Creed’s Hot Streak Continued In 2025

It had been over a decade since Creed last played live when they finally reunited in 2024 for the sold-out Summer of ‘99 tour. Since then, speculation and renewed attention have put the spotlight on the band brighter than it’s been in 20 years.

By the end of the 2000s, many fans had grown weary of Scott Stapp’s complicated relationship with Creed, and after 2009’s Full Circle, the group seemed to have little left to pursue. Stapp returned to his solo career and later joined Art of Anarchy, while Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips continued their work with Myles Kennedy in Alter Bridge.

The past two years, however, have been remarkable for both the band and its fans. Reports of 130 sold-out shows and three sold-out cruises in that span prove the staying power of their songs. Crowds flocked to hear their favorite hits—perhaps driven by nostalgia for Creed’s anthemic, melodramatic sound.

Still, Creed’s journey hasn’t been without turbulence. They’ve long been one of the most polarizing groups in rock, dismissed by critics and detractors who found them overwrought, accused Stapp of mimicking Eddie Vedder, or assumed they were a Christian rock band. Others criticized their pursuit of mainstream success through post-grunge stylings, arguing that the accessibility of their music undermined grunge’s original ethos. But does a band tied to a genre owe allegiance to its traditions? Those debates have largely faded into a wave of nostalgia, as a generation that grew up with Creed now seeks to relive its youth through the music that once defined their “glory days.”

Yes, skepticism remains, but the reputational turnaround of Tremonti, Marshall, and Phillips through Alter Bridge—as well as the enduring popularity of Creed’s hits—has softened much of the criticism.

In September, Creed capitalized on their resurgence by releasing a new greatest hits collection, The Best of Creed, available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. The 12-track set is well-curated, though the vinyl edition includes only 10 songs. Fans often scrutinize what’s missing from a “best-of,” and here notable omissions include “One” from My Own Prison, “Are You Ready?” from Human Clay, their cover of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm,” the minor hit “Bullets,” and the title track from Weathered. While these could have been included as CD or digital bonuses, streaming listeners can easily add them to their own playlists.

1.     Higher (Radio Edit) 2. One Last Breath 3. My Own Prison (Radio Edit) 4. Overcome 5. What If (Radio Edit)6. My Sacrifice 7. With Arms Wide Open (Single Version) 8. Torn (Radio Edit) 9. Rain 10. What’s This Life For 11. Hide [CD/Digital] 12. A Thousand Faces [CD/Digital]