On November 20th, 2001, post-grunge poster boys Creed released their third full-length, Weathered. Eventually going 6x Platinum, the album was Creed at the peak of their powers, adeptly following up 1999’s Human Clay in terms of commercial success. In fact, the album held the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 8 consecutive weeks following its first-week debut, only being knocked out by Alan Jackson’s Drive. This should give you a good barometer of how big Creed was between the late-’90s and their initial breakup, as alongside Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, and Bush (who arrived years before), they played a huge part in post-grunge’s popularity.
Two days later, on November 22nd, 2001, Creed performed at the Dallas Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving Day NFL game. The game itself was a pretty humdrum affair, with the Cowboys being 2-7 going into the game, and far removed from their three Super Bowl wins the decade before. Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin had already retired, with legendary running back Emmitt Smith being the last of the famed Triplets to still be active. Former Chargers #2 pick Ryan Leaf was their quarterback, and the Cowboys were down 23-3 entering the 4th quarter. Even scoring 21 points in the final quarter couldn’t do enough to defeat the Broncos, but the game isn’t why this day was so memorable.
The @DallasCowboys celebrated in style after their third playoff win since 1996 🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/bLm2BmiZ1h
— Yahoo Sports NFL (@YahooSportsNFL) January 6, 2019
Performing a medley of their songs “My Sacrifice”, “Higher”, and “Don’t Stop Dancing”, Creed’s performance at the game’s halftime show is pretty much the stuff of legends. Scott Stapp’s necklace, the custom Cowboys jersey, and people flying in the sky, were all a part of the most important spectacle in history. One of the most memeable moments in post-grunge history, it’s easy to forget how big Creed was for a handful of years. And when a nation needed unity, Creed was there for us.
this is where we peaked as a nation pic.twitter.com/sXomtRhR2L
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) November 22, 2022
The greatest halftime show of all time, and it’s not really even close.
— Drew Peacock (@DPeacock2016) November 22, 2022
