Creed mainly, a little Metallica and AIC

[shunammite]

I also watched a Creed bootleg, the State College performance, dvd from Nov. last night and want to talk about it. I bought it illegally and two others, I wanted them and didn't know another way to get them, I don't think it hurts Creed, on the contrary, it's most likely to whet anyone's appetite to purchase a real dvd. If we ever get it. I don't have the wherewithal to copy it, don't ask. Well you could email me I guess.

He had the short hair and the slightly "pudgy" look but that did not detract ONE IOTA from his performance. It's hard to see how it could be from drinking, as is sometimes speculated, because his ATHLETICISM was still AMAZING. I don't think he could have moved with the deft grace he did and have been drinking.

I think the concert was half full, that's not normal and perhaps it made him edgy. And then so many equipment glitches. At first I thought he was lashing out at the crowd, but after seeing the whole thing, I think he was just DETERMINED to make it a good concert, and that requires CROWD participation also. If the crowd is small, it requires EXTRA from the people who are there.

It's hard to be objective about a concert when you are there, ESP in the pit, the experience is just sensory overload. And a dvd is a very poor substitute for being there--this one wasn't too close and the sound was terrible for the most part. But I'm still very glad to have it. I'm kind of a nut about Creed, and still trying to understand my own feelings about them.

He reminded me a little of myself teaching school, when I had a bad class, you have to pull out every trick you can think of to get them on your "wavelength". Stapp would be an awesome teacher, lol. I can see why some people don't like him, he is very "pushy" rather than detached and cool. Detached and cool is another way to draw people, maybe a better way. But Stapp just cares TOO MUCH. That's ok, partly why I love him so.

I also bought the AIC video collection and watched it last night, and the "positivity" of Creed became clearer to me, as an alternative to other rock messages. I just LOVE AIC, in the music, and two of the videos (Would and Angry Chair), but most of the videos are either adolescent male fascination with whatever is putrid exclusively, or just a very very depressed mind that is unable to conceive of any good in human experience at all. I DON'T GET THAT FEELING FROM THEIR MUSIC, I think it might have something to do with "what was in style" back then, grunge and all, but still, Creed wants to ACKNOWLEDGE THE PAIN and RISE ABOVE IT.

(AIC does that also on Sea of Sorrow. And the first step in rising above pain is recognizing it for what it is, which is why I find Would and Angry Chair POSITIVE. But you can't stay there.)

I also got Cunning Stunts on dvd, had the video, but just wanted to be able to hop around at will in it and have the great sound. It's cool how every artist has another way to describe Life and the best way to deal with the problems in it.

"We don't give a sh*t". Ha, few people who ever lived give as much as Het does. His answer to pain is to QUIT YER SNIVELING and get up and BE A MAN. Even if you're a woman.

I love Metallica. And Creed. And AIC. In that order I guess, but I couldn't let go of any of them.

[Dogstar]

I agree with you about the State College show. I was there in the pit and between the equipment problems and a smaller crowd, I think it just irritated him. I think he was going to do his damndest to make it a great show. The pit was crazy as usual, but I remember him imploring the crowd to wake the f*ck up, which cracked me up. People around me in the pit were kind of stunned that he would swear like that, but I think people put him on way too high a pedestal. Frankly, I was happy to see that the guy displayed a less-than-perfect persona. It's really hard to keep up the I'm-happy-all-the-time face.

[m3lissa]

Okay i mean no harm by this but just speaking my mind..

This is regarding Shunamite's message, I think Creed and AIC and two very DIFFERENT BANDS. It doesn't really have to do with the grunge era either, AIC was there way before it.
It may seem to alot of people that AIC was just another grunge band putting out negative vibes. But there is more to AIC then people think, their music was true and very real!

