3 Doors Down, Daughtry Continue North American Co-Headlining Run

3 Doors Down and Daughtry, undeniably two of the biggest bands in pop-rock today continued their co-headlining tour together into the new year, this time bringing along upcoming rockers Aranda to open. In the few months since their New Jersey show we covered, it is clear that these two bands have become like family. Joining one another on stage for duets and rocking out backstage in the dressing room together, it's easy to see how much these two bands enjoy touring.

The Mid Hudson Civic Center wasn't exactly prepared for the massive artists to hit Poughkeepsie. Endless lines of traffic wrapped around the cities narrow streets for the entire hour before show time, causing many to miss the beginning of Aranda's set. Half way through the set, the sold out arena was almost completely full, energizing the openers even more. The four piece band from Oklahoma had a unique sound, featuring raw vocals from lead singer Gabe Aranda, as well as smooth melodic vocals from guitarist Dameon Aranda on several tracks. The favorite of the night seemed to be "Satisfied," with bitter lyrics such as "I, no I never wanna see you die, but I never wanna see you satisfied" that all in the house could relate to; later on in the night Daughtry sang the chorus briefly, giving the awesome opening act a shout out and giving them a huge compliment, saying that he wished he'd written "Satisfied" first.

A quick set change still had fans anxiously awaiting 3 Doors Down. They wasted no time once they hit the stage, opening with "Time of my Life" and amping up the audience instantly. Their blend of rock ballads and heavy guitar riffs were a perfect balance and showcased singer Brad Arnold's voice. With a greatest hits album released back in November, the guys rolled through hit after hit, including "Let Me Go," "When I'm Gone," and of course, "Here Without You." To finish up an already amazing set, Chris Daughtry surprised both the audience and 3 Doors Down as he joined the band on stage to perform "Kryptonite."

Following a brief and unexpected teaser of what to expect from Daughtry, Poughkeepsie was buzzing with nothing but praise for the talented artists to already have hit the stage. Daughtry finally arrived to close the night, opening with "Break The Spell" and then jumping into "Outta My Head," written, apparently, to get fans dancing.

Like 3 Doors Down, they played through hit after hit, including "Over You," and "No Surprise," as well as playing some slightly lesser known slower tracks like "Gone Too Soon," featuring piano and vocals from guitarist Josh Steely. The emotional song clearly meant a lot to singer Chris Daughtry, who chose to donate all proceeds of the track to families who suffered losses in December's tragedy in Newtown, CT. Heartfelt lyrics "Who would you be? What would you look like? Today could've been the next day of the rest of your life" had everyone in silence as they thought about those that were lost too soon.

Towards the end of the set we were treated to another duet from Daughtry and Arnold. 3 Doors Down singer Brad Arnold joined the band on stage to perform a cover of "In The Air Tonight," The often covered song was covered perfectly by the two talented singers. The night came to an end late on Thursday night with an encore closed out by the band's first hit. "It's Not Over." Fans stayed until the very last second, singing along to each and every word before the band had to leave.

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Interview with 3 Doors Down's Chris Henderson