Creed Has Broken Up

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ORLANDO, Florida — The biggest rock band of the
past decade has broken up.  After nearly 10 years together and more than 24
million albums sold, Creed have decided to put an end to their string of
multiplatinum records and chart-topping singles. The choice
was made months ago, when guitarist Mark Tremonti and singer Scott Stapp
reconvened after a yearlong hiatus and ran into problems.
"We had gotten together two or three times and nothing happened," Tremonti
explained. "We got our instruments and played, but neither of us was taking it
seriously. We were just running in circles. There wasn't a vibe like on the
previous records. It felt very joblike. We knew that it would take us years to
get a record out."
The trouble wasn't that the collaborative couple — Tremonti was responsible
for the music, Stapp for the lyrics — were clashing creatively. Personal issues,
mostly between Stapp and the rest of Creed, caused an irreparable rift that
ultimately led to the band's demise.
"Scott and I hadn't been close for a while," Tremonti said, "and things just
weren't working out. ... None of us really argued amongst each other. It was
always Scott who had the problem."Stapp declined to be interviewed for this
story.
The animosity apparently began to churn two years ago, while Creed were
promoting 2001's Weathered on a tour that Tremonti and drummer Scott
Phillips described as long and grueling. For starters, to preserve his voice,
Stapp sat out soundchecks, which had been where the bandmembers would goof
around and playfully bounce new ideas off each other. So Tremonti was forced to
germinate those ideas with Phillips and touring bassist Brett Hestla, who had
replaced founding member Brian Marshall in 2000, and the collaboration got under
Stapp's skin.Having to postpone several dates because of Stapp's April 2002
car accident (see "Scott Stapp Discusses Accident That Derailed Creed Tour"), and
a few more shows later that year due to his bout with laryngitis, only added to
tensions in the band. Meanwhile, the other bandmembers got the sense that their
singer wasn't as committed as they were, and his attention seemed
fractured."It's not fun to count on other people when they're not that
focused," Tremonti said. "Scott wasn't in the mindset that we were. He wasn't as
focused on the current tour. He had 800 things on his mind, and I think that
distracted him from what we were doing."Among the ventures that Stapp
was exploring was a clothing line called Screamline and forays into
acting."He definitely had his plate full, whether it was professional or
personal," Phillips said. "He always had the cell phone going," the
drummer added, with an eyebrow raised to relay his disgust.Well aware
that something wasn't right in the band's dynamic, Stapp, Phillips and Hestla
began talking about their situation, though they didn't figure a permanent split
was imminent."When every day just seemed to get weirder and weirder,
it's natural to start discussing that with the people around you," Phillips
said. "There wasn't ever a point where anyone was like, 'All right, I'm done
with it.' It was more a question of what exactly is happening. What's going to
happen tomorrow night? What's going to happen three months from now?"The
pinnacle of Creed's problems took place in Chicago in December 2002. Whether
Stapp was inebriated or simply sick, as he had claimed, his performance was so
terrible that some members of the crowd sued the band for sucking. For a band
proud of its reputation for exciting and passionate performances, such a show
was inexcusable. Some fans even balked at Stapp's heavy-handed Christ-like
poses, which he claimed symbolized that he "had some things going on in [his]
life," "kind of felt alone" and "didn't think anybody had [his] back at the
time" (see "Creed Singer Defends 'Symbolic, Personal Gesture' He Made At
'Drunken' Show")."My entire family was at that show," Tremonti said,
"so I was very irritated. But I forgave Scott for it. I talked to him about it,
[but he didn't] offer any kind of explanation. That's probably what bothered me
the most. There was no closure on it. It was like, 'Let's keep moving on,' and I
was like, 'Well, we've got to address these issues,' but we just never
did."The guitarist wasn't really much help in explaining what caused
Stapp's uncharacteristic behavior that night, since their strong friendship, on
which the band had been built, had deteriorated. "We didn't really speak
too much, so as for what he did on his personal time, we had no idea," Tremonti
said. "We just knew that [over time] he would just slowly act a little more
