Creed

Creed doesn’t really suck. Yes, they are traveling down a galling road many a Journey and Chicago have traveled before. The right combination of showy power-chording, handsomeness and warm, engaging looks into the audience is a time-tested tradition. But the soft mush of the mainstream always cries for the comfort of a “With Arms Wide Open” and the soaring, hokey chorus of “My Sacrifice,” especially now that the Bush plutocracy is gaining strength. Somebody has to reach out, after all. So give Scott Stapp a break — his Jesus Christ pose is a hit with the huddled masses, and I’ll shut up and let ’em enjoy it.