On December 14, 2024, Daughtry brought his Adrenaline Gone Ballistic Holiday Tour to The Vine Showroom at del Lago Casino in Waterloo, NY. The 12-stop holiday tour kicked off on November 30 and will continue until December 21. Frontman Chris Daughtry formed his band in 2006 after being a finalist in the fifth season of American Idol. The McLeansville, North Carolina native has been on a tear ever since, with six albums released and multiple chart-topping hits. The band has recently switched record labels to Big Machine. They are returning to their edgier rock sound with a new six-song EP titled Shock to the System (Part One), released on September 27, 2024. Tonight's performance was sold out and reached full capacity, similar to their numerous performances worldwide.
The house lights dimmed to darkness at 8:00 PM, and the fans cheered loudly as the band walked on stage. Kicking off a 15-song set with the newly released song "The Reckoning," followed by "Changes Are Coming" and "World On Fire." The band had a strong start and a great sound while fans got into the vibe of the music. The next song up was "Crashmir," which was a cool mash-up of "Crashed" and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." Up next was a fantastic cover of Journey's "Separate Ways" that had fans singing along.
Chris Daughtry was alone on the stage with just an acoustic guitar for the following two songs. He told the audience, "I would like to have a magical moment with you guys on this one; we're gonna kill the lights; whatever you got that lights up, let's hold it up, y'all." He strummed a chord on the guitar. "If you know the words to this song, I would love to hear you sing; if you don't know the words, just make some shit up. It's fine." The audience laughed. "I've heard the wrong lyrics for this song for 18 years", he said as he strummed the guitar again. "So we are on the same page; it says I'm going home, not coming home!" He began to play a heartfelt rendition of "Home," and the fans joined in, singing along with the chorus. Afterward, at a fan's suggestion, he played a few verses of "September," laughing as he reflected on the fact that it had been a while since he last performed that song, which wasn't on the setlist. He then continued with "Waiting For Superman."
The band rejoined Chris Daughtry on stage, continuing with three hard-hitting songs from the new EP Shock To The System, "Nervous," and "Pieces." Included in the setlist were fan favorites "It's Not Over" and the final song, "Over You," which he explained had a new meaning to him. The song was originally a breakup song, but as it has aged, it has changed its meaning to "Whatever is holding you back in life from being the person you want to be." The entire venue sang along with enthusiasm to the song. Midway through "Over You," Chris Daughtry stopped to introduce his band to fans. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Brian Craddock on guitar, over here on bass, Mr. Marty O'Brien, back here on drums, Mr. Jeremy Schaffer. The fans clapped with appreciation. He paused briefly and continued, "Coming from Rochester, NY on keyboards and backing vocals, Mr. Elvio Fernandes." The crowd went wild as Rochester, NY, is a 40-minute drive to the west from the venue, so it was pretty much a hometown show for Elvio! The band walked off the stage at the close of the feel-good set, and fans clapped and cheered loudly to coax them back for more music.
After a few minutes, the band started the encore with a knockout pair of songs, "The Dam" and "Heavy Is The Crown." At the song's end, Daughtry told the fans, "Waterloo, NY, thank you so much for spending your evening with us. You could have spent money on anything, but chose to be with us. Thank you so much; we don't get to do this without you. We hope your tomorrow is better because of tonight. We hope whatever you do, you leave with love and kindness, my friends, because that is what is going to change this world. I truly believe that. We're going to leave y'all with this. We love you, thank you so much!" Daughtry closed the night with an epic version of "Artificial." The show ended, and house lights came on at 9:30 PM, leaving happy fans with a memorable experience from a fantastic concert!
Band members: Chris Daughtry - vocals/guitar, Brian Craddock - guitar, Marty O'Brien - bass, Elvio Fernandes - keyboards/backing vocals, Jeremy Schaffer - drums
Setlist: The Reckoning, Changes Are Coming, World On Fire, Crashmir, Separate Ways, Home(solo acoustic), September (solo acoustic), Shock To The System, It's Not Over, Nervous, Pieces, Over You, Encore - The Dam, Heavy Is The Crown, Artificial
