DAUGHTRY / SLEEP THEORY / DEVOUR THE DAY – LIVE
By Kat Gullage
DAUGHTRY BRINGS HIS ADRENALINE GONE BALLISTIC HOLIDAY TOUR TO THE TOYOTA OAKDALE THEATRE WITH SLEEP THEORY AND DEVOUR THE DAY AS SUPPORT
We were introduced to Chris Daughtry on Season 5 of American Idol where he was joined by talented competitors like Kellie Pickler and Katharine McPhee. Chris finished fourth, the unexpected winner was Taylor Hicks. Chris went on to establish the band with his namesake, Daughtry, and they became a multi-platinum, multiple award winning machine.
I was over the moon excited that Devour The Day was part of the line-up. I met them ten years ago, attended a private acoustic performance and then a fully electrified set. Their instruments were plugged in too. I thought back then that they were oozing with talent so I was psyched to be able to catch em again. DTD is a foursome from Memphis, TN, but vocalist Blake Allison and bassist Joey Chicago are the heartbeat of the band. They were joined by Stephen Freeman on guitar and Justin Kier on drums.
Since they were the opener, they got to use a quarter of the stage with only their banner hung behind them for effects. This provided us with fierce bare bones rock and roll. They wasted no time bounding onto the stage and belting out “Respect” from 2013’s Time And Pressure. I thought they might be a little heavy for the Daughtry crowd, as most of their songs utilize a mix of melodic and screaming vocals, but it works and they had the crowd’s attention by the end of their too short seven song set.
An even heavier song, “Nobody Owns Me” (which is also credited to Blake and Joey’s former band, Egypt Central), off their 2024 EP, Fragments of Us, has Blake leaping all over the stage with unbridled energy. Fan favorite “Good Man” was on deck and I jammed the fuck out. Then it was back to another track with a weighty chorus, “Worse Than Death”.
Blake took a break from leaping and bouncing to address the theater that was about forty percent full with a steady stream of incoming concert goers. “You guys are amazing! We are Devour The Day from Memphis. Are you ready for Sleep Theory?” Their fans answer with a robust shout. “Thank you to Daughtry for putting us on this tour so we can play in front of you beautiful people.”
They served up “Outsider” which offered up a different side of the group, Devour The Day sound with an underlying layer of eighties pop woven in. Blake again, “Wanna keep this thing going?”. The fans were engaged and emitted a resounding Yes! “Music saves people.” This received applause and led to the powerful hit “The Bottom”. I highly encourage you to listen to the song or, even better, watch the video to experience all the feels.
The jam session wrapped with the hard rock song, “Empty”. I see a lot of potential here and I recommend you give em a try. Not the sound you’re into? You can also catch a different side of them as Joey “Chicago” Walser is the current bassist and Blake Allison is the current drummer of the band Pop Evil. Their energy and talent is inexhaustible.
Another foursome hailing from Memphis, Sleep Theory, was up next. Recently formed in 2020, they are Cullen Moore on lead vocals, Paolo Vergara on bass and co-lead vocals, and the Pruitt brothers with Daniel on lead guitar and screams and Ben on drums. Their pre-show song was a Mariah Carey Xmas song that blasted through the 4800 seat main theater. A girl at the bar, Laura, proclaimed “Put in your review that I said don’t play that shit!”. I hustled into the show, drink in hand, because I didn’t want to miss a note.
I had a predisposed notion about them. When I first heard “Fallout” my brain immediately mapped out similarities to Linkin Park’s “Points Of Authority”. Lo and behold, it was the set opener. I much preferred the live version to the studio one as the band put forth a powerful rendition. Moore addressed the audience, “We’re Sleep Theory from Memphis!”. Most of the set was made up of tracks from their 2023 EP, Paper Hearts, as the band is still in its infancy and that’s all they’ve released.
“Enough”, with its focus more on the R&B meets hard rock groove, was next. The energy came off them in waves, even though they didn’t bounce around as much as DTD. Sleep Theory is working on new music and served up their 2024 single, “Paralyzed”, which had a heavier edge and utilized all three vocalists which I totally got off on. Moore spoke again, “We just released this song two months ago, you showed it so much love, it’s one of our faves to perform live.” This was the intro for “Static”.
There were a bunch of hardcore Sleep Theory fans in the pit. “Who’s heard of Sleep Theory before?” One third of the crowd’s hands went up. “You know we’re workin on a new album for y’all, here’s a song from it.” They lay down the unreleased single, “Hourglass”. “Hate to tell ya guys, this one is for the ladies.” Fan favorite “Gone or Staying” was on deck. It started as a rock ballad and then three quarters through it went screamo. I’m not sold on the change up, seemed like it could be two separate tunes, but the people loved it.
