A modern rock triple bill took to the stage on Tuesday, Dcember15, 2009. Daughtry with special guests Theory of a Deadman and Cavo entertained a less than packed house at the BOK Center.
Unfortunately, I missed Cavo but did hear mixed reviews from fans. Some called it boring while others were very enthused by the opener.
I did catch Theory of a Deadman however and have to say that I was not completely won over by them. It seemed as though they were having sound issues from the opening song of their set, not sure if this was a house issue or just not really any punch in their sound. They also struggled with stage presence and crowd interaction. They did do a very cheesy pep rally type plea to get the audience involved, lead singer Tyler Connolly went from side to side of the stage to see which side could be the loudest. As always it worked for what they were trying to do, albeit a little played out, like yelling the name of the city you are in to get a reaction. In my opinion, the show and music should have the crowd cheering not "Velveeta" antics. The band does have some very strong guitar and drum work but, also seemed to have trouble pulling off the sound from the album. Not sure if they just didn’t have the chops to do it, or if the sound was just off. Whatever it was, it did not bode well for their set. Theory looks to be lost in the musical landscape that is today’s modern push (Nickelback, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin to name a few). There is nothing that really sets them apart from any of the aforementioned bands. They do have good radio rotation and in all honesty catchy songs on the radio. It is a shame that they didn’t come together live. Nice use of "The A-Team" theme and a good attempt to play the GNR hit "Paradise City."
Show headliner, Chris Daughtry on the other hand was solid. Years removed from American Idol, he has set himself apart from the rest of the cast away contestants from the hit show. What is interesting about Daughtry is, that in spite of him not winning it all on AI, he was the biggest selling artist in 2007. It looks like the rocker has shed the stigma of the pop show and fledged out to become his own musician.
This tour is in support of Daughtry’s sophomore album, "Leave This Town." Which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. After more than 4 million albums sold, his self-titled 2007 studio album debut quickly became the quickest-selling rock album in SoundScan history.
The stage was covered by a white curtain and brilliant back lighting, which gave way to light flashes from different angles that gave the effect of movement from behind the curtain. Shroud drops and shows off a very stripped down stage, with scaffolding and cat walks. Raw industrial look, no banners or curtains to hide anything, like Daughtry, straightforward and ballsy. The five piece band kicks into overdrive from the first song, "Every Time You Turn Around," "Life After You," "Open Up Your Eyes," "Over You" to his encores which included the hit "Home" he was a solid gracious performer. The set was powerful, energetic and professinally done. Lots of hard driving tunes and time to chat with the crowd and thank them for his success and their support.
It is clear to see that he has not forgotten where he came from and that he is very grateful to have gotten his shot. Chris does a very good job of playing with the crowd. Mostly scattered with moms and tween-agers, and ladies still trying cling to their youth.
He did stellar covers of Phil Collins, "In The Air Tonight" and The Beatles, "Helter Skelter." Both of which were well mixed in a very tight set that included fireworks and fire bombs that added to his more up-tempo work. It appears that Daughtry is well grounded and has found his niche in the genre, not trying to be someone he isn’t. He looks to have a long career ahead of him and is poised to stay at the top of the charts for years to come.
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Photos: Kevin Pyle