THANKS TO A PAIR OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS FRANCHISES, A BIZARRE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL AND SOME OF THE FASTEST-TO-SELL-OUT ROCK SHOWS IN RECENT MEMORY, THE REUNITED, REJUVENATED AND REINVIGORATED CREED ARE COOLER THAN EVER

WORDS BY JOE BOSSO PHOTOS BY CHUCK BRUECKMANN

Scott Stapp [left] and Mark Tremonti, wearing his ubiquitous PRS signature model.“I remember... when I opened up the [PRS] guitar case on a stage. That was one of the coolest days of my career”

“HAVE WE EVER LAID EVERYTHING OUT ON THE TABLE AND DONE A KIND OF METALLICA THERAPY SESSION? NO, THAT’S NOT HAPPENED”

“WE DidN’t PLaN any of it,” MaRK TREMONti says. “I don’t think anybody could have planned it. Everything just fell into place and happened organically. It’s pretty incredible.”

The guitarist is responding to the strange, unexpected and borderline paranormal phenomenon that swept the nation last fall when Creed — that’s right, Creed, perhaps one of the most polarizing bands of the past 30 years, mercilessly derided by critics as overly earnest Pearl Jam knockoffs but adored by millions of music fans — were publicly embraced by not one, but two professional sports franchises.

The Texas Rangers were the first to get the ball rolling. The baseball team were facing a midseason slump when they started psyching themselves up to Creed’s music in their locker room. Before long, the Rangers’ fortunes turned around and they began pumping Creed’s anthemic 1999 hit “Higher” during home games at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, resulting in rapturous fan singalongs. By the time the Rangers swept the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 in ALDS playoffs, Creed’s streams were up 175 percent on Spotify. Baseball’s Creedmania culminated with the Rangers winning their first-ever World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Online videos captured the team celebrating in their locker room with a Champagnesoaked, full-throated rendition of “Higher.”

A similar scenario unfolded in the NFL world, when Minnesota Vikings quarterback and dedicated Creed fanboy Kirk Cousins used “Higher” as a locker room team motivator. One victory led to another and another, and as the team rode a five-game winning streak, they moved Creed’s music from the clubhouse to the stadium. Vikings fans adopted “Higher” as their own rallying cry and sang along mightily as the track roared over the P.A. at U.S. Bank Stadium. During one game, in which the Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints, the audio dropped out, but the crowd kept right on singing without missing one lyric.