Music Scene: Creed is just the ticket for strapped music fans

This summer’s concert season has seen a bevy of attractive deals, as more and more acts and venues react to the struggling economy with lower ticket prices and reduced service charges. But the best deal of all is the Creed tour.

In honor of it being 2010, the band is offering a 20-10 deal, in which the highest-priced seats are $20, and the first 2,010 buyers of those tickets will enjoy the added bonus of not paying any service charges. The rest of the venue’s seats are all priced at $20 and $10, with applicable service fees.

To add even more incentive, there will be “The Chopper & Axe Giveaway,” in which a lucky fan will win one of Mark Tremonti’s custom-built guitars at the end of the tour. Also being raffled is the custom-designed Orphan motorcycle singer Scott Stapp will be revving on stage during Tremonti’s instrumental salute to American servicemen and women. (Anyone can enter the contest, with the prizes valued at more than $80,000, by logging on to www.creed2010.com.)

It almost sounds too good to be true, and raises the question of how the band could offer so much and still make a profit.

“This tour is not about making the money, and we’re definitely cutting our profit margin down, but there’s still plenty there for us,” said Tremonti from his home near Orlando, Fla. “We know this economy is killing everybody, and these prices give the people what they want – a chance to come out and hear a good show for reasonable money.”

If Creed hasn’t always been critical darlings, to say the least, no one can argue with their sincerity. They kicked off the 36-city tour with a date in Nashville, Tenn., where the proceeds went to the Hands On Nashville organization, dedicated to flood relief.

The Tremonti model guitar came about almost by accident. The guitarist could never find exactly what he wanted for a live performance. So the people at Fret12 decided to let him design it.

“They had a design guy come and work with me, and we made one right to my specifications – and it came out great,” said Tremonti. “The motorcycle thing came about easily, since my brother, Dan, has been working at marketing Orphan bikes. It’s a good way to remember our fallen soldiers. ... I saw it five days ago, and, believe me, it’s a nasty bike.”

Creed formed in the mid-1990s when Tremonti and Stapp were students at Florida State University. It wasn’t long before their hard-rocking, but melodic, sound found an audience, and hits like “Higher,” “My Sacrifice,” “Torn,” “One,” and 2001 Grammy winner, “With Arms Wide Open,” were topping the charts.

But Stapp was always a controversial figure, his passionate Eddie Vedder-influenced vocals accompanied by an onstage persona many deemed phony. Because some of his songs dealt with self-examination, spirituality and existentialism, he was accused of being a bit too self-righteous and even preachy.

There also was a rift inside the band that led to a breakup in 2004. Stapp went on to release a solo album, while Tremonti formed Alter Bridge, which also included three other Creed veterans. But by last year, amends were made and Creed re-formed behind the very solid “Full Circle” album.

The CD contains potential hits in “Rain,” “A Thousand Faces” and “Overcome.” But thus far, sales have been slow – a far cry from the band’s second album, “Human Clay,” which sold more than 11 million units.

Nonetheless, the songwriting is strong, and Tremonti is hoping the tour will help boost sales of “Full Circle.”

When he’s not performing with Creed, Tremonti can be found guesting on other artists’ recordings, a side gig he finds invigorating.

“I am completely driven by music,” Tremonti said. “I love what I do. Whenever Creed has a layoff, I totally jump at any chance I get to sit in with other people. Of course I want to make sure I have some quality family time, too (Tremonti and his wife, Victoria, have two sons). But overall I feel very blessed to be able to do all the various musical things I’m asked to do.”