The brightest star on the stage at the Main Street Armory on Rochester, NY was native son Elvio Fernandes. The keyboard player/background vocalist, drew more applause than Chris Daughtry, and at times seemed overcome with the response from the crowd. Even Chris Daughtry quipped, “Elvio told me he was popular here, but I thought he was full of it.”
Musically, it was an interesting evening featuring two great bands, 3 Doors Down took the stage first on this evening; the bands have been alternating the headlining slot. Unfortunately for Daughtry, 3 Doors Down played a remarkable set that epitomized the cliché, “tough act to follow.”
3 Doors Down’s set was as tight as it gets, and lead singer Brad Arnold was in great form vocally, and he is the only singer I have witnessed whose voice was strong enough to overcome the challenging acoustics of Rochester’s Main Street Armory.
Throughout 3 Doors Down’s set, the venue was electrified. Arnold and company blazed through their seventeen song set with precision and finesse, and their fans were clearly soaking in every moment of the performance.
My favorite song in the main set was “One Light,” a song that has a powerfully optimistic message, and some killer guitar riffs. Other highlights included the Daughtry/Arnold duet of “Kryptonite,” where the two singers traded lines, and a wonderful version of “When I’m Gone,” that Arnold dedicated to military families.
Daughtry’s set was a mixed bag. It seemed as if the band took a long time between songs, especially in the early part of their set. The crowd was one of the oddest mixes of people I’ve seen in a long time. After 3 Doors Down’s set it was clear that a significant amount of people left the venue.
Daughtry’s crowd was far more reserved and almost didn’t seem to know when to cheer. Chris Daughtry made sure to mention “Rochester,” as many times as he could, but the only thing that seemed to excite the crowd was the presence and/or mention of Fernandes.
The first half of the set was plagued by terrible sound. For some reason the band’s guitars had no grit, and it sounded in stark contrast to the sound 3 Doors Down got out of their guitars. For that reason, the rockers didn’t work nearly as well as the melodic numbers. “Over You,” and a wonderful cover of “In the Air Tonight,” that featured Arnold and Daughtry on vocals were the highlights of the set. For all its minor faults, it’s clear that Daughtry and 3 Doors Down share a mutual respect for each other, and thus make a good touring combination even if the fans of the two bands aren’t nearly as compatible.
3 Doors Down Set List:
Time of My Life
It’s Not My Time
Duck and Run
The Road I’m On
Away From the Sun
Let Me Go
Goodbye
Loser
There’s a Life
Landing in London (with Chris Daughtry)
One Light
Here Without You
Citizen/Soldier
Symphony of Destruction (Megadeth cover)
The Better Life
Encore:
Kryptonite When I’m Gone
Daughtry Set List:
Break the Spell
Feels Like Tonight
Outta My Head
Crawling Back to You
What I Want
Renegade
Gone to Soon
Tennessee Line
Over You/No Surprise
In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins cover)
Every Time You Look Around
Home
Encore:
September
It’s Not Over
All Photos by BackstageAxxess Correspondent Dave Jones.
We would like to thank Steve Karas of SKH Music for the credentials to cover the show. Stay tuned for an interview with 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson that was conducted before the show.
