Scott Stapp, founder and front man for the iconic rock band Creed, played to a devoted sold-out crowd at the Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan on March 29th, 2014. Along with Stapp was the New Zealand band, Like A Storm, and Flint favorite, Frequency 54.

I arrived to the venue an hour before doors were to open only to find the line of fans already stretched around the building. Among the crowd were plenty of Creed, Like A Storm, and Frequency 54 t-shirts. Due to the even mix of fan band-wear, it appeared that the Machine Shop put together the perfect mix of bands. Everyone in attendance would be getting his or her money’s worth tonight!

Frequency 54 has been a staple of the Flint music scene for many years now. They have a devoted following and were the right choice to open up this show. The band consists of Justin Rose (vocals), Dan Quinn (guitar), Kurt Stuart (guitar), Bryan Kelly (bass), and Chris Castro (drums). They play straightforward in-your-face rock and roll with catchy melodies and heavy guitars.

All it took was Rose to state, “How ya’ll doing tonight Machine Shop?”, and the crowd went nuts! The audience sang along to every song. Frequency 54 was definitely in the zone. Before the band finished their set, Rose mentioned to the crowd that Frequency 54 would not be playing as many shows in the future as they would be concentrating on a newer project called Skyline Grey, which will include the same band members as Frequency 54.

Next up was Like A Storm. Man, was the crowd anxious for these guys! Like A Storm has been heating up the airwaves here in the US, as well as on Flint, Michigan rock radio station 101.5FM The Banana.

The band consists of brothers Chris Brooks (vocals, didgeridoo), Matt Brooks (vocals, guitars) and Kent Brooks (bass, vocals). Justin Pitlik is playing drums for them on this tour. Like A Storm combine a mixture of melody, aggression, and harmony along with their triple vocal attack. Watching them play live is similar to watching a real storm; it’s both aggressive and beautiful all at the same time!

The crowd fell silent as you could hear the ‘hum’ of the didgeridoo. All eyes were on the stage to find Chris, standing center, playing the didgeridoo intro, which worked into Chemical Infatuation. The rest of the band kicked it in full gear and kept the energy going throughout their entire set. These brothers love to play live and it shows through on their energetic live set.

Like A Storm set list:
· Intro/Chemical Infatuation
· Never Surrender
· Just Save Me
· Alone
· Didge & Drums Solo
· Gangster’s Paradise
· Enemy
· TNT
· Love The Way You Hate Me

Scott Stapp walked on stage to an overenthusiastic crowd. The audience was screaming so loud that I could feel the floor shake beneath my feet! Without hesitation, Stapp and his band broke right into Slow Suicide, the first single off of his Proof Of Life album.

His show featured a nice mix of Creed hits interspersed with his new material. Stapp put together a fantastic touring band that was able to bring these songs to life. His band included Chad Szeliga (drums), Andy Wood (lead guitar), Travis Comer (rhythm guitar) and Andy Waldeck (bass).

Stapp made this an intimate one-on-one show with everyone in attendance. As he sang, he made eye contact with those he could and told personal stories as well as some casual conversation in-between songs. At one point, Stapp told the audience that he has had the opportunity to play in front of crowds of half a million people but he had never felt more nervous than tonight playing here at the Machine Shop.

Stapp further told us that playing an intimate show this size is what ‘makes’ a sweaty rock and roll show and that he hoped he would do an iconic club such as the Machine Shop justice? By the reaction of the crowd, it was obvious that Stapp hit his mark and brought the crowd along for the ride. He put 100% of himself into his set and was drenched in sweat by the end of the first song.

Stapp’s voice is as strong as it has ever been. He constantly smiled throughout the night and appeared to really love what he was doing. He was very humble, constantly thanking everyone for his or her support and frequently interacted with the crowd via handshakes and high-fives. When a girl would tell him that she loved him, he would reply with an “I love you too” as he pointed right to her.

Although it was nice to hear some Creed hits, the highlight for me was Hit Me More and Jesus Was A Rockstar. Stapp’s voice brought a little more ‘soul’ to the room on Hit Me More and his band brought out the ‘funk’ on Jesus Was A Rockstar. They definitely brought their A-Game tonight.

Scott Stapp set list:
· Slow Suicide
· What If
· Justify
· My Own Prison
· New Day Coming
· Overcome
· Break Out
· Higher
· Hit Me More
· One Last Breath
· Only One
· My Sacrifice
· Jesus Was A Rockstar
· Crash
· With Arms Wide Open
· Dying To Live
· Proof Of Life

Scott Stapp, Like A Storm and Frequency 54 brought the roof down with their non-stop high-energy sweaty rock and roll. Our photographer, Thom Seling, was on hand to catch these bands in action. Here are the images from that night.


Scott Stapp:
scottstapp.com
facebook.com/ScottStapp

Default Gallery Type Template

This is the default gallery type template, located in:
/home/nrrmedia/public_html/sites/nrr-wp/wp-content/plugins/nextgen-gallery/products/photocrati_nextgen/modules/nextgen_gallery_display/templates/index.php.

If you're seeing this, it's because the gallery type you selected has not provided a template of it's own.


Like A Storm:
likeastorm.com
facebook.com/likeastormofficial

Default Gallery Type Template

This is the default gallery type template, located in:
/home/nrrmedia/public_html/sites/nrr-wp/wp-content/plugins/nextgen-gallery/products/photocrati_nextgen/modules/nextgen_gallery_display/templates/index.php.

If you're seeing this, it's because the gallery type you selected has not provided a template of it's own.


Frequency 54:
facebook.com/pages/Frequency-54/68709520440

Default Gallery Type Template

This is the default gallery type template, located in:
/home/nrrmedia/public_html/sites/nrr-wp/wp-content/plugins/nextgen-gallery/products/photocrati_nextgen/modules/nextgen_gallery_display/templates/index.php.

If you're seeing this, it's because the gallery type you selected has not provided a template of it's own.

 

About The Author

Erik's interest in music began at an early age. In high school, he was the co-host of the underground metal show the Social Mutilation Hour, on 89.5 WAHS, under the name of Neurotik Erik. During this period of his life, he independently promoted shows under the name of Ding Dong Ditch Productions. Erik would rent out local VFW Halls, use space at Oakland Community College Auburn Hills Campus, or simply throw basement parties around the Detroit area. While at college at Ferris State University, he became head of the student run organization, Entertainment Unlimited, and continued to promote shows, but on a larger scale. He also helped start an underground magazine, 'Outpunk', where he interviewed bands and wrote music reviews. Additionally, Erik joined the staff at the Ferris State University Torch and wrote on a larger scale.