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Familiar faces

A couple of familiar acts return to the Covelli Centre as two past headliners are teaming up to play the venue on Monday.

3 Doors Down, the first headliner at the Youngstown arena when it opened in 2005, and Daughtry, which played the venue in 2009, are touring together, and judging from setlists available online – spoiler alert – the two bands are doing more than co-headlining. Chris Daughtry has been joining 3DD on stage for its hit “Kryptonite,” while 3DD lead singer Brad Arnold has been coming out to sing a cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” with Daughtry’s crew.

Opening act Halestorm also is a familiar site in the Mahoning Valley, from playing Youngstown’s Rock the Block in 2009 to multiple local club gigs.

Daughtry

FIRST PLAYED THE ARENA: Nov. 4, 2009

WHAT WE SAID THEN: It’s the band’s first arena tour as a headliner, and frontman Chris Daughtry seems determined to repeat every cool thing he ever saw as an arena rock concertgoer.

In the 18-song, 95-minute show, there was fire and explosions, ramps and runways on which to strut and pose. A shower of sparks rained down from the lighting rig. There was an unplugged interlude and an audience sing-along, complete with a battle to see who could sing louder, the left side or the right side (shockingly, it was a tie).

But what the show lacked in originality, it made up for in energy. As “American Idol” fans quickly learned a few seasons ago, Daughtry’s voice is a powerful instrument, whether it’s belting out rock radio anthems like “No Surprise,” “Over You” and “Home,” or making a bid for country crossover success by adding a touch of twang on “Tennessee Line.”

And no one seemed to mind that they’d seen all of this before. Those arena rock cliches became cliches because they work.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE: The latest release by Daughtry – Daughtry, lead vocals; Josh Steely, guitar; Brian Craddock, guitar; Josh Paul, bass; and Robin Diaz, drums – is 2011’s “Break the Spell.” Songs such as “Crawling Back to You,” “Outta My Head” and “Start of Something Good” garnered some radio play, but the album and its singles failed to match the chart-topping success of 2009’s “Leave This Town” or the band’s 2007 self-titled debut.

3 Doors Down

FIRST PLAYED THE ARENA: Oct. 29, 2005

WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Thanks for having us as your first concert here,” 3 Doors Down lead singer Brad Arnold said. “They’ve done a great job on this place, and it sounds awesome up here.”

It sounded pretty good in the audience too.

3 Doors Down’s stage set couldn’t have been better for the Mahoning Valley if it had been specially designed for the show. It looked like a factory or a mill with giant metal gears turning around the drum kit, and the band delivered an evening of sweaty, muscular working-class rock fitted for its surroundings.

The band’s breakthrough single, “Kryptonite,” made an early appearance with the stage bathed in green light. The three screens around the stage projected some of the lyrics written in the style of comic book panels. The band mixed songs from all three of its top-selling discs, from ballads like “Away from the Sun” to thunderous rockers like “Duck and Run.” And if the songs weren’t powerful enough, they frequently were accompanied by flashes of fire and explosions.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE: Folks will see a somewhat different lineup when 3 Doors Down returns Monday. Original lead guitar player Matt Roberts left the band last year, and bass player Todd Harrell is facing vehicular homicide charges in Tennessee following an accident on April 20 of this year that killed a 47-year-old man. Harrell reportedly checked himself into rehab and is awaiting trial, and Justin Biltonen is playing bass on the current tour. He joins a lineup featuring Arnold, lead vocals; Chris Henderson, rhythm guitar; Greg Upchurch, drums; and Chet Roberts, lead guitar.

The band latest release is the 2012’s “The Greatest Hits,” which paired nine past hits with three new songs, “One Light,” “There’s a Life” and “Goodbyes.”

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