Double platinum recording artist Chris Daughtry rocked away the final hours of the 148th Clearfield County Fair on Saturday. (Photo by Josh Woods)
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Fair closes with former idol
Monday, August 04, 2008
By Josh Woods Staff Writer
At 8 p.m. on Saturday, the grandstand stage at the Clearfield County Fair sat vacantly in the shadows. By 8:30 p.m., a capacity crowd grew eager with anticipation and called for Chris Daughtry to take the stage as it shifted anxiously in its seats. They weren't disappointed, because by the end of the show, most of the crowd forgot about the wait completely. Chris Daughtry, whose "American Idol" stint may forever live in infamy, took to the stage at 8:45 p.m. and rocked away the final hours of the 148th edition of the Clearfield County Fair.
"It was such as great show ... definitely worth the wait," said Christina Becker of Pittsburgh. "They took forever to get on stage, but it was a wonderful performance."
Daughtry, the fourth-place finisher of the fifth season of "American Idol" and one of Neilson's top-10 selling artists in 2007, wowed the crowd with tunes from his self-titled debut album.
The quintet featured Chris Daughtry on vocals, Josh Paul on bass, Joey Barnes on drums and Brian Craddock and Josh Steely on guitar.
They held the crowd's attention with the hard-charging hits "What I Want" and "Over You." "If you don't know the words to this song ... make them up," said Daughtry as the band began to play "Over You."
A number of concertgoers heeded his words, belting out both real and imagined lyrics to the song.
The band continued with its Grammy-nominated "It's Not Over," and later showed its flexibility with a hard rock rendition of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter."
At approximately 10 p.m., following a brief curtain call, Daughtry re-entered onto the stage to play Motley Crue's ballad, "Home Sweet Home." The song served as a prelude to the band's "Home," nominated last year for the Grammy Awards' best performance by a duo or group.
Daughtry won the hearts of fans seated in the track area, leaving the stage during the band's final number to personally greet them near the stage barricade with a series of high-fives. Daughtry concluded the show with "There and Back Again," stopping briefly to encourage collaborative flash photography.
"Everyone, pull out their cameras and cell phones - anything that makes a flash," commanded Daughtry. "When I count to four, everyone take a picture. I can't guarantee the picture will turn out, but I promise it will look really cool."
Soon after, flashbulbs popped in alternating unison, creating a spectacular sight.
"The show was excellent," said Rick Sabella of Philipsburg. "Chris Daughtry proved he's not just another cookie cutter ‘American Idol' pop tart. He's a bonafide rock star. Watching him is evidence that modern rock is still alive."
