Wheatland, California – “Summer of ’99 Tour” – I was blessed with the opportunity to capture the tour’s stop at the Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, California on Sunday night.  A nearly sold-out crowd braved the near 100⁰ heat, which is quite impressive  for a “school night”

Promptly at seven o’clock, Finger Eleven was the first to take the stage. While you may be chalking them up as a one hit wonder (“Paralyzer“), they are far from that! With strong vocals and an amazing stage presence, myself and those around me were blown away by their performance.

Next on the bill was 3 Doors Down who started their set with “Train” from the band’s 2008 self-titled album.  Having always been a fan, I may be biased, but Brad Arnold sounded incredible. Many crowd favorites were perfomed including “Loser“, “Krytonite“, “Away From The Sun,” and one of my favorites, “Landing in London.” The band appropriately, as well as victoriously ended their show with “When I’m Gone.” 3 Doors Down never missed a beat and sounded just as good live as they did on 1999’s major label debut “The Better Life.”

Now for the moment 18,000 fans have been waiting for……. Creed stormed the stage with “Bullets”  from their 2001 album “Weathered“. Given the fact that the song is likely the heaviest songs in their arsenal it was the perfect way to kick off the set. Promptly followed by “Torn” and “Are You Ready” the raucous cheers from the crowd let Scott Stapp and the Creed crew know that Wheatland, California was in fact READY.

Creed, consisting of Stapp, Brian Marshall, Scott Phillips and Mark Tremonti blazed through hit after hit. Speaking of Tremonti; during the show Mark gave away a guitar from his personal collection.

I say this with total honesty. With commanding stage presence, blistering guitars, and powerful vocals, I don’t think Scott Stapp and band has ever sounded better. Creed’s performance was biblical but not in a churchy kind of way. They took us all back to when times were better and the music rocked. I know they definitely took me back to the Summer of ’99.