Moore’s voice gave out a bit on the high notes. Another 2024 single, the very catchy “Stuck In My Head”, followed. Moore spoke to the fans one last time, “Thank ya so much! We got three more songs for ya and I could really use your help. Especially tonight. It went number one two times so I know you know it!” I heard a touch of congestion in his speaking voice. They unveiled “Numb” which showcased a nice mix of their soft/harsh combo. The set wrapped with “It’s Over” and “Another Way”.
Sleep Theory may offer only the one EP, Paper Hearts, but it has over 33 million streams. As I write this, it was just announced that Sleep Theory placed #3 in Billboard’s 2024 Year-end Charts for Mainstream Rock Airplay. There’s quite a buzz around this band and they’re only going to get better and bigger. Check em out for yourself!
Guess who won the #1 spot on Billboard’s 2024 Year-end Charts for Mainstream Rock Airplay? Goddamn right, Daughtry! The theatre was full of Daughtry devotees. “The Reckoning” from the 2024 EP Shock To The System was the opener. We got light shows and graphics and smoke plumes, but at this point the music drowned out the vocals. Daughtry played it cool because he is a consummate performer. Two from 2021’s Dearly Beloved were next with “Changes Are Coming” and “World On Fire”. Something audio broke during the latter but was promptly corrected and the sound quality was on point for the remainder of the show.
Daughtry acknowledged his followers, “Wallingford, Connecticut! What the hell is going on? You look more beautiful then I remember. How can I forget all the shows here? So many age groups and walks of life, color of skin, political beliefs….that don’t matter. We’re all here to have a good time.” This was met with applause. “We’re gunna go back to the first album.” The crowd got even more riled up. The track off of the self-titled 2006 LP was “Crashed” with a sampling of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” thrown in for good measure. It was noted as “Crashmir” on the official setlist.
His cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” was a decent interpretation, I’m just not a big fan of covers. He yelled, “Make some fuckin noise!” as smoke plumes shot up on either side of him. The house lights come on for a moment and damn, Daughtry is jacked. I also caught a glimpse of his new ink, blacked out arms. I bet that journey was a painful one.
After a long pause, Daughtry returns armed with an acoustic guitar. “Well, hello, it’s just you and me now.” High pitched screams rang out. “I love you too.” “Please make some noise for our friends in Devour The Day and Sleep Theory!” There was a decent obligatory response. “I’d like to have a magical moment with you guys. Grab your cell phones and lighters. Lightsabers are also welcome. If you know this song, sing it with me. If ya don’t, make some shit up.”
He belted out “Home” solo. Everyone had their cameras out and a bunch of couples took selfies, but it was also a captivating sing-along with the fans. Daughtry’s solo performance continued with “Waiting for Superman” off of 2013’s Baptized.
There was another extended pause before the lights, smoke and plugged in rock returned for title track “Shock to the System”. “Wallingford, Connecticut, you’ve been so generous as we play new music for you, let’s take it back to the beginning, 2006.” They served up one of their top five songs, “It’s Not Over”. Chris flexed his pipes and energy by extending the “Ovvveeerrrrrrrrr”. “I wrote this next song during tough times” was his intro for the slow burn “Nervous”.
After that, he gave a shout out to some radio station I had never even heard of. “The next song goes out to all that have suffer unimaginable loss and heartbreak. There is light at the end of the tunnel. This is called “Pieces”.” This newer cut captured that Daughtry signature sound. “I’d like to have a sing-along with you, are you with me?!?” The fans were one hundred percent on board. “This song was about a break up, but now it’s about whatever’s holding you back.” He taught the crowd how to sing their part like a dom. “Don’t let me down!”, he added with the cutest giggle. It was “Over You” and the fans nailed their part.
We had band intros before the set wrapped: lead guitarist Josh Steely, rhythm guitarist Brian Craddock, bass guitarist Marty O’Brien, drummer Jeremy Schaffer, keyboardist Elvio Fernandes, Chris Daughtry (the clear applause winner) on vocals and guitars. A prompt encore ensued. “Alright, y’all think ya got one more in ya?” The crowd goes apeshit. “That’s a 10! What would it sound like if we turned you up to 11?” The fans delivered, per his request. “Thank you! We love you so much Connecticut.”
The audience stayed on their feet for the entirety of the three songs. We got two new cuts off the Shock To The System (Part One) EP with a hit sandwiched in between. The order was “The Dam”, “Heavy Is The Crown” and “Artificial”. Daughtry thanked everyone before making his final exit. “Connecticut, thank you so much! Thank you for spending your hard earned money to be here with us. Hope your tomorrow is better than tonight. Leave with love and kindness cuz I believe that’s what will change our world.” That folks, is the tao of Daughtry.
You know who he is. I can assure you he puts on a great live show. Already a fan? Check out Daughtry’s new EP. Think he’s not heavy enough for you? Check out Daughtry’s new EP. Need a night out at a rock show? Catching a Daughtry gig will leave you satisfied, and they tour relentlessly. They have dates going into August 2025. See ya there!
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