The audience was jacked up about the performance from the get-go. Prior to the Florida-based band kicking off its one-and-a-half-hour set, the crowd intermittently chanted "Alter Bridge" and "Tremonti," in honor of the guitarist, who spent part of his formative years in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe.

Tremonti proved to be the focal point of the fledgling band. During the opening song, "One Day Remains," which also serves as the title track to Alter Bridge's debut, fans flashed devil horns and triangles fashioned with their hands at Tremonti. The cheering intensified as he jiggled his head like a bobblehead doll.

Kennedy held forward the microphone to elicit a sing-along and fans fervently followed suit.

The singer seemed sincerely tickled that his band was welcomed with such passion, especially an act that seemingly celebrates Creed's thick guitar riffs and anthemic choruses--all courtesy of Tremonti.

Kennedy stood atop an on-stage monitor to present a larger-than-life image during "Watch Your Words." Clearly aware that the band was succeeding in winning over the crowd--or, perhaps, as a sign of relief--Kennedy finished the song by victoriously raising his arms in the air. Tremonti raised his fist in the same fashion.

"This is it--the very first official night of the U.S. tour," Kennedy said after wrapping up "Broken Wings." "We're so honored that every single one of you came here. We're going to have a good time this evening."

Band members let loose some good-natured ribbing as well, showing that their chemistry lived up to expectations laid out in interviews.

"It's good to see all of you singing," Kennedy said. "You're much better singers than Brian is, but he wears a Speedo like no one else," the singer added with a laugh.

Fans at the sold-out show stuck around through the end, when Alter Bridge laid out the hit single "Open Your Eyes." Audience members saluted each other and sang along just as boisterously as they did with the album tracks.

One of the few downsides to the show was that Alter Bridge was plagued with poor, muddy sound, but that didn't seem to bother the crowd; they hung on Kennedy's every word and Tremonti's blistering guitar solos.