by Steven Sanchez
Chris Daughtry, with the name of the band being Daughtry, who is remembered as being a finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, came to the Tachi Palace Casino & Resort in Lemoore on Saturday, November 19, and completely rocked the joint. The American Idol alum may not have taken the award, but since then he’s released six studio albums and an EP, several chart-topping singles, and platinum record sales, proving that he forged a path all on his own. This was only the second big concert that Tachi Palace put on this year as they’re still in recovery from the lockdown, and they plan to do more in the next year. And Daughtry closing out this year was a great choice. This was the last date on his Dearly Beloved tour, named after his most recent album release, and hearing that news brought much delight to the crowd.
Chris Daughtry
His music was the soundtrack of my late high school years, and I can speak on behalf of the intimate crowd that was in attendance, his songs brought back nostalgia, and his most recent music has kept the aesthetic that made him endure for the last sixteen years. He showed nothing but pure gratitude to the Central Valley audience thanking them on several occasions for him to continue touring and entertaining people despite what he and what everyone went through with the lockdown. He mentioned how this was his favorite year, record, and tour, especially what he has been through and what this time has meant to him. The stand out song from his newest record was “Heavy Is The Crown,” which he announced was the song that brought them back on the charts. It’s a heart-stomping anthem with the theme being about rising up. It is Daughtry’s highest-charting single on the Mainstream Rock chart.
After starting the show with heavy and melodic tunes, he performed one of his most popular ballads with ‘‘Waiting For Superman,” where it was just him, solo, with his acoustic guitar, under the spotlight. Then, of course, he performed his signature hit with, “It’s Not Over,” that completely made the audience cheerful and singing along to every lyric. That song permeates through my brain as it takes me back to my high school years hearing that song in movies, tv shows, commercials, to where I can’t picture a time without that song. I can speak confidentially proclaiming this song and his music has that effect on his fans. An artist is nothing without his band, and some of the players showed some impressive musical skills. The drummer, Brandon Maclin, and lead guitarist, Josh Steely, performed standout individual solos that awed the crowd.
He exited the stage later in the night, for the briefest of moments convincing the concertgoers that the show was over. Not so fast. The fans really, pun intended, didn’t want the show to be over, as they chanted his name with the goal of an encore. After much anticipation, Daughtry reappeared on the stage to much excitement. It was then that he performed another mainstay, “Home,” and he demanded that the audience hold up their phones with the lights on, which they did and swung side-to-side in unison while singing along with him. It was a cool moment.
Even though, as of recently, rock music has had the same staying power as it did in the 2000s, Daughtry has carried the flag for the genre for quite some time now. Almost near two decades of non-stop rocking out and being a prominent influence in the world of rock. He may not have taken the crown as the American Idol, but with his endurance, impact on the rock genre, and his performance of the night, he got everyone’s vote as America’s rock idol.
0 Comments