Singer Scott Stapp is taking the blame for Creed’s initial breakup in 2004.
At the time, Stapp and the other band members decided to part ways due to personal issues. Stapp would pursue a solo career, while guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips formed Alter Bridge with vocalist Myles Kennedy. Creed eventually reunited for a 2009 album, Full Circle, and tour, but have been on hiatus since 2012.
In a new interview on the Net Positive with John Crist podcast, Stapp said that living the rockstar lifestyle in the wake of Creed’s massive success led to the rift between himself and the rest of the multiplatinum band.
“I think there was some frustration and anger,” Stapp said [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “Because the guys were, like, ‘This isn’t what we signed up for.’ And to their credit, it’s because they didn’t wanna be fake; they didn’t wanna be hypocrites. They were, like, ‘Hey, man, we’re not living the life that someone who claims to be a Christian is living, and we don’t wanna have people perceive us that way and live a lie.’ So that’s just them being authentic. So I can’t blame them for that. And me too. I was telling them, ‘Guys, sorry.’ At the time, I wanted to participate in the same lifestyle, and was. So we were all kind of a in a conundrum.”
He continued: “We were living like rock stars, man. We were young and living the life… And we were on fire, man. … I can own my part. I got mixed up in some things I shouldn’t have that I go to a program for today. And that, I’m sure, was a major part, because had I not developed those issues, I think we probably could have worked through everything else. So I’ll take the blame about that.”
Stapp released his third solo album, The Space Between the Shadows, in 2019, while the other members of Creed dropped their seventh studio album with Alter Bridge, Pawns & Kings, in 2022. Stapp has a couple of dates on his 2023 schedule thus far, while Alter Bridge just kicked off a headlining North American tour with support from Mammoth WVH (tickets available here).
Check out the recent podcast interview with Stapp below.