Creed Fans Sue Band Over Show
Four Creed fans have filed suit against the band, its management
and Ticketmaster over a December 29th show at the Allstate Arena in
Rosemont, Illinois, during which they claim singer Scott Stapp was
clearly off his game. The fans are asking for reimbursement for
their four tickets ($227) and parking fees and have also asked the
judge to consider a class action suit that could cost the group
upwards of $2 million, according to documents filed in the Cook
County Circuit Court on Tuesday.
In the suit, the fans — Philip and Linda Berenz, and Wendy and
Chad Costino — say that Stapp was, “so intoxicated and/or
medicated” during the show that he was unable to sing the lyrics of
a single Creed song, which they believe is equal to the show being
canceled. The suit also claims that “Stapp left the stage on
several occasions during songs for long periods of time, rolled
around on the floor of the stage in apparent pain or distress, and
appeared to pass out while on stage during the performance.”
The request to certify a class action against the group would
allow the approximately 15,000 attendees of the show to also get
refunds for their tickets, according to the suit. The band did not
offer a refund on the tickets, but did issue an apology to fans in
January, which read, “The band has heard that you are unhappy with
the quality of the recent Creed show in Chicago. We apologize if
you don’t feel that the show was up to the very high standards set
by our previous shows in Chicago . . . There has been much concern
about Scott’s health, and we want to assure everyone that he is
doing very well and is taking a much needed break at home in
Orlando.”
Oddly, the note made no apologies for Stapp’s condition, instead
hyping it as a one-of-a-kind rock moment. “For now we hope that you
can take some solace in the fact that you definitely experienced
the most unique of all Creed shows and may have become part of the
unusual world of rock and roll history!” A spokesperson for Creed
could not be reached for comment at press time.
The lawsuit alleges that Ticketmaster, Stapp’s bandmates (Mark
Tremonti and Scott Phillips) and the band’s management forced Stapp
to take the stage to avoid a potential riot by disgruntled
fans.
In a note recently posted on the official Creed Web site, the
group thanked fans for their support over the past year, one they
characterized as, “Unforeseeably rough.”