Daughtry Acoustic Trio || Troy Music Hall || 10.16.19

Concert review initially posted for the online publication Nippertown.

American Idol alumni Chris Daughtry, flanked on either side by Elvio Fernandes (Piano) and Brian Craddock (Guitar), put his heart and soul into over an hour of some of Daughtry’s biggest hits in their purest form Wednesday night at Troy Music Hall.

After years of trying to get myself in a seat at one of their concerts, this was my first time seeing the group. However known for their rock music they may be, I think that this was the perfect way to experience them for the first time. The rock concert pyrotechnics were swapped out for a bare and stripped-down stage. The prancing of musicians was reduced to a trio of stools, their mics, and their bodies, leaving us with an intimate and relaxed giant coffee house vibe. Between Chris’ naturally emotive powerhouse vocals and the acoustics of the music hall, there wasn’t a space in the hall that wasn’t reverberating with the raw quality of the music he was singing. 

While there was a setlist in place, it was as if there was a conversation taking place between the musicians and the audience. Chris would tell anecdotes about his songwriting, ones that seemed dissimilar from those you usually hear told to large crowds at rock shows. He would jest about which album was “the good album” (which is his first—his words, not mine!) and joke about all the names he’d drop. In a break between songs, Fernandes began to play the theme from Cheers! and the audience was privileged to hear a Chris Daughtry version of “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.”

As more evidence to the conversational nature of the show, there was even a song that had been requested by an audience member (a song called “4a.m. that I can’t say I’ve ever heard) during the earlier meet & greet. Chris explained as much, and then offered up as much of that song as he could muster (read: remember). He gave up after only about a verse but the audience member had been absolutely delighted. Much to my amusement, probably five songs later he exclaims in a contextless interjection, “I remember the next verse!” and then proceeded to play us the remembered music leaving his bandmates on either side somewhat perplexed. And even in the few call-and-response moments, the instructions felt more casual and natural than I’ve experienced at rock shows prior. 

My one big criticism is that of his song choices. By that I mean it seems he opted to play the songs that the audience wanted to hear, and not ones that I think would have worked better in an acoustic setting. This may seem a tad ridiculous because that’s what a concert is, a musician playing music for the fans that the fans want to hear. But I think that if you’re going to play an acoustic show, I think that’s what your repertoire should be geared towards. Personally, I think songs like “Crashed,” “Gone,” and “Call Your Name,” which are either more acoustic in nature or have been performed acoustically on various music platforms, would have fared far better in the acoustic diamond mine of Troy Music Hall. “Waiting for Superman” and “Backbone,” for example, albeit excellent in their acoustic forms as performed, are much harder in their studio versions and hearing them stripped down left me feeling a tad…unsatiated. After all, if I wanted to hear familiar rock songs in a rock setting, then I’d be at one of the rock shows. That being said, maybe I’m just spoiled since my criticisms of the performance come from my knowledge of their music. A new fan might listen and be just as floored at Chris Daughtry ’s voice, none the wiser to the more acoustic content found on their albums. 

While the acoustics in Troy Music Hall may be absolutely phenomenal, the vantage points for photography are….well, not. As I learned photographing Postmodern Jukebox several months ago, it’s an old venue with only two narrow aisles and a wire-thin space in between the front row and the stage from which to shoot. That means there’s only two places between stage left and stage right to shoot, so you don’t get a ton of diversity in your angles. If you are with the band, you can run up to the mezzanine or the box seats on either side for some different angles, but if you only have three songs to shoot like I do, you want to get your photos close. And being in the aisles, you’re noticed by the people in the aisle seats—which is something I don’t want to be, especially as a larger sized person who never wants to be the center of attention. I had more than a few people tap me on the shoulder and try to chat me up during my three songs. “Wow, that’s quite a lens!” “That camera looks heavy!” “Are you with the band?” “I’ve seen your photos of the band, they’re amazing.” (Not me, sorry dear, but I appreciate the sentiment.) This attention to my person sent my anxiety into a frenzy, but I ultimately managed to respond with kindness and a sense of urgency about my job, and each person seemed to get the point.

Now I am was pretty fortunate that I got to later meet Brian Craddock. My friend Frank Palangi was in attendance of the show, and Brian is his producer. Frank was nice enough to let me tag along to meet Brian, and so for a half hour or so in the lobby of the venue, Frank, Brian, Frank’s father, and myself stood in a cluster and chatted. I told him almost exactly what I said above about seeing them perform for the first time, and why I thought it was ideal that I first saw them in an acoustic setting. While it was unclear to me whether or not he had a preference for the rock shows or the acoustic ones, he did seem to agree with the points I raised. That being said, I am grateful to Frank for introducing me to Brian. Brian was an incredibly humble and kind individual, and it was interesting of me to hear a producer (as well as an experienced musician) and his protege talk together about the industry, their acquaintances, and what the future holds for their music.

As a side point, one thing I think I’d like to point out is the use of camera phones. This is an intimate venue. It’s an intricately detailed 19th century architecture, frescoed walls, and a 1,200 person capacity kind of intimate. It’s not a giant amphitheater with lawn seats like SPAC. When you use your flash on your camera or your phone, everyone can see it. If it’s distracting to me and the other concert-goers and takes me out of the moment, it’s doing the same to the musicians you’re there to see. So as a reminder to all concert-goers young and old, at any venue: There’s a reason a no-flash rule exists. Turn off your damn flash unless you are specifically requested to turn them on by the band for a “lighters in the air” song. Please. I beg of you.

The Daughtry Acoustic Trio was preceded by Augustana frontman Dan Layus, who solo performed some hits from Augustana and his solo albums including the 2005 hit “Boston.”

To view more photos of Daughtry, click here.

Set List:
Just Found Heaven
Feels Like Tonight
Backbone
Breakdown
Life After You
Drive (Cover of The Cars)
As You Are
4am
Home
No Surprise
(Interlude) Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers! Theme)
It’s Not Over
White Flag
Over You
—
Waiting for Superman
September

Gear:
Canon 6DmkII with EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L II

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