Just what is it about San Diego that brings folks here in flocks? Southernmost California is all about its sunshine, sunsets, spectacular beaches and coastlines, skylines, their deep-seated military roots, and their music! And every year in May the USS Midway sets out to give you all of what makes this city shine in one single event. The aircraft carrier, USS Midway was decommissioned in 1992 and now calls San Diego Harbor its home. It rests alongside some of the city’s most breathtaking scenery and skyline. With views of downtown San Diego to the east and the Coronado bridge to the south. The USS Midway is one of San Diego’s most iconic and historical museums and every year during the last week of May, becomes the fundamental force behind the annual event known as “Legacy Week; a week-long celebration and dedication to our military and military families.
Each year at the beginning of the long Memorial Day weekend, the USS Midway holds a benefit concert its flight deck. Proceeds to this event go directly to several charitable organizations that dedicate their time and funds to assisting our veterans, the currently serving, first responders, and their families. Organizations such as STEP (Support The Enlisted Project), Zero8Hundred and the San Diego Harbor Police Foundation are all presented with gifts during the opening ceremonies before the evening’s event. More than once, the media team at BackStage360 has had the honor of coming aboard this stunning vessel to be a part of the celebration.
So on the evening of May 24th, 2019, we were escorted aboard the carrier and invited to peruse the flight deck to take photos, meet some of the San Diego’s music lovers and enjoy the setting sun, sparkling harbor water and city views before the festivities. I am always in awe of this event. I cannot think of a better venue to celebrate San Diego and our military; this year’s featured artist, infamous American Idol, rock star Chris Daughtery, and his band, lit up the night. Chris Daughtry rose to fame and became a household name in 2006 as a finalist, during the fifth season, on the American TV show “American Idol.” To this day, I still do not understand how he did not win this competition. However, as they say, “The best revenge is success,” and Daughtry has made it so. In November of 2006, Daugherty released his debut album, self-titled “Daughtry” and a star was born. Known as an alt rock, hard rock, and pop rock artist, Daughtery has become a multi award winning artist and songwriter and has been nominated for several Grammy awards. Daughtry’s debut album was a huge success and was certified 4x platinum in April of 2008. Since then they have released four additional albums, the most recent, “Cage to Rattle” in 2018 but it is their freshman album that Chris refers to amusingly as “the good album” that fans seem to endear the most. Possibly because of the amount of extraordinarily successful singles that were released during its production.
As in all events I cover for the magazine, I made a point of watching the fans around me. Although this was an all ages event, I didn’t see as many families as I have in the past, but what I did see was a flight deck full of very dedicated and hardcore fans. Yes, they might have been standing in line for a cocktail or waiting for the restroom, but while they were doing so, most of them were turned toward the stage, watching and genuinely listening to the music. The scene was flanked by two sizeable live stream monitors that made it simple to see and hear every sound and movement on stage. If I can use the terms both low-key and highly energetic together, this was my experience. Daughtery did not disappoint their fans. Chris engages his audience, refers to a story or two of those that have inspired his songwriting along with entertaining tales of being on the road for many years. Throughout the evening, they intertwined classics with more recent music, such favorites as “No Life After You,” “Waiting For Superman”, “It’s Not Over”, and in dedicating longtime favorite “Home” to our military and their families, he invited the fans to join in the chorus. Breaking into tracks from, “Cage to Rattle”, they entertained us with “As You Are,” a love ballad Chris wrote and produced for his wife, along with “September” from their “Leave this Town” album. These song references are just a small sprinkling of the evening’s entertainment that sadly came to close around 10 pm. I have been a fan from the beginning back in 2006 and will continue to be a fan, as long as, Daughtry keeps breaking the rules and showing us how it’s done!
Daughtery is currently touring throughout the American Northeast. You can find breaking news, their music, and tour dates on their website; www.daughtryofficial.com. You can hear and purchase their music on most reputable online music service sites and retailers and follow along with the band and their members on social media. You can also learn more about San Diego’s USS Midway, its history and the organizations they give back to on their website; www.midway.org.
By: Siege / BackStage360