Article and Photos by: KT Lafferty

Raleigh, NC — It was a night of unstoppable energy in Raleigh this past Saturday as powerhouses Seether and Daughtry brought their co-headlining tour to downtown’s Red Hat Amphitheater. A stacked bill that also brought along P.O.D. and Kami Kehoe, the show fused together a multitude of genres over the course of four and half hours. Through it all, the crowd never seemed to tire, and each act left them yearning for more.

First to take the stage was rising L.A. artist Kami Kehoe. As she said in her viral hit “Sleep When I’m Dead,” adrenaline is a part of what she’s made of. This couldn’t have been closer to the truth as Kehoe enthusiastically moved her way around the stage. Her voice is gritty, but with a sultry, breathy sound. Though she’s only been on the scene for a short time, she exudes confidence and looks to genuinely feel at home on the stage. A dynamic drummer as well, she showed off her skills on several songs in her set, including “Dopamine,” a single off her latest EP release Kandy, as well as the title track from the album. Her bandmates rocked out alongside her, encouraging the crowd to get amped up, and together they brought an energy that was a great kickoff to a night of familiar voices.

Next to hit the stage was nu-metal band P.O.D. With over 30 years of history, there was a lot to pack into their shorter set as an additional opener. From the first song they proved how they’ve been able to keep their momentum going for so long, as the explosive “Boom” shook the venue with vigor. Knowing the words to everything P.O.D. sang, the audience didn’t let up from this point forward. Singing along to “Youth of the Nation,” there was a certainty that even passers-by on the sidewalk outside the venue could chant along with this one. A surprising, but well received, addition on their setlist was a cover of The Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down”. Lead singer Sonny Sandoval and the band closed the set with the timeless hit “Alive,” and it was evident that even after all these years, they still love performing for their fans.

As Daughtry took their turn next, they proved that it was somehow possible to blow the roof off of an outdoor amphitheater. From the first notes of “Divided,” off the latest release Shock To The System (Part Two), lead singer Chris Daughtry showed that he did not come to play around. This is no longer the same Chris Daughtry that you remember from American Idol. Instead, his voice has graduated with each new album into a bolder, heavier, more commanding sound. The passion is still the same as it has been over the span of the last two decades, but he progressively shows that he’s now come into his own and is making the type of music that suits him the best. Daughtry still satisfies the fans with the self-described “divorced dad rock” songs in their set, including “It’s Not Over” and “Over You” which had the crowd therapeutically singing the lyrics right back to them. And Chris also made sure to give a nod to his home state of North Carolina. At the intro to “Home,” he states that he wrote the song just an hour up the road, and acknowledges that without it, he probably wouldn’t be standing on that stage today. It’s evident that he clearly feels at home singing songs from his later releases, such as “The Day I Die”, “The Bottom”, and “Heavy Is The Crown”. There is a common noticeable theme amongst many of the newer hits, and Daughtry doesn’t shy away from weaving in a supportive pep talk for mental health, and the encouragement for fans to live their own life in a world that’s always telling them to be something different. An encore of “Artificial” brought the band back out for one last song and with that one, they left it all out on the stage with nothing to spare.

Closing out the evening were rock icons Seether whose intense energy rocked the crowd to its core. Opening with “Pride,” Shaun Morgan’s vocals were unmistakable. Accompanied by John Humphrey on drums, as well as Dale Stewart and Corey Lowery on guitar, the band cranked out hit after hit of their nearly three-decade career. The crowd shouted every word right back to “Fine Again” and “Broken”. For a few minutes, you’d almost forget that this was such a hard-hitting rock band, as “Country Song” seemed like somewhat of a foreign sound for the evening, but yet somehow also felt right at home. Matching Daughtry’s nod to mental health, Seether next took the crowd into “Rise Above This”, a song which Morgan has stated was written about his late brother. The night ended with Seether’s chart-topper “Remedy”, and it seemed to be the perfect closer for such a cathartic evening.

Four sets of artists, pouring their hearts and souls into every note, every lyric, every moment they shared with an audience who just couldn’t get enough. Whether they’ve been performing for decades or just a handful of years, each act proved that they belonged on that stage. It was no doubt an emotionally charged evening, but one in which everyone could clearly check their troubles at the door and rock out for the night with good energy and a mutual love and appreciation for such a well-executed performance.