Staley(vocalist for AIC) had a really troubled life because of his long lost relationship with his father which depressed him and got him into heavy drug use and sadly to say it ended his life. The way he talked about how he first stuck a needle inside him and how he struggled with drugs his whole life can only be understood by those who are going through the same pain. Writing the way he did was his way of dealing with it. although he couldn't deal with it to the fullest but some people sure did! knowing that they are not alone and their are not the only ones going through it
Stapp had a very different childhood and his experiences were not as rough or as bad as Staleys. Although he is having a very rough time but still manages to put out a positive message and thats his way of dealing with his emotions.

Stapp is dealing with different emotions ( we really don't know what he is going through but we try to learn from his lyrics) and staley had to deal with different ones..something i just wish no one should go through

so its not really a question of "who is positive or who is negative"
no one here is trying to put out negative vibes..just their way of dealing with emotions and for others to learn from their experiences.

but its good to know shunamite and I have similar taste in music!i also love Metallica! going to the summer sanitarium concert @SKYDOME, TORONTO JULY 5th baby!! although i wish they had better bands headlining! oh well


mel
*RIP Staley: Prince of darkness*

[Yvonne]

WOW!!!!!!! I totally agree with the both of you. I'm not familiar with the band AIC. But I can definately relate to how some experiences in life can cause a person to just lose it. In one year I lost 3 people I loved very much.....my brother, my mother and the father of my daughter(he was also my ex-husband but still my best friend).

Prime example of how some people deal with life's pain, my ex-husband committed suicide......no one knows why, but one thing is obvious, he just could not handle the pressures and heartaches that life throws at us sometimes.

I think it's all in the way a person deals with life.....either you can cry the blues and get over it, or you can just roll in around in your pain and sorrow and make everyone around you miserable.

I have to applaud those who have the courage to share their life experiences (good or bad) with the entire world. Nine times out of ten someone is touched by the words of song, and if that song helps them safely make it thru the night or the next day, and the next......then God bless the artist who had the balls to share.

One thing that I really admire about CREED is that they have a message, a true message. And I don't want to say it's some kind of spriritual, christian thing because I know a lot of people shy away from that kind of stuff. But for me personally......it is a spiritual, self-love thing. Their songs are just simply beautiful there's no other way to put it.

Not only CREED, there are a lot of other artists who share their experiences and how they've dealt with them, no one's totally right or wrong in how they get thru this life....for me, I don't care what you do to release your pain as long as you release it without hurting yourself and those around you.

Again, I say thank you to Scott Stapp and the boys for having the courage to share with the world.

[shunammite]

I agree they are three different bands but they are linked in my head because all three have helped me a lot.

It's great to hear other people's thoughts.

It's weird people think everything ought to SOUND positive, but when you feel like hell it actually makes you feel BETTER to know you're not the only person who ever felt that way.

And I'm really grieving for Layne Staley, didn't even really pay attention to AIC till he died, I'm old, only recently come back to rock music, a great solace for painful feelings there.

[Dogstar]

I agree with a lot of what you said, m3lissa, but in trying to compare Staley and Stapp's lives, I don't think it's fair to say one had it worse than the other. I think in both their minds they were dealing with heavy stuff. Yes, it's all relative, but no less painful for the person feeling the pain.

I totally agree that AIC's music is/was honest and real, which is what drew me to it many years ago. I resonate more with Jerry Cantrell's lyrics because I wasn't ever a hard-core drug user, but Layne (R.I.P) also wrote about the pain and hurt that may have led him to the drugs in the first place.

Though Stapp had a stepfather who ultimately adopted him, there is no one who really can assuage the hurt and anger that come from being abandoned by a biological parent, and Stapp was, even though he was young.

Shunammite, I so hear you that all music doesn't have to sound positive. AIC' and Jerry's music helps me feel when I need to feel and don't want to. It's honest and real and that's the music I'm most drawn to.

[m3lissa]

wow its great to hear so many responses from people!

yes dogstar you are right, thats what i said we really don't know what stapp is going through but only can learn from his lyrics.

i just hope the best for these people, cuz they put their heart and soul in these lyrics for the whole world to hear.


mel
*RIP Staley: Prince of Darkness*

[Dogstar]

It's a good topic....I'm so glad to find some other Alice fans here !