MARK TREMONTI Isn't Bothered By CREED 'Haters': 'If It Becomes A Household Name, There's Gonna Be People That Hate On It'

In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Mark Tremonti was asked if all the "hate" that CREED got at the height of the band's popularity is something that shaped him as an artist or something that he was able to grow from. Mark responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "After a while you just kind of realize if you wanna be in a band where it got as big as CREED did, there's gonna be people that love you, there's gonna be people that hate you. Look at all the biggest bands in the world, look at especially pop artists, if it becomes a household name, there's gonna be people that hate on it. And you've gotta take the good with the bad. Would you rather sell tons of records and have people come at you or sell no records and have everybody love you? And I got to see both sides of that when we started ALTER BRIDGE. When we started ALTER BRIDGE and we had gotten into a few records, we got a lot of critical praise, but we weren't selling the millions of records that CREED was. So I got to see what it feels like on both sides. Yeah, I mean, I'm glad I've gotten to experience it all. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for those early CREED days."

Tremonti previously drew a straight line between the backlash and CREED's massive popularity in a July 2024 interview with Guitar World magazine, noting: "Whether it's LeBron James in basketball or CREED in rock 'n' roll, anytime somebody is on top, people want to see them knocked down. We were on the radio non-stop, and we were playing your city every other month. Some people push back on that.

"You're seeing it now with Taylor Swift," he continued. "She shows up at a [Kansas City] Chiefs game, and everybody wants to hate on the situation. It's just a shame. Don't hate on people because they're successful."

CREED's "Summer Of '99" tour was put on sale in November 2023, and exceeded expectations, leading to a fall leg announced in February. The "Are You Ready?" tour featured 3 DOORS DOWN and MAMMOTH WVH, this time taking in arenas in new markets and some repeats, with many dates selling out immediately, according to Pollstar.

CREED's reunion started in April with a pair of cruises, before the North American trek kicked off on July 17 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With more than 53 million albums sold worldwide, CREED remains one of modern rock's most successful acts. Now, 30 years into their incredible journey, CREED is bigger than ever. In late 2023, the Texas Rangers made "Higher" their unofficial anthem, as it spurred them to their first World Series win. Earlier this year, the song appeared in a high-profile Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial, while a NASCAR Daytona 500 campaign also incorporated the hit single. Along the way, CREED has gained a new generation of fans, thanks to countless TikTok videos that feature their songs.

In the summer of 2023, after an 11-year hiatus, CREED announced its long-awaited reunion — returning to the stage for the first time at the sold-out Summer Of '99 cruise and Summer Of '99 And Beyond cruise. In May, meanwhile, the band's multiplatinum-selling "Greatest Hits" collection made its wide debut on vinyl (via Craft),this month landing the collection back into the Billboard Top 200, as well as hitting Top Hard Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Alternative Albums, and moving up the Top Hard Rock Albums rankings. Originally issued in 2004, the 14-track compilation spans the band's first three albums (1997's "My Own Prison", 1999's "Human Clay" and 2001's "Weathered").