distant and do things that we didn't really approve of. So we really don't know
what happened in Chicago, except that it was a low point in a long
year."Following the tour, the band rested for the next year, a move
spurred more by Stapp than by his bandmates. According to Tremonti, Stapp's
outlook for Creed entailed making an album every couple of years and then
touring for only a few months. To the workaholic Tremonti this wasn't
acceptable, so he figured he'd vent his creative juices in a side
project.Although the speed-metal-minded Downshifter never got off the
ground (Tremonti had envisioned working with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and
Slipknot's Joey Jordison), just the mere thought that his songwriting partner
would apply his talents elsewhere bothered Stapp."We kept having
[personal] problems, and my side project turned into 'Creed is not working,' "
Tremonti said. "And to keep performing, I had to make a decision to move
on."The last time he spoke to Stapp was in February, when the two were
still trying to rekindle their creative fires for the follow-up to
Weathered. When collaboration and reconciliation proved futile, Tremonti
introduced the idea of a world without Creed."We just wanted it to be
fun," he said. "And it just got to the level where it was so political and there
was so much drama that it just drove us crazy and you just can't ... We wanted
to do this for the music, and you're not supposed to be in a rock band to be
miserable or have to walk on your tiptoes around people."Tremonti's side
project took a more serious turn when he recruited Phillips and Creed's original
bassist, Brian Marshall. The trio enlisted singer Myles Kennedy, formerly of the
Mayfield Four, and Alter Bridge was born. Since February, the band had been
working on its debut album, One Day Remains, at Tremonti's Orlando,
Florida, home studio. The disc is due on August 10, with a first single, "Open
Your Eyes," expected to surface later this month and a promotional tour of radio
stations slated for mid-July."I'm more driven now than I've ever been,"
Tremonti said. "If you've tasted it and been there, you need to get back. Rock
and roll, to me, is like a drug. I need to get out there and perform and get the
music out there. That's why we've been a band for only five months and we're
coming out with a record in another two."Stapp is working on a solo
album with hip-hop producer 7 Aurelius, according to a Wind-Up Records
spokesperson. Before that is released, however, he'll contribute a track to an
album inspired by the film "The Passion of the Christ," which the label will
release August 31 (see "Creed Singer Offers Songs To Mel Gibson For 'The Passion'
")."Creed was one of the most amazing journeys through music and
friendship I am blessed to say I was a part of," the singer expressed in a
statement. "I made memories I can never replace. I just want to thank the fans
who supported us and became part of the Creed experience. We could not have
accomplished anything without you!"While perhaps surprising, Creed's
breakup is hardly unique. Often a band formed by the best of friends can
self-destruct when confronted with the pressure and blinding sheen of
success."People in bands, at first they're high school or college
buddies who just want to get out there and rock," Tremonti said. "But after it
gets to a bigger level, it turns into a business where people have to make
decisions about their careers, and people see things differently. You start to
see your friends as somebody who might hold you back from something that you
really want to do. Their opinions might not be your opinions, and a friendly
disagreement might turn into a career-ending decision."Whether you loved
them or hated them, Creed had always inspired strong sentiments in anyone who
heard their music. Tremonti and Phillips just want the band's contributions to
be recognized."When Creed came out on the radio seven years ago, there
was a lot of poppy radio music," Tremonti said. "I think 'My Own Prison' was the
first song [in a long time] with a serious tone and a message behind it. After
that, a lot of radio programmers started programming more serious-sounding rock
and roll, and I think that's what I'm most proud of. Creed perhaps opened the
doors for some other bands who may have had a message.""Even if you
loved us or hated us," Phillips emphasized, "remember us."— Joe
D'Angelo, with additional reporting by John Norris This report is provided by MTV News[/doHTML]

Oh, that sux0rz they were a tremendous banned which I enjoyed listening to a lot :msnbrokenheart: :(.

RuffRyders.