Fans at the Velocity Festival were treated to some unexpected Sunday worship with Creed headlining the final day, and while the pairing may seem unlikely at first, it actually makes perfect sense.
The 90’s and 2000’s staple band, led by vocalist Scott Stapp, rounded out the three-day weekend at the Iowa Field of Dreams-based music festival, following up Shinedown and Carrie Underwood (who had some viral moments from the show of her own). In between their reigning fan-favorite hits like “My Own Prison” and “With Arms Wide Open,” Stapp took a brief detour from Creed’s catalog to perform a cover of Christian singer Brandon Lake’s 2020 standout track, “Gratitude.”
Now, if you’ve ever listened to Creed’s grungy tunes and thought they could almost pass for something straight out of an early 2000s alt-rock worship show, you wouldn’t be too far off base. While they are very much not a Christian band by any means, Stapp’s religious background has surely intertwined itself into their songs.
To this day, the 53-year-old Florida-born singer is still vocal about his faith and displayed that fact on the Dyserville stage, stripping things back for a mostly accapella rendition of Lake’s song with those signature Creed vocals. He sang one verse with his arms spread wide open to the sky (sorry, had to add at least one pun), and the many fans in the crowd joined him with their hands also in the air, worshipping.
He ended the snippet announcing, “We’re grateful, my friends, singing hallelujah,” before leading into their 2001 title track from their third studio album, “Weathered.” Per a comment from the TikTok user who posted the clip, Stapp also prefaced the performance and the prior song, “What’s This Life For,” with his very own testimony, sharing that it was “more powerful than most gospel presentations I’ve heard.“
Other fans in the comment section were equally excited about the God-praising cover, with several saying it gave them “instant chills.” The other question on everyone’s minds, though: Can someone check in on Brandon Lake?
The Texas-native who’s also dabbled in the country music scene over the past few years is a massive Creed fan, often times sneaking snippets of their songs into his own shows. At the end of his 2024 tour, the band pranked him with an impromptu performance of “Higher,“ and without a beat, he enthusiastically jumped right in, singing along passionately.
Check out both performances below: