13 October 2014 (gig)
20 October 2014
Where is the best place to be located for a gig? I remember being 16 at my first ‘rock’ gig, (Yellowcard, since you ask) and being unable to wait to get to the front, then over a few years, the back of the stalls was more than acceptable, and now seats at a gig are very appealing – is my youth over? I was presented with the seated or standing option, and after much 'umming' and 'ahhing', ended up at the front row of the raised seating area in Camden’s Roundhouse to see Chris Daughtry and colleagues make 4000 people’s Sunday night.
A rock and roll fuelled 60-odd minutes passed in a blur of catchy choruses, guitar solos and even a wedding proposal. Sort of. I last saw the band in March, and this time, they were aided by a new drummer, Jamal Moore, who is more regularly seen playing with Diddy and Cee Lo Green. He was absolutely superb, adding to the already impressive array of talent on the stage.
Somewhat surprisingly, Daughtry chose to omit the lead single of their 3rd album, Break The Spell, Crawling Back To You from their setlist, but that aside, super fans and those less familiar - were treated to the best of the back catalogue and choice cuts from the latest album, Baptized, released last November.
Once again, Chris Daughtry wowed the audience with his terrific voice – his ‘solo’ acoustic section of the night was particularly impressive. The crowd knew the words to every song, and the foot-tapping finale, Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll was a life affirming celebration of the genre’s storied history, with, what felt like the whole of Camden, extolling the virtues of guitars at the top of their voices. It was, as ever with Daughtry, a great evening.
