First to kick off this wonderful night was a three-piece band from Rochester, New York; called Lyell. Before they began playing, they announced that their song “I’m Somebody Else” would be featured in an upcoming movie called Bad Habits. This track is an anthem for those who doubt themselves, it is all about breaking free. Promptly after performing the song; which is also their newest EP, Lyell introduced her band members and let the drummer take over the crowd attention with a commanding drum solo. Following the astounding demonstration of musicianship, Lyell introduced one of her very first songs called “Potions”, she talked about how she sent the song to Chris Daughtry in 2020 for advice, not thinking anything would come from it, and he responded with nothing but encouraging words and now look she was opening for his band. She finished her set with a song called “Erasers” which is set to come out in two weeks. Listening to the influential lyrics of their songs, Lyell’s music is all about empowering every person who listens to their music.
LYELL Photos
While Lyell stage setup was removed, The Royal Oak Music Theater played a variety of nostalgic songs; including the Linkin’ Park iconic track “In the End.” As soon as the audience heard the first few notes of the song, the entire venue was filled with a crowd singing along; everyone enjoying themselves and cheering the return of live music.
Up next was the powerful four-piece band led by Alter Bridge’s guitarist Mark Tremonti, whose music definitely carries a much more metallic edge. During the middle of their set, the two guitarists engaged in a solo showdown; while the bassist pounded on his bass along to the drum beat. Front-man and lead guitarist, Mark Tremonti, has a very unique vibrato to his singing; especially during the longer notes, something I personally have not seen much of in hard rock. Tremonti riled up the crowd and kept them on their toes while they waited for Daughtry. I highly recommend seeing these guys live, it is an experience you do not want to miss.
TREMONTI Photos
The stage was blanketed in dark cloud, above the stage was a neon sign that said “Dearly Beloved” but kept blinking randomly until it flashed and was finally readable, just as Daughtry took to the stage. The lights strobed for what seemed like forever until they changed to purple revealing the entire band and the crowd screamed loud enough to be heard outside. Halfway through their set, the entire band walked off stage except the drummer, and the drummer had a blast taking over the set for a bit, the drum solo quickly developed into the beat of “Evil”; the lights turned from purple to a stunning light show of red with highlights of blues and whites to emphasize the powerful emotions in this song.
As Chris Daughtry introduced the next song, the whole band left the stage as he picked up an acoustic guitar. As he tuned the guitar, he joked about how he is always recognized in public and the fans always say “I am your biggest fan, I really love that one song you do;” that one song being “Home”. He politely asked for the lights to be fully dimmed and told the audience to pull out their cellphones and turn on their flashlights to light up the stage. When the audience hesitated, Chris improvised a song about how it is 2022 and everyone has a cell phone and that he was not going to continue until everyone had their flashes out. As soon as the venue was full of flash lights from the audience, Chris began to play “Home”. After the brief acoustic performance the rest of the band came back on stage, the lights darkened and Chris announced that this next track, “Heavy Is The Crown”, was dedicated to Ukraine and those affected by everything happening over there. The stage lit up in a blue and yellow hue with the overhead neon sign showing a golden crown. As he sang, you could feel the pain, the sorrow, and many other emotions vibrating around; by the time the song finished nearly the whole audience was emotional and crying.
Finally came the time everyone dreaded, the band finished their set and walked off stage, the crowd started chanting “Daughtry” at the top of their lungs, praying for an encore; which Daughtry happily obliged. The lights dimmed to a low faded blue that slowly illuminated the stage, all while the crowd screamed their heads off knowing there was more to come. This encore consisted of “Over You” and “Asylum”; if you have been a Daughtry fan for a long time you know that “Over You” is a classic, everyone in the audience belted out the lyrics, feeling very nostalgic. This is a tour that you do not want to miss, it makes you feel like a kid again, like there is not a worry in the world.
DAUGHTRY Photos
