What a year in Western Pennsylvania.

The Steelers won the Super Bowl. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup. We've got world leaders on the way for the G-20. And, last night, the first Creed concert in seven years.

OK, that last thing might not rise to the same level of distinction -- and those given to music snobbery will hold their noses and call this an abomination -- but the people who ventured to the Post-Gazette Pavilion seemed pretty excited about it, especially since a lot of them got free or nearly free tickets.

If Creed had any opening-night jitters it didn't show. The reunited band spent most of the week in Burgettstown perfecting the production and seemed to get it all right. Frontman Scott Stapp remembered all the words and sang with all the bravura of old, and the rest of the band -- including three-fourths of Alter Bridge -- packed a heavy metallic punch from start to finish.

What the Creed faithful didn't get was that majestic vision of Stapp playing rock god in front of a fan with his long hair blowing back. It was all shorn for his solo career, and now rather than the "Braveheart" look, he's looking more like the buzzcut Mel Gibson.

Stapp must have realized that it adds somewhat to the whole torment vibe, which, after all, is Creed's stock in trade. The missing link between Pearl Jam and Nickelback, Creed peddles crushing post-grunge with little relief from the anguish.

After a brief centerstage pow-wow between Stapp and Mark Tremonti, Creed burst into "Ode" with pyro blazing and two guitars snarling as Stapp growled "Let me see you smile as I die." The quintet kept up the torrid pace for "Bullets," as Tremonti and the flashpots both spewed balls of fire. Creed then settled into somber power ballad tempo for "My Own Prison" -- with that sing-along chorus of "Should have been dead on a Sunday morning/banging my head" now stuck in my head -- and "Say I," with its Jim Morrison-style recitation.

"Somebody tell me this is not a dream," Stapp put forth, sounding overwhelmed by the moment. "Man, we have missed you all."

The middle of the set brought "Torn," with some rare mumbled vocals, Tremonti's speed-metal attack on "Unforgiven" and Stapp's dramatic shirt removal (yes, he's ripped) for the soaring Christian anthem "What's This Life For," complete with even more "Jesus Christ Superstar"-like posturing.

It was followed by "Overcome," a new song from the forthcoming "Full Circle," which had Stapp singing "this war has made me numb" in a chorus that is bound to be in heavy rotation on an alt-rock station near you. Creed's ensemble work seemed mostly flawless throughout, except perhaps for Tremonti's guitar stepping on the vocal during "Faceless Man."

Creed then closed out the set with the two biggies, "With Arms Wide Open" and "Higher," sending plenty of people to the gates before the explosive three-song encore of "One," "One Last Breath" and "My Sacrifice."

"I think you all know this is the first time we've been on stage together in seven years," Stapp said at one point. "We had a lot of stuff to sort out."

That being done, last night's tour-opener launched the first phase of the Florida band's comeback, and with the exception of the sluggish ticket sales, it's hard not to call it a success. If "Full Circle" can produce the expected hit, Creed will be staring at more of a full house next time around.