SCOTT STAPP On CREED Reunion: ‘I Wanted It To Be Where Everyone’s Heart Was In It’

In a new interview with Sylvia Alvarado of the Las Vegas radio station KOMP 92.3, Scott Stapp was asked what the conversation was like about getting CREED back together in July 2023, initially for two different “Summer Of ’99” cruise festivals in April 2024, followed by two separate U.S. tour legs last year. Scott said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “There was a time that I didn’t think that things would come together. We began having conversations, I think, in 2020 when we started to notice this kind of viral thing happening organically online. And so conversations were had about potentially doing something. And I just felt at the time — I didn’t wanna rush it. I didn’t wanna just throw something together, and I wanted it to be real. I wanted it to be authentic. I wanted it to be where everyone’s heart was in it.”He continued: “I can’t really say it was one person or the other [who initiated the discussions]. We all kind of were feeling it. Calls were made. Then management was talking. And we all just kind of migrated to each other organically, kind of the same way we did in 1994 when we started the band. And then when we got together and started rehearsing, the energy within the band — there was so much love in the room, so much support in the room. We all kind of went from back in 2001, [200]2 and [200]3, when we kind of ended our run there, doing multiple nights in the same city and sold-out arenas, having stadiums on hold, we all went our separate ways and started over with our solo careers and our other projects and were back out there [sweating] it out in clubs and bars. And I know it’s kind of probably hard for people to believe, but it’s true. The other guys did, and I did as well. And it was quite the contrast to what we had just experienced in CREED, but I think it was a necessary thing for us to grow as individuals and human beings, but also to really appreciate what had happened to us between ’96 and 2000, into 2003, 2004.”Scott added: “I think everything happened so fast and so quick on our first three CREED records and the rise to arenas was, like, 12 months. I think that’s not typical. It’s unheard of. And I think when it happens like that, you miss out on what paying your dues does to you in terms of your level of appreciation, your level of maturity, your ability to handle the growth at such a rapid pace when it happens, your gratitude, your gratefulness, your maturity, your understanding of the big picture and your impact. And so I think we kind of did that in reverse. So we had it all and then went back and paid our dues in reverse. I went back to playing clubs, they were playing clubs, and then here we are all these years later bigger than we were when we went away in 2004. And so I think all of that contributed to our gratitude and how we walked in, because we’re all much more mature and have a deeper appreciation. And it definitely had an impact on me in my solo career, because I was out there slugging it away on my first three solo records, wondering, ‘Should I continue?’ I love playing music. I love doing this. It didn’t happen like CREED, so initially I was kind of, like, ‘What am I supposed to do? I love making music.’ But I just kept at it, kept at it, kept at it. And here we are with [my solo single] ‘Higher Power’ breaking the Top 10 and now ‘Black Butterfly’ Top 5 and with more music to come. And so it’s really been just a complete full-circle experience with CREED and my solo career all kind of peaking at the same time.”Asked what it is like seeing the love that CREED is getting all over again, and a whole new generation is learning about the band, Scott said: “It’s probably one of the most gratifying and humbling experiences you can have as an artist, especially where we all are in our hearts and in our minds and in our spirits today. To see a whole new generation that never saw a CREED show — most of them weren’t even born when we broke up. I mean, I think the numbers, if I’m quoting them correctly, I think over 80 percent of our tickets sold out of the near-million tickets we sold last year were between [people between the ages of] 18 [and] 35. We have a whole new generation of fans. And all I can say is I’m grateful, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I understand how rare this is. I have an appreciation for it, and I just wanna do it right. And I want to give the fans what they deserve. I wanna represent my children and my friends in the best way that I can, so they’re proud of me, and leave a legacy that they’re proud of, because it’s no secret I went through my struggles, and they were very public and at times very humbling. And so this is an opportunity to kind of end the movie the right way. But I still think the movie’s being written. But I think you get what I’m saying by that.”In the summer of 2023, after an 11-year hiatus, CREED announced their 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 2024, meanwhile, the band’s multiplatinum-selling “Greatest Hits” collection made its wide debut on vinyl (via Craft),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”).Last summer, CREED completed the “Summer Of ’99” tour, joined by the likes of 3 DOORS DOWN, FINGER ELEVEN, SWITCHFOOT, FUEL, BIG WRECK and DAUGHTRY. The band then headed into arenas last November and December on the “Are You Ready?” tour with 3 DOORS DOWN and MAMMOTH WVH in the U.S. and MAMMOTH WVH and FINGER ELEVEN in Canada.CREED kicked off its first tour in 12 years, “Summer Of ’99”, on July 17, 2024 at Resch Center 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. In early 2024, 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.[embedded content]