Creed's Scott Stapp Turns Rock Festival Into Powerful Worship Moment With Brandon Lake’s ‘Gratitude’
Scott Stapp, an American singer and songwriter known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Creed, is well-known for his powerhouse performances and recovery from alcohol and drug use, but his recent conversations about God have everyone curious.
Choosing to sing Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude” at his recent concert at the Velocity Festival on Sept. 6, 2026, Stapp used the opportunity to lead thousands in worship. According to Church Leaders, the three-day festival took place in Dyersville, Iowa, at the Field of Dreams and hosted performers such as Carrie Underwood, Shinedown, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cody Lee, Nate Smith and Skillet, to name a few.
At 53-years-old, Stapp chose to stop the band right before “What’s This Life For,” and tell the crowd what his life (and theirs) should be about:
“You know, if you’re trying to figure out what your purpose is in life, what this life is for, I know for me, the more I didn’t surrender to love, the more I didn’t surrender there to God, the more difficulties I had,” he said. “And I remember asking God why. And I felt in my spirit, ‘I got to do what I got to do to get you on your knees, to get you to cry out to me.'”
He continued with empathy, love and urgency, “So don’t go on living this life without having faith. Faith is taking a risk. It’s believing in something we can’t see, we can’t touch, we can’t feel. I’d rather believe in something than nothing. I’d rather get up here as an imperfect man full of flaws, full of inadequacies and talk to you about my faith. Because God didn’t come, Christ didn’t come for those who had it all together. He came for the sick. He came for the broken. And that’s all of us.”
While Stapp has been relatively open about the parts of his life he’s struggled with, including drinking and his past mistakes, he wanted this song to change the eternal trajectory of someone’s life: “I pray you find what this life is for.”
Five minutes later, Creed welcomed “Gratitude” while raising his hands and lifting up a shout of praise. Though Creed isn’t a Christian band, Stapp’s decision shows the influence Christians can have even in non-Christian settings.
Photo Credit:©Facebook/Raven Divito
Originally published September 18, 2026.
