One of the biggest tours of 2024 was the ‘Summer of 1999’ tour headlined by a reunited Creed. It’s been 12 long years since the band played together and it was the first appearance Creed made in Syracuse in 26 years. Due to the overwhelming success of the first handful of dates last year, Creed decided to add more shows in 2025. This time they brought Daughtry and Mammoth with them. It wasn’t only one of the hottest tickets in town but one of the hottest days of the year. The show was totally sold out so it made for a hotter and sweatier event.
First up was Mammoth. The band led by Wolfgang Van Halen just dropped the WVH from its name last month after it was able to trademark the Mammoth name. They played a short set but it was an impactful one. The opened up with their brand new single “The Spell” off up their upcoming album ‘The End’ (set for release in October of 2025). It was only a 6-song set so only a few select songs were played including the killer track “Another Celebration At the End of the World.” I’ve seen Wolfgang Van Halen live a few times now and he always delivers. This show was no different.
Up next was Daughtry. It’s been quite a few years since I seen him perform so I was curious on what would be the same or different from his set. His entire band has remained the same. The only differences are now are more in a physical nature. Daughtry arms are completely tattooed and he is really physically fit. His voice remains as powerful as ever. A few surprises accompanied Daughtry’s set. The first was the special appearance by Joey Belladonna of Anthrax (he lives locally in Syracuse). He joined Daughtry to sing a cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways.” This as not rehearsed according to Daughtry himself. The second was a cover the 3 Doors Down song “Away From the Sun.” That was due to the recent health struggles of vocalist Brad Arnold who were originally on the 2024 tour. I thought both were fantastic surprises. I thought the band delivered a solid performance.
Closing the set was Creed. Speaking about how fit Chris Daughtry was, Scott Stapp of Creed was just as jacked as Daughtry was (maybe even more so). The original band was back together; Stapp on vocals, Mark Tremonti on lead guitar, Scott Phillips on drums and Brian Marshall on bass. They were joined by Eric Friedman on rhythm guitar. This was only the 2nd show on the new run of dates. It seemed the band was already locked in as they ran through a few killer tracks in “Bullets,” “Ode” and “Torn.” I always though Tremonti was in the forefront of great guitarists who came out of the 1990’s rock scene. His crunchy riffs throughout showed why is a highly regarded guitar player amongst his peers. Creed also did a dedication to Brad Arnold and the song they dedicated to him was “Never Die.” A barrage of hits came later in the set with “What If,” “Arms Wide Open” and “Higher.” A wall of sparks fell from the rafters as fire shot out of multiple cannons for the encore of “Sacrifice.”
With the 3 amazing bands on the bill, it was no wonder why the show was sold out and one of the hottest tickets in town. All of the bands delivered a fantastic performance. The big question is, will Creed go into the studio to create new music or simply be happy to do nostalgia like tours every few years or so? With them still showing they are on top of their game, their options are really open for them going forward.
Setlists:
Creed setlist:
Bullets
Ode
Torn
Are You Ready?
Never Die
My Own Prison
Wrong Way
Say I
What If
Faceless Man
One
What’s This Life For
With Arms Wide Open
Higher
Encore:
One Last Breath
My Sacrifice
Daughtry setlist:
The Reckoning
Changes Are Coming
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
The Day I Die
Over You
Away From The Sun
Home
The Dam
Pieces
Heavy Is the Crown
Artificial
Mammoth setlist:
The Spell
The End
Don’t Back Down
Another Celebration
Take A Bow
We would like to thank Tim Tobin from Livenation for the credentials to review the show.
