[Dark_Knight]

http://blogcritics.org/music/article...ew-creed-live/

It's sometimes hard to remember just how insanely successful Creed once were. Their first three albums, My Own Prison, Human Clay and Weathered, sold 6 million, 11 million, and 6 million copies respectively. All told, they shifted over 35 million records, yet you'd be hard pushed to find anyone admitting to owning one, or a critic with a kind word to say about them. Which is peculiar, because they actually wrote some excellent songs.

For sure, the whole Christian rock-band thing seems to alienate some people. And that's also peculiar, because I'd rather have a band who appear to be seeking some kind of spiritual resolution than yet another Motley Crue wannabee banging on about how many groupies they've had and how many ants they've snorted. Yes, Hinder, I'm referring to you. But the career of Creed seemed to have been blown out of the water when singer Scott Stapp took a left hand turn into the world of the party-hard rock star and, in 2004, the band ground to a halt.

Afterward, they brought back their old bass player, hired a new singer, and continued on a similar path as Alter Bridge. They were reasonably successful, with both albums going Top 20 in the USA, as did Stapp's sole solo record. So it was a surprise when Creed announced they were getting back together, spurred on by Stapp apologizing to his former bandmates. Their reunion album got to Number Two on the US charts—with only the late Michael Jackson keeping them from the top spot—and they headed out on tour, resulting in this Live DVD. A rather good one it is too.

Filmed in front of a sold-out crowd in Texas, Creed haven't stinted on the production values, with 239 cameras in play, capturing the born again band in fine fettle. Naturally, it's the classics that people want to hear, and there's plenty of them on this 17-track DVD, from the high octane opener, "Bullets" through to an encore that includes "One," "One Last Breath" and "Higher." It's fair to say that the fan favorite is still their Number One hit, "With Arms Wide Open," but there's a good reception as well for new material like "Overcome" and "A Thousand Faces" from the new Full Circle album, which slots easily and comfortably into the classic Creed, post-grunge sound.

They've brought in the legendary Andy Johns to mix the concert audio, and it really leaps out of the speakers. For the techy folk out there, there's 5.1 Surround Sound as well as Standard 5.1, Stereo and DTS audio streams. They've even used the "Big Freeze" special effects gimmick, first developed for The Matrix movie.

However, the bonus features are a bit on the skimpy side. There's the obligatory Behind the Scenes documentary from the tour, a photo gallery, and (here's the giveaway) a trailer for the upcoming deluxe box set. Yes, they're plugging the special edition on the regular edition, something guaranteed to annoy even the mildest-mannered fan.

That version will, apparently, include a full feature-length film about the history of Creed, a live audio CD and special collectors' items such as a T-shirt, poster and a backstage pass from the tour. So, regardless of how good this release is—and it is an excellent concert—you may want to save up your Christmas gift tokens for the fancy schmancy deluxe version.