Rock bands Daughtry and Three Doors Down shared the stage at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday night
Daughtry lead singer Chris Daughtry
UNCASVILLE _ Despite two strong separate performances by both Daughtry and Three Doors Down at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday night, the highlight of the evening may have been the collaboration between front men Chris Daughtry and Three Doors Down lead singer Brad Arnold.
On two separate occasions the two able vocalists teamed up to get a rise out of the sold-out house and put a charge in an already electric rock’ n’ roll show.
The first came at the end of the hour long Three Doors Down set when Chris Daughtry joined the band on stage to trade verses with Arnold on arguably his band’s biggest hit “Kryptonite.” It was a magnanimous gesture on Arnold’s part, sharing his signature song with the powerful Daughtry and the duet brought the crowd to its feet.
The second collaboration came at the end of Daughtry’s hour-plus performance when Arnold returned the favor, this time helping his tour mate on a brilliant cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” once again prompting a standing ovation.
The pairing was powerful enough to almost dismiss the rest of the night if it weren’t for the solid set lists offered up by both of the bands on the co-headlining bill and the opening band Aranda.
Daughtry in particular delivered a sterling performance, continuing to build on the popularity he garnered as a Season 5 finalist on “American Idol.” Leading the five piece band that bears his name, Chris Daughtry worked through a 15-song set that was constantly shifting in pace and tone.
He deftly moved from power-chord rock of “Renegade” to the piano-turned-power-ballad beauty of “Gone Too Soon.” The band even mashed a Celtic intro with the rock-country styling of road song “Tennessee Line.”
While the momentum may have taken a hit while Daughtry took the time to fire t-shirts into the crowd, he recovered with his own signature song, the Top Ten hit “Home.” The band encored with “September,” and “It’s Not Over.”
There were far less dynamic shifts in the Three Doors Down set as the band stayed close to the power-chord “lite” milieu that has earned them multi-platinum record sales and led to the recent release of a greatest hits recording.
The band opened with “Time of My Life,” and chugged and chunked its way through a 16-song set that included hits “Loser” and “Duck and Run.” The band also debuted new songs “Goodbye,” “There’s A Life,” and “One Light,” all that suggest the Three Doors Down story may have a second act.
Arnold suggested as much when acknowledging the band’s success and future to the crowd.
“Thanks for the ride,” he said. “We’re not done.”