04 May Daughtry Returns To SunFest

Photo by: Chris Salata

A little rain never deters Floridians on a mission. Yesterday’s mission was to pack a Saturday full of great shows by the sea. Pat yourself on the back if you spent the day with us. You deserve an extra cold beer today.

On Saturday Spred the Dub killed it on the Tire Kingdom Stage. Country rocker David Nail made my heart melt on the FPL Stage, and Rebelution brought another sexy saxophone to SunFest on the Ford Stage.

Winding down the evening I had to once again juggle two fantastic headliners (life is not hard): Daughtry and Justin Moore.

My mom (Hi, mom!) is a huge “American Idol” fan. She loves the talented contestants, the celebrity judges and the drama. When I lived at home, we would tune into the show weekly. I’ve seen almost every season, and feel lucky to have seen the inception of Chris Daughtry’s stardom.

Daughtry and his impressive band crossed the Tire Kingdom stage and opened with “Baptized,” which sent chills up and down my arms.

Any reputation or stigma you may attach to the reality show should have been erased years ago. Many “American Idol” acts have graced SunFest stages, including Phillip Phillips, David Cook, and Carrie Underwood. All have put on wonderful live performances and Daughtry was no exception.

The SunFest veteran played “Feels Like Tonight,” “Crawling Back to You,” and “Battleships.” The crowd sang along to his likable hits.

Daughtry really is living the (bear with the cheese) “American dream.” At 34, Daughtry has cranked out four albums, the first becoming the fastest selling debut rock record in Nielsen Soundscan history. Since taking a chance on a TV show, the talented singer, songwriter and guitarist now spends his nights serenading enthusiastic crowds in paradise.

Daughtry moved into an acoustic version of “Wild Heart” and a delightful cover of Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight,” right before it was time for me to check out another SunFest headliner, Justin Moore.