GIGJUICE: Daughtry at Powerhouse

We arrived at Powerhouse around 7pm to be greeted by a long queue of Daughtry fans. Ranging from teenage girls to executive types, the crowd was somewhat varied, but generally looked eager to enter the venue.

We got into the club after queuing for almost 45 minutes, and tried our best to find a comfortable spot on the crowded dancefloor. Dressed in a red top and a short denim skirt, Andrea Fonseka soon appeared as the evening’s emcee. Within minutes, the five members of Daughtry took to the stage one by one. When frontman Chris Daughtry finally emerged, the crowd cheered wildly.

After taking their seats, the band kicked off the night’s acoustic showcase with “Crashed”. Dressed casually in a black tee and jeans, Chris Daughtry held court by sitting in the middle of the stage behind a microphone stand. He was flanked by Josh Steely on lead guitar and drummer Joey Barnes on his left, while Brian Craddock on rhythm guitar and bassist Josh Paul were on his right.

“I didn’t know we were so loved here”, said Chris Daughtry, before leading the appreciative audience in singing along to the guitar chords of “What I Want”. This was followed by “It’s Not Over”, the hit song that launched Daughtry’s career after American Idol. Unfortunately, Chris’s voice wasn’t as powerful as this reviewer had expected it to be, sounding particularly strained at the song’s high notes. To his credit, Chris displayed musicianship by playing an acoustic guitar for “Breakdown”. Throwing his guitar pick into the crowd after the song, he said, “I wish we could spend more time here”. The band then left the stage after playing “What About Now” and one of their biggest radio hits "Home".

At this point, Andrea reappeared on stage, informing the crowd of an autograph signing session by the band scheduled for the next day. She then got the crowd to repeatedly chant “Daughtry”, which thankfully brought the band back on stage for an encore.

Thunderous applause greeted the band members, who proceeded to shake hands with lucky members of the audience standing in the front row. The band then performed “Shine” and current single “Over You”, which was easily the crowd favorite of the night. A representative from Daughtry’s record label also presented Chris with a gold certification plaque, bringing a fitting end to a free but impressive showcase of modern rock finesse.