Synopsis

Creed prepare to take the stage in a crowded venue, moving from a backstage room through the corridors and into an ecstatic concert performance. The video mixes conventional performance footage with slow motion, frozen crowd shots, and surreal images of Scott Stapp suspended above the audience. Just as the spectacle reaches its peak, the camera pulls back to the backstage area, where the band appears to be starting the same journey again. The circular ending leaves open whether the performance really happened or was a dream.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed at the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, Florida.

• More than 300 extras were used to fill the venue and populate the backstage scenes.

• The production had to be completed quickly because Creed was scheduled to leave for a tour of Japan.

• The frozen crowd and rotating-camera sequences were created by holding performers and audience members still while the camera moved around them. Some of the floating elements were added during post-production.

• Scott Stapp's apparent flight over the audience was achieved with cables rather than computer-generated imagery.

• The final rotating backstage shot used a large array of cameras and software that blended the still images into a continuous-looking movement. This technique was relatively new for a music video in 1999.

• "Higher" was nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

• In a 2017 interview, Stapp admitted that he sometimes cringed when watching the video, particularly because of the leather pants he wore.