{News: Daughtry unexpectedly stripped, unquestionably skilled}

Source:indystar.com

Members of a sold-out audience didn't get the Daughtry concert they expected Friday night at Birdy's, but vocalist and former "American Idol" contender Chris Daughtry succeeded in foreshadowing hit singles to follow current smash "It's Not Over."

The evening's surprise was that the band performed in an "unplugged" acoustic setting rather than a hard-charging rock 'n' roll format.

Was the switch a disservice to the 400 or so paying customers -- including those who shelled out perhaps $100 more than the ticket's face value of $20? There's space later in this report to revisit the topic.

In a strictly musical context, Daughtry proved his songs -- and he has a writing credit on almost all of them -- have solid structures and inviting hooks that hold up when flashy electric guitars are taken out of the equation.

The 27-year-old specializes in the earnest melodic growl of angst-ridden modern rock. But his vocals manage to sail easily and bypass the hamfisted self-importance of Creed, godfathers of the style. It's telling that exceedingly accessible Foo Fighters songs were played over the PA system before Daughtry arrived onstage.

Count on Daughtry finding ample airplay at multiple radio formats for the next year or so. The songs "Used To," "What I Want" and "Over You" came across as mainstream magic at Birdy's, where it was refreshing to see fans who know an album's contents from beginning to end.

Vocally, Daughtry delivered a sturdy but not quite spectacular performance. He came closest to skyscraping territory on "There and Back Again," a rave-up that begged for an electrified rendition.

The Daughtry band was more stripped-down than usual. Guitarist Josh Steeley missed the show after traveling to a hospital in parts unknown to become a father just 20 minutes before show time, Chris Daughtry said.

Perched on a bar stool throughout his 60 minutes onstage, the vocalist was flanked by guitarist Brian Craddock, bass player JP Paul and drummer Joey Barnes -- who may have been the lone musician to break a sweat.

Although Daughtry has been tagged with having a dour persona, he smiled and triumphantly pumped his first more than once. He also wore a knit skull cap for first half of show, eventually discarding it to reveal of his famously shaven head. This triggered a fresh round of cell-phone photographs.

A jangly rendition of Elton John's "Rocket Man" served as the show's only cover.

The overarching irony: Daughtry rocked harder on the "American Idol" tour that visited the Indiana State Fair last summer. On that night, his renditions of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and Styx's "Renegade" reinforced his image as the most aggressive belter in "Idol" history.

When explaining the reason behind Friday's acoustic performance, Daughtry said the triangular stage in the corner of Birdy's was too small to accommodate the band's gear. Does no one in his organization research venues before bookings are made?

If this date was to be a test run for an upcoming tour of larger venues -- as Daughtry indicated in a recent interview with The Star -- the evening failed on that count.

And it could be said the atmosphere matched an afternoon performance in a record store, not a late-night show featuring the band with the top-selling album in America.

However, there's no evidence anyone in the crowd walked away disappointed. Female audience members swooned, sang along and used cameras to capture souvenirs of a one-of-a-kind night.