PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine
Chris Daughtry brought his Adrenaline Gone Ballistic Holiday Tour to Omaha with a show at the Steelhouse, December 18, 2024. The Steelhouse hosted a better than half full crowd. Which is pretty good considering a mid-week show just before Christmas. I heard it was the last show of the year for a lot of people. Devour the Day, Sleep Theory and Daughtry was the perfect show to close out the year.
It was a treat having Devour the Day on this tour. I can’t remember the last time they were anywhere close to Omaha. I was excited to catch their set as I had just seen Blake Allison (vocals) and Joey “Chicago” Wasler (bass) tear it up with Pop Evil a few weeks ago. Devour the Day didn’t disappoint. They slayed their set, highlighted with their first hit “Good Man”, along with new releases “Nobody Owns Me”, “Worse than Death” “Outsider” and closing out their set with “Empty”. I’m excited to see the band releasing new music and hope to see them continue to grow.
Sleep Theory came out after a short clip of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”. I was surprised when Cullen Moore (vocals) was delivered in a wheelchair with an air cast on his foot. He was dropped center stage to hang out with his chair, mic stand and cup of hot tea. I felt bad for Moore, he seemed sick as a dog and obviously had a significantly injured foot. Cullen hobbled around a bit, trying to work the stage but didn’t get too far. I was hoping he would tell us what happened, didn’t elaborate. Regardless, he sounded great. It was fun to see the band in holiday mode. Sleep Theory put smiles on everyone’s face as they interacted with the crowd, give out picks and signed a bunch of items right onstage. At one point, Moore joked they needed to stop signing things. Sleep Theory packed their set with their top bangers “Fallout”, “Paralyzed”, “Gone or Staying”, “Stuck in My Head”, “Numb” and closed out with “Another Way”.
Chris Daughtry took the stage with newly minted blackout sleeves, along with bandmates Brian Craddock (guitar), Elivo Fernandes (Keyboard), Marty O’Brien (bass) and Jeremy Schaffer (drums). Daughtry has built up quite a catalog since his American Idol debut in 2006. He played older hits like “It’s Not Over”, “Changes are Coming” and “World on Fire” as well as the Journey cover he recorded with Lizzy Hale “Separate Ways” and newer releases “The Reckoning”, “Artificial”, “Pieces”, “Nervous”, “The Dam” and “Shock to the System”. Midway through the set the band left the stage, Daughtry took a seat and had the lights brought down and played an acoustic version of his first hit “Home”. He wanted to make sure everyone got the lyrics right, clarifying “I’m going home” not “I’m coming home”. After “Home” he let us know, this is the part he can play what he wants and chose “September” to close out the acoustic portion and the band rejoined him for the rest of the show.
Daughtry made it clear his show is a judgement free zone. All are welcome regardless of color, race, religion or how you identify. He connected with the audience throughout the set, inviting them to relate to the meanings behind the songs like “Over You” and “Heavy is the Crown”. Daughtry said “Over You” was originally about a breakup, but now relates it to whatever is preventing him from being the best version of himself. He asked the crowd to think about something they’ve been wanting to let go of for a long time and use the song as a big “fuck you, I’m over you”. “Heavy is the Crown” is the feeling when you break away from the norm, to take our own path and listen to our inner voice. It’s no wonder why Daughtry has a strong following, his lyrics, music and personality is very relatable. If you missed him, Daughtry is going on tour next summer with Creed, there will be plenty of opportunities to catch him. It doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.
Daughtry
Sleep Theory
Devour the Day
Follow our socials, only take a second and is free by finding us on:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky
