critics liked to come after us. So I've kind of lived in both worlds — I was in a band that sold lots of records but got some critical attacks, but I also got to be in a band that didn't sell as many records but got critical praise. So I got to see both sides of it. It would be great to have it all in one. But it's tough."

CREED disbanded in 2004 but reunited five years later for the aforementioned "Full Circle" LP and an extensive tour. Stapp has since toured and recorded as a solo artist, although he suffered a drug-related mental breakdown in 2014 and spent several years recovering from that.

In 2019, Tremonti said in an interview on Jamey Jasta's podcast that he was sitting on an album's worth of material for CREED. Asked whether CREED could reunite again, Tremonti said, "People say, 'Is it done? Is it over? Is there new music coming out?' I'm sitting on an entire CREED album... When we were together doing the reunion tour, we put a lot of music together and I have like really sketchy little demos of probably 13 songs. I listened to them maybe a year ago and they're good songs."

Tremonti added: "It's just, there's no time. Is it good enough for me to put everything on the back burner that I've been working on for the past 14 years? No. Is it good enough to maybe 10 years from now or seven years from now... or some big resurgence happens or there's an anniversary where everybody's like, 'We want to see CREED and the world demands it like they used to.' I wouldn't say no."

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann