By Freeman staff

THEY’RE ONE of the most successful bands in rock history, and they’re coming to the Ulster Performing Arts Center on Thursday.

Get ready to welcome the Grammy Award-winning band with arms wide open.

The band that formed in Tallahassee, Fla., in 1995 is back together after a five-year split and is on tour throughout the United States, performing in smaller, more intimate settings.

“I’m excited that we will be able to turn these initial, select few shows into a full-fledged tour,” said vocalist Scott Stapp.

“It means a lot to us that our fans wanted more shows, and we look forward to performing these albums for them.”

While on tour, the band — which includes Stapp; Mark Tremonti on guitar; Brian Marshall on bass and Scott Phillips on drums — will perform the blockbuster albums “My Own Prison” and “Human Clay” in their entirety, along with hits from the albums “Weathered” and “Full Circle.”

Creed has sold close to 35 million albums and millions of concert tickets since they formed in the post-grunge era. 

The band’s debut, “My Own Prison,” was released in 1997 and has sold over six million copies in the United States.

The follow-up, 1999’s “Human Clay,” has been certified Diamond for sales in excess of 11 million copies.  

Creed’s third studio album, “Weathered,” was released in 2001 and tied with “The Beatles Anthology,” for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. Continued...

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In November 2004, “Creed’s Greatest Hits” was released and became a certified double platinum seller. 

The band’s most recent studio album, “Full Circle,” released in 2009, featured the top 10 rock radio hit “Overcome.”

The songwriting team of Stapp and Tremonti, high school classmates and friends at Florida State University, is considered one of the most prolific in rock history.

The band was voted “Favorite Group” in 2003 on the People’s Choice Awards and has won numerous American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and others, including the Grammy Award for best Rock Song in 2001 for “With Arms Wide Open.”

Even though the band has a distinct sound, some fans over the years have confused its message as theological and have branded Creed a Christian rock band.

Raised as the stepson of a Pentecostal dentist, Stapp himself has a religious background, and many of the group’s songs examine deep, spiritual issues.

Those closest to the group said that Creed’s ultimate message is open to individual interpretation.

“The only thing that I’d be willing to say on the record is that Creed has always maintained that the messages in their lyrics are to be interpreted by their fans,” said Drew Hauser, the senior vice president of promotion.

“If people find spiritual reinforcement in the lyrics, they’re fine with that. They’ve always said that they’ve specifically tried to encourage their fans to use their own interpretation of their songs in a way that makes sense to them—however that may be, whether it’s from being spiritually uplifted or just rocking out and bumping their fists,” he said.

“They are happy fans enjoy their music, and they don’t have an agenda. They don’t sell their beliefs. That’s just never been a part of their ideology,” Hauser said. Continued...

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As far as Creed’s performance next week at UPAC, Hauser said fans can expect to hear the band’s classic hits.

“I think fans can expect to relive the great songs from their great records and have a great time,” Hauser said.

“They’re the biggest-selling rock band album-wise in the last 20 years, and you don’t become that without having a universal appeal.”

Creed is playing venues throughout the nation this spring and kicked off its tour on April 13 at the Chicago Theater. Hauser said the tour will end in June in Canada.

“In some of the bigger markets, they’re playing two nights, but whatever show you go to, you can definitely expect to hear most of their hits, for sure,” Hauser said.

At the UPAC concert, Creed will perform “Human Clay” in its entirety. The album includes the hits “With Arms Wide Open” and “Higher.”

If you go

WHO: Creed

WHERE: Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, Kingston

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday Continued...

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HOW MUCH: $37 for members; $47 for adults; $77 in the Golden Circle. Tickets available at the UPAC Box Office, 601 Broadway, Kingston, or the Bardavon Box Office, 35 Market St., Poughkeepsie

CALL: (800) 745-3000

ONLINE: www. ticketmaster.com

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