“The performance will begin in one minute,” a computerized female voice announced from the darkness of Hilton Coliseum Friday night. The feeling of anticipation for one of the hottest rock bands in the country ran thickly through the air.

Suddenly a wall of flames shot up from behind the stage as Creed tore into “Ode” from their groundbreaking debut album “My Own Prison.” The energy that went into that song alone proved this would be a night for Creed fans to remember.

The band kept the momentum going as guitarist Mark Tremonti played the opening riff to the mega-hit “Torn” amid a roar of cheers from the fans. Lead singer Scott Stapp paced the stage, letting his admiring audience have their chance at singing the chorus to the song.

After taking everyone on a journey “above the clouds” with the prophetic “Say I,” the band pounded into the most powerful three songs of the night, starting with “My Own Prison.”

Following that, Tremonti slowed things down with the soft intro of “What If,” off of 1999’s multi-platinum “Human Clay,” but then blasted the audience away with a thrash of distortion as sparks shot out in a spray of light.

Not letting up for even a second, Creed grinded into “Unforgiven,” as bombs exploded behind the band, resulting in a frenzied response from an awestruck audience.

Taking a break from the sonic assault, the group calmed things down a few notches with the song “With Arms Wide Open,” a song Stapp wrote after becoming a father.

Creed ended the first set with yet another hit song, “What’s This Life For,” before leaving the stage under a barrage of cheers. When they returned for an encore, Stapp dedicated the song “One” to the ISU Cyclones, which received much approval from his followers. The song bled straight into the hit “Higher” as sparks showered the stage.

With the overzealous use of banners, lights and pyrotechnics, Creed proved it knew how to lay siege on an arena-sized audience. It was hard to imagine that just over two years ago this band was playing small club shows in support of “My Own Prison” and testing out new material that would eventually find its way onto “Human Clay.”

Opening band 3 Doors Down lacked the energy it needed to get the crowd on its feet, no matter how well they played. The band opened “Not Enough” from their debut album “Better Life.” The lead singer was all over the stage, making sure he sang to everyone in attendance as the band played a hard-edged version of the title track before launching into the radio-friendly “Loser.”

However, nothing in 3 Doors Down’s set was as hard-hitting as the sonic attack of “Duck and Run.” Even Sevendust’s Lajon Witherspoon was impressed as he grooved his body along with the music while watching from offstage.

It wasn’t until the hit song “Kryptonite” that people finally woke up and realized they were at a concert.

Perhaps the major contrast of the night was Sevendust, a band known for it’s dark edge, opening for Creed. As the band roared through such heavies as “Home” and “Denial,” both off of the band’s sophomore effort “Home,” it seemed as if Hilton would collapse from the quaking music.

The band’s stage antics were compelling, as the guitarists would leap around with the help of strategically placed trampolines. After playing “Too Close To Hate,” the band surprisingly jammed their way through a few bars of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and Pantera’s “Walk.”

Amazingly, Sevendust’s intensity never faltered as they mixed new songs with old. They followed the caustic “Black” with the new hit “Waffle,” and the energy just kept rising.

An extended intro to “Bitch” threw fans into an excited daze. Amid chaotic strobe light flashes, the band played with a hard-edged ferocity that would not be matched the rest of the night.