Daughtry Rocks The Greensboro Coliseum

There’s nothing like coming home, whether it’s after a long day at work or after visiting the in-laws. It’s even that much more special when you are a rock star travelling by bus from city to city and forgetting what your own bed feels like. Former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry brought his Break the Spell tour to the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC on April 7. Although Greensboro is not his hometown, it’s very close to the town of Roanoke Rapids, NC where he grew up.

Daughtry hasn’t been packing them in on this tour like he has done in the past. I’m not sure if it’s because of the economy or if it’s because his popularity is waning. The crowd of just over 5000 welcomed him with open arms and he was all business once he hit the stage. There coliseum did block off almost half of the coliseum with the stage being almost in the center of the floor to give the illusion of a bigger crowd than what was actually there.

The night’s set list focused heavily from his latest album Break the Spell as nine of the album’s twelve tracks were performed. It’s no secret that this newest album from Daughtry hasn’t sold as well as any of his previous releases. Was the set list a marketing ploy? Deliver the goods and hope that would encourage someone to buy the new album after the show? It was a bold move, especially considering that most bands only play a couple of song s from their new album that they are promoting.

The band opened with “Renegade”, not the classic Styx song, and “Break the Spell”, both from the new album. The crowd was really into the new stuff, but the night was early and they were all pumped up to see Chris and the boys. Next up was “Feels Like Tonight” and that really got the crowd fired up. They immediately went back to the new material with five songs in a row, including a very striking version of “Start of Something New”.

The next two performances were stripped down to just Chris at the end of the catwalk and an acoustic guitar. He poured his heart into very passionate and heartfelt performances of “What About Now” and “Home”.  The set ended with a rocking cover of Tom Petty’s “Running Down a Dream” followed by “September”. The encore consisted of a killer version of Billy Idol’s 80s classic “Rebel Yell” and Daughtry’s first single “It’s Not Over”.

Chris definitely puts his all into a show and he has a solid band to back him up. They sounded as good live if not better than the album. It’s a shame that more people didn’t turn out for this “homecoming” show. Maybe by ending the show with “It’s Not Over” was a message to everyone that even though record sales and ticket sales are down, Daughtry plan to be here for a very long time.

Daughtry: If It Ain't Broke, Yada Yada Yada

America’s favorite poster child for not winning American Idol and still coming out ahead of the actual winner is back. Daughtry has just released a new album entitled Break the Spell and it follows the “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it” formula fans expect from the band. That’s not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.

Daughtry first burst onto the scene as a contestant on American Idol in 2006. He was one of, if not the, first contestant who had a true passion for rock. Many fans of the show remember his shocking elimination from the final four on the show. You have to YouTube the clip and just look at the expression on his face and eventual runner-up Katharine McPhee. Chris went on to almost make a joke out of the show by selling more than all of the contestants combined from that season. His debut album sold over four million copies and produced numerous hits and his follow-up Leave This Town was also a hit. He has proven that he is not a flavor of the week and that he is serious about his music career.

The band brought in Howard Benson again to produce for them. He has also produced Daughtry’s first two albums. A producer can bring a lot to the playing field for a band. A great producer will push a band and force them to think outside of the musical box. I have to admit than I am a fan of Daughtry and they have a formula that works for them. They do manage to break out of the “relationships on the brink of disaster” formula a few times on this album, but for the most part it’s sticking to that tried and true formula that sells millions for them. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, I guess it’s open for debate with both sides holding valid points, but time will truly tell.

“Renegade” kicks off the album with a big rock number. No, it’s not a cover of the Styx classic, but it definitely has an edge to it that they would be envious of. Next up is “Crawling Back to You”, which is the first video and single and textbook Daughtry. “Outta My Head” is another catchy, rocking number with a hint of Bon Jovi .
“Start of Something New” is a mid-tempo, acoustic flavored ballad that will most certainly draw comparisons to “Home”, but it’s still one of the strongest songs on the album. An artist always wants to connect with the listener and make them feel what they are singing. “Gone Too Soon” is an excellent example of one of those songs. A powerful and emotional song of a lost child and the grief the parents are going through as they think “what if”. This is one song that will definitely tug on the heart strings of the listener.

Chris dabbles a little bit in the field of falsetto on the song “Rescue Me” and pulls it off like a pro. What’s the lyrical content of this one? You guessed it, another wounded relationship song. “Spaceship” closes out the regular edition of the album; a standout track on the album about love and a romantic escape and proving that even adults who rock and roll for a living can still daydream.

I think Break the Spell is a really good album with a few standout tracks that show the band branching out. Is it a great album? Well, I am sure most diehard Daughtry fans will give a big “HELL YEAH” to that question. I just wish there was more growth or experimentation from the band, whether in lyrical content or musical direction. That is needed from any band to be able to make their career in the industry a marathon rather than a sprint.