Daughtry’s latest album Leave This Town focuses on physical and emotional departures, but former Fluvanna High School student Chris Daughtry’s appearance at the John Paul Jones Arena marked a return home, back as a platinum-selling superstar. One of “America Idol”’s greatest successes, Daughtry and his radio-ready rock anthems ought to be perfect for a packed arena, but the crowd had to wait a little to find out.
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Chris Daughtry |
Theory of a Deadman played just before Daughtry, and mixed a sense of humor into its alt-rock, along with an obsession for throwing guitar picks—either into the audience or just to themselves. Cavo, the show’s opener, was the real discovery. Driven by stellar bass playing from Brian Smith, the band ripped through a tight 30-minute set.
Before its set, Daughtry built suspense by surrounding the stage in white curtains. The arena grew dim as a cinematic score played and patterns appeared on the curtains. The crowd shrieked at every light flicker or imagined presence. With a loud crack, the curtains dropped and the band began “Everytime You Turn Around,” a musical and lyrical statement to set the night’s tone.
Early on, the setlist’s pacing was somewhat slow. Songs weren’t as repetitive as might be feared, but the band paused long enough between them to keep from building momentum. Fortunately, somewhere between many nights on tour and his crash course in superstardom, Daughtry figured out that you need to change speeds to keep a longer concert set moving.
Midway through the show, Daughtry took his acoustic guitar onto a runway. He began a stretch of songs he described as feeling like VH1’s “Storytellers,” and one that provided a needed change of pace. Daughtry kept the stories short and the songs memorable—particularly his cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” After he discussed his high school days, he played a segment of “Fast Car” in honor of a friend who once told him he sounded like Tracy Chapman.
If Chris is an individual star, then Daughtry is a group effort. He gave his band space to play and plenty of attention; he mentioned guitarist and Charlottesville native Brian Craddock’s “Tennessee Line” co-writing credits. The solos, including a memorable run by bassist Josh Paul, were exciting and to the point. The final portion of the concert built steadily, and the stage show became more adventurous, as flash pots, sparks, and fire literally heated the crowd up.
For the first time in a while, I saw people unironically throw up their rock horns. That might be what this band is ultimately about, and it felt kind of nice.
