3 Doors Down and Daughtry with Special Guest Ed Kowalczyk
By Seth M
Back in December, I caught 3 Doors Down and Daughtry at The Paramount on what was obviously a very successful run. They went from a sold out crowd of 1600 there to a crowd of 8000 last week when I caught them again at Jones Beach Theatre.
This time around, they brought special guest Ed Kowalczyk of Live (some shows have Halestorm as the special guest) and Bad Seed Rising to open up the show.
I was only able to catch the last 2 songs of Bad Seed Rising; the sound wasn’t the greatest and the crowd was light, but the band seemed pretty well received considering they were 4th on the bill. Many people there didn’t recognize Ed Kowalczyk by name until he kicked off what equated to a Live greatest hits set including “All Over You,” “The Dolphin’s Cry,” “I Alone,” and more. Ed had some technical difficulties with his amp not working but recovered well ~ and his unmistakable voice never fades. Of course, seeing Ed play Live hits isn’t the same as seeing Live play them ~ I caught the latter recently and musically they still rock, but both parties seem to be missing each other professionally even if they can’t/won’t work out their differences.
Up next was 3 Doors Down, who are never flashy, never put on a big light show, never throw huge effects or video screens up behind them. What makes their show special is that they just come out and rock. They don’t need anything but their instruments and a crowd; it’s straight-forward, sounds and looks great even with minimal lighting, and is never disappointing. It’s bare-bones rock-n-roll in the best sense of the term. They only played an hour-long set but were still able to include a kickass Megadeth cover and have Daughtry come out and join them for one of their biggest hits. It’s obvious they are enjoying the tour, love playing live, and truly appreciate their fans.
3 Doors Down Set List
Time of My Life, Duck and Run, It’s Not My Time, Away From the Sun, Behind Those Eyes, Loser, One Light, Here Without You, Citizen/Soldier, Symphony of Destruction (Megadeth cover), The Better Life, Kryptonite (w/ Chris Daughtry), When I’m Gone
Opening up with their hit “Outta My Head,” Daughtry came out with extra lights, ramps, backdrops and a fully produced show. Clearly they have a different approach/style than 3 Doors but it’s a dynamic that’s working for this tour. With their more mainstream pop hits, lots of energy, and Chris Daughtry hitting every square inch of the stage, they were able to deliver what this crowd was looking for ~ more great music from artists who gave them their all. Of course they also surprised fans by bringing Ed Kowalczyk back out for “Overcome” and then bringing Brad Arnold of 3 Doors out for an amazing cover of the Phil Collins hit “In the Air Tonight.”
Daughtry Set List
Outta My Head, Feels Like Tonight, Crawling Back to You, Over You, No Surprise, Life After You, Overcome (Live cover w/ Ed Kowalczyk), In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins cover w/ Brad Arnold), It’s Not Over, September, Home, There and Back Again
Each of these bands has its own character, its own approach to recording, and its own style of performing ~ and each is equally impressive. I still think Daughtry’s show will strike many as bigger and better looking, but for me the better band all ‘round is 3 Doors Down. But this isn’t a contest, it’s a rock show, and the winner is anyone who catches the line-up on tour; no-one will leave disappointed.
3 Doors Down and Daughtry, still on tour and still rockin’… Check out the dates and then check out the show.
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facebook.com/badseedrisingband
All photos by and courtesy of Seth M