tour spotlight By Andy Argyrakis hit the road Creed and Skillet the 20-10 tour First Midwest BAnk AMphitheAtre, tinley pArk, il P h o to s b y A nd y A rg y ra k is . Creed Skillet Considering the economy still hasn’t recovered and disposable income is dwindling by the day, Creed’s aptly titled “20-10 Tour” (featuring $20 pavilion and $10 lawn seats) gave fans an excuse to get out without breaking the bank. And across a 90-minute show split between hits and newer tunes off last year’s Full Circle (Wind-Up), the recently reunited foursome delivered exactly what was expected—a big rock show backed by lights, smoke and plenty of pyro. Barn burners like “Bullets” and “My Own Prison” kicked off the evening with mighty guitars from Mark Tremonti and plenty of rock star poses from singer Scott Stapp, while recent cuts like “Overcome” and “Rain” found Creed keeping its inspirational lyrical undertones in tact. The band was even better off presenting blistering rockers like “One” and “My Sacrifice,” while an encore of the spiritually-charged “One Last Breath” and “Higher” sent the masses home with their fists in the air. Prior to the main attraction, Skillet wound up the crowd with tunes from its latest explosive album Awake (Atlantic/Ardent/INO). Though the foursome could easily have headlined (and often does in both the mainstream and Christian markets), John Cooper and company had no trouble translating its massive sounds to the outdoor amphitheatre settings. In fact, the audience was already familiar with radio smashes like “Hero,” “Monster” and “Rebirthing,” the latter of which was augmented with a stirring string section raised high above the stage on strobe-encased platforms. Skillet also gave the ballad “Lucy” an emotional rendering, though it was a between-tunes comment from Cooper about his unabashed faith in Christ that truly brought the house down. 18 CCM