It’s the time of year, again, when we come together as a nation and celebrate love, joy, and gratitude while gathering with loved ones. During this very important time, please take a moment to reflect on the things you’re truly thankful for, and please let at least one of those be the time Creed delivered the most unhinged performance during a Thanksgiving Day halftime show.
Rewinding the tape to 2001, Creed were quite literally at the peak of their fame. The band had just released their third album, Weathered, which was ushered in by the hit single “My Sacrifice.”
It honestly made perfect sense that they would be chosen to play the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day halftime show. Then, like some fever dream miracle, they executed the most bizarre set in the history of sporting musical performances.
The game was between the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos and was held in Dallas at Texas Stadium. It’s important to note that Creed’s performance was not just some typical halftime show display… it was also intended to pay tribute to 9/11 first responders. This is fully lost in the performance, aside from some clips that play showing firefighters and police officers at ground zero in New York.
Creed kicks off the set with “Higher,” which hilariously starts while the announcer is still making introductions because THE BAND IS NOT EVEN PLAYING. I mean, pretty much no one is ever really playing at sports game performances, but Scott Stapp’s blatant lipsyncing in a custom-made Dallas Cowboys jersey with his name on the back is just the cherry on top of this outlandish halftime sundae.
When people talk about this performance, one of the first things that comes to mind is usually the shirtless male ariel silk dancers who run up and down the field and leap into the air as Creed plays their second song, “My Sacrifice,” but let’s be real… while out of place, these dudes are genuine artists. What they do takes tons of strength and focus, and they spend years perfecting their art.
What we should be taking note of are the dancers in all-black bodysuits spinning some red, white, and blue banners. It seems like the all-black bodysuits were supposed to be some sort of camouflage. But like, how? The field is green and they’re holding colorful banners so they just stick out like… guys in all black against a backdrop of red, white, blue, and green.
Oh my god, and we cannot forget the dancers on stage wearing red with white panel outfits just dancing around Creed as they (along with a massive gospel choir, children’s choir, and an anonymous woman who for the life of me is completely unfindable through Google) sing the third and final song of the set, “Don’t Stop Dancing.”
The whole thing is just brilliantly chaotic and I’m so thankful it exits.
The post Creed’s 2001 Thanksgiving Halftime Show Remains Unrivaled Madness appeared first on VICE.
The post Creed’s 2001 Thanksgiving Halftime Show Remains Unrivaled Madness appeared first on VICE.
