Most platinum-selling rock stars favor the big cities over the smaller markets such as Flint, Mich.; Troy, N.Y.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Joplin, Mo.; and St. Charles, Mo.

And yet Daughtry's tour schedule - which includes sold-out dates in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and Denver on Wednesday - paints the band as a midlevel road warrior instead of an American idol about to go multi-platinum.

The extensive, exhausting tour routing is intentional.

"It's important to not forget where I came from," singer Chris Daughtry said recently from a stop in Tempe, Ariz. "I started in small clubs, and now that people know who we are, I wanted to get back to that circuit before we start doing the bigger venues."

Sure, there's a familiarity and intimacy to a small rock club or theater. But that's not the only reason the former "American Idol" contestant is hitting low-profile venues. More important for Daughtry and his brand new band: Small venues equal small crowds and limited exposure, so if he messes up or has an off show, fewer people will notice.

"We're definitely using these shows to work on our stage show and hone our craft," admitted Daughtry, who assembled his band of Joey Barnes, Jeremy Brady, Josh Paul and Josh Steely after recording his self-titled No.1 record. "We haven't had any time to rehearse, really, so it's been basically rehearsing on the road."

Daughtry received massive exposure as a solo act on the fifth season of "American Idol," where he finished fourth after Elliott Yamin, Katharine McPhee and winner Taylor Hicks. But now that he's graduated from that program and recorded an album, the stakes are higher - especially for a band that has been playing together for less than six months.

It's hardly the typical trajectory for a rock star. But that's one of the most fascinating byproducts of the wildly popular, if often inane, "Idol." The show that launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken has changed how the music industry ticks. And Daughtry, who auditioned for "Idol" in Denver after not making the cut in the CBS show "Rock Star: INXS," is a part of that history.

"Daughtry" is the fastest-selling rock debut in SoundScan history, and the frontman is the best-selling ex-Idol who didn't place first or second. His record has sold more than 1.6 million copies on the strength of one single, the contemporary rock hit "It's Not Over."

"I had no idea it would happen like this," he said. "This has been quite the surprise."

Another interesting byproduct of the "Idol" phenomenon is the fast-forwarding of an artist's evolution. Bypassing the A&R practices of the past, "Idols" have singles on iTunes the day after their television debuts - and the full- length records usually follow the show's finales by a matter of months. The fifth season concluded in late-May 2006, and winner Hicks released his debut Dec. 12.

Daughtry beat Hicks to the punch with his Nov. 21 release. But it wasn't easy.

Immediately following the TV show's finale, many of the show's favorites were contractually obligated to the three-month American Idols Live! tour, which played to arenas throughout the country.

"We had to do the tour for three months, but that whole time I was writing the record," Daughtry said. "So any time off was spent writing. I would meet up with a lot of different songwriters, and I would step outside myself and take it all in, because when you're working with other people, it's great to bounce ideas off them and see what happens."

On multiple tour stops, Hicks and some of the other guys - including Colorado's Ace Young - would play smaller shows in rock clubs after the arena gigs. In Denver they took to the stage at Herman's Hideaway and wowed a group of devoted fans with a lively set. Daughtry was notably missing from the majority of these outings.

"I wasn't going out at all," he said. "To my knowledge, I was the only one who was actually writing songs and getting the album done when I was on that tour."

The tour was sponsored by Pop Tarts, and fans and critics had plenty of fun with that knowing connection. But that "Idol" stereotype is also what set Daughtry apart from the rest of his showmates, and those from the previous four seasons, too. Daughtry prefers the modern rock of Fuel and Nickelback over the R&B and pop that has typically been featured on the show.

"It started out, obviously, with more pop-oriented and hip-hop-oriented singers and stuff, and people just felt that's what belonged on the show," he said. "I wanted to step outside that a little bit and see if what I did would be accepted."

He was accepted with open arms, and fans were stunned when he was voted off the show. Even detractors were made into fans - as was the case with snarky judge Simon Cowell - as Daughtry's authoritative rock voice won them over. Now that he has a CD, the Nickelback comparisons are unavoidable, which means Daughtry is fated to be incredibly popular and ridiculed.

"I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself, and I would do it all over again if I had to," Daughtry said of the "Idol" experience. "Auditioning in Denver was the most nerve-racking thing I've ever done. I just did what I do. I didn't really try to do anything weird, and I didn't purposely try to be different.

I was just trying to be myself, and I was hoping that would stand out on its own."