'It's One Of Our Favourite Places In The World To Play': Daughtry On UK Fans And Tour Life
Monday, 27 October 2014
Written by Katie Territt
Daughtry have spent a large chunk of the year on tour, promoting their fourth studio record, ‘Baptized’. Having played a huge UK show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire back in March, the band took a slight detour from their current dates to enjoy another stop over here earlier this month, tackling a sold out Roundhouse in Camden.
As he hovered somewhere between Tokyo and Singapore, we caught up with Chris Daughtry, the band’s lead singer, to talk life on the road, that London date and their relationship with their fans on this side of the pond.
“Oh my gosh, it was incredible,” he said. “I mean, that room was beautiful and the fans were, if it’s possible, even better than the last time we were there. It’s definitely become one of our favourite places in the world to play. The fans are just amazing.
“It was the only date, this soon, in the UK that we were able to make happen. It was one of those things where you get an offer and it makes sense, and of course we were hoping that we would get a chance to come back sooner rather than later. We ended up coming back sooner than we anticipated so that was definitely good news for us. A sold out show is definitely something we never take for granted.”
Since releasing their self-titled debut back in 2006 - following Daughtry’s exit from the American Idol TV show - the band have continued to rack up hits on the road to ‘Baptized’, which peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200. With their back catalogue expanding and success coming around the world, whittling down those setlists has become a tough task.
“It is a little difficult because not only do we have four albums to choose from, but a lot of the time we’re not really sure as to what songs are popular in different areas,” Daughtry said. “You get used to playing what you play in the States and then you find out that a song like I’ll Fight was doing well in the UK, which was something that we weren’t playing before. It wasn’t on the setlist.
“So, we had to learn it and get it ready for our UK fans. The danger in getting fans to choose your setlist is being embarrassed if you don’t know it. A lot of the time you record a song and maybe it’s the last time you play it if it’s not a single or something that’s a fan favourite. Then you find people that love the song and you’re like: ‘Oh crap, we haven’t ever played that song as a band.’ Sometimes, I’m aware enough that I can pull off a stripped down, acoustic version of it on the fly and that’s normally how we make the compromise.”
Life on the road is a strain on band members with families waiting at home and Daughtry is no different. But, the band will soon head home for a string of dates leading up to Christmas.
“I’m excited to get home to my wife and kids, for sure,” he said. “We’ve been touring for quite some time this year in the States. We did three months solid during the summertime and that was a long tour. We’re kinda surprised that people still want to see us. Well, you know, I’d get sick of me if I was seeing myself over and over.
“It’s kinda hard to believe. It’s definitely flown by. It’s kinda one of those things where you spend most of the year touring, you tend to forget what time of year it is. You’re like: ‘Hey, did I miss the summer? Where was I at?’ Do you know what I mean? So, there’s a lot of time that just flies by and sometimes we just have to look at our phones and look at pictures we’ve taken during those times to kind of remember what happened.”
It’s been almost a year since the release of ‘Baptized’, but with the band working their way through such a packed schedule it looks like we may be waiting while for any hint of album number five.
“I think it’s been so busy that it’s really difficult to just be inspired to jump into another record,” Daughtry said. “I think after doing so much consecutive touring like that you have to take a little bit of a break to recharge the batteries and live a little so that you have something to write about, otherwise you’re just writing about the road all of the time. I think taking time away to focus on writing is the only way you can give fans your best work.”
Having sailed into some pristine pop waters last time out, Daughtry’s next step will be one worth monitoring. But, don’t necessarily expect to have ‘Baptized - Part Two’ thrust into your hands as a matter of course.
“There’s no denying that ‘Baptized’ is definitely more poppy than our previous albums,” Daughtry said. “Whether that is any kind of indication of where we’re headed or what the next record is like is yet to be seen. I take it one album at a time, and I’m not really sure what kind of record is next. I’m at that place where I don’t want to repeat myself and I don’t want to give the fans something where they’re totally like: ‘What the hell is this? Who is this band that I used to like?’ There’s definitely a fine line between being different and being alienating to the fans.”
So, with 2014 nearing its close, Daughtry have got one eye on wrapping up this year’s touring exploits and another on possibly fulfilling some dreams the next time they land in the UK.
“The plan right now is to have a bit of a break after the New Year, recharge the batteries, and be husband and dad for longer than a week,” Daughtry said. “It would definitely be awesome to be able to sell out Wembley [Arena] or the O2. I know that’s a little over zealous to think that’s even a possibility right now, but I think that would be a pretty cool step to be able to play arenas like that. I like playing arenas if they’re full.
“There’s something really magical about venues like the Roundhouse and Shepherd’s Bush Empire when they’re full and it’s really big, but small enough where you can still see everybody. There’s just something magical about that. It’s bigger than a small club, so it still has that grand feel to it, but it’s not so big that it’s disconnecting. We feel so honoured to have been able to play those kinds of venues in the UK this year.”
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