I've always enjoyed seeing live music and going to concerts — can still remember my very first: Foreigner "4," ca. November 1981. I've seen countless bands in countless venues and usually can pinpoint the specific venue and rough date, but I'm having trouble nailing this one down: I know I've seen Creed at least once — and probably twice. I'm pretty sure I saw them at Pointfest in May of 1998 at what was then known as (and always will be for us old-schoolers) "Riverport Amphitheatre." I say pretty sure because I do for sure remember seeing Green Day at Pointfest, and they were part of that line-up, along with the Foo Fighters and several other well-knowns from that era. 

But I also remember seeing them maybe around 1999 at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri, though I'm not having luck finding confirmation of the date or that venue. The reason I'm almost certain it was there is because I remember having floor tickets and standing for most of the concert on the hard floor of the arena — which got old in the high-heeled boots I was wearing at the time. But it was still a good concert, and I've always rather liked Creed, though not followed them all that closely in the intervening — checks notes — 25 years. Life happened, man. 

Why, you may wonder, am I rambling on about concerts from a quarter century ago? Well, because I happened upon this tweet on my timeline today, and it caught my attention: 

Scott Stapp from Creed goes off in between songs.

“We start reminding them of what our Constitution says. We start reminding them what our Bill Of Rights says. We remind them that we are a Constitutional Republic built upon the Bible and the word of God and NOT a democracy.”… pic.twitter.com/RLj8R6T1z9

— 17AbsoluteRedux76 (@RealAbs1776) September 15, 2024

Near as I can tell, this is from the band's Saturday night performance in the Woodlands, Texas. It's a little unusual for a rock band frontman to pause mid-concert and rant about...our constitutional republic, but here we are. From the above clip: 

"And it's my opinion that that's exactly what the Powers That Be — that's what they want. They want us divided; they want us separate; they want us compartmentalized in our own little niches and our own little groups, thinking, "We're right, they're wrong," and bickering. You know why? To keep us distracted from holding them accountable. 

"They start dividing us and programming us in kindergarten, my friends. They teach us about how to be good slaves to authority, about how to do this and do that, and think this way and think that way, all conforming us into this divided group of assets...and pawns.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! It's divide and conquer. We say we're doing it everywhere else, but it's happening right here at home. Everything — nearly everything — we accuse every other country of doing we're doing right here. Your civil rights are being violated every single minute of every single day. 

"And what do we do about it? Oh, we focus on what divides us, and we argue about this, and we argue about that — we're keyboard warriors. And we go to our entertainment and become perfect little citizens that go buy the latest trends — everything to keep us distracted from what's happening right in front of our eyes. 

"The only way to make change is to wake up and come together as one. Focus on what we have in common — which is life, freedom, love, happiness. We find our common ground, we build from there, and as we're building that common ground, we start keeping the Powers That Be accountable. We start reminding them of what our Constitution says. We start reminding them of what our Bill of Rights says. We start reminding them that we are a constitutional republic, based upon the Bible and the Word of God — not a democracy.... 

"I want us to come together as one and enjoy this next song, my friends, and realize that it's not a fantasy. It's not a fantasy if we all wake up and take back the power that was rightfully given us — rightfully given us — it's our birthright. But we can't do it alone. The only way is One, my friends."

Which, of course, led into this classic: 

No lies detected. 

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It's unclear if this is part and parcel of Stapp's lead-in to the song on this tour, or if he was particularly inspired Friday night. 

It wasn’t clear what provoked Stapp to launch his speech mid-concert. The singer has mostly avoided politics during his career, though it is assumed by many that he is right-leaning. Stapp reportedly appears as Frank Sinatra in the recently released Reagan biopic, starring Dennis Quaid.

Creed has used Christian imagery and themes in its music, though it isn’t technically a Christian rock band. The band’s best-known hits include “With Arms Wide Open,” “Higher,” and “What If.”

Despite its massive popular success, especially in the 1990s and 2000’s, Creed has been ruthlessly mocked over the years by elite music critics who look down on the band’s populist and Christian appeal.

I'll confess I missed that it was Stapp playing Sinatra in "Reagan," though it's a brief appearance. And critics can mock all they want. Stapp was spot-on with this. 

Editor's Note: This article was updated to note that the concert at the Woodlands was Saturday night, not Friday.