The Daily Collegian had a chance to talk to 3 Doors Down’s lead singer Brad Arnold to find out what concert-goers can expect from tonight’s show at the Bryce Jordan Center. Here’s what Arnold had to say about being excited to perform in Happy Valley and how the band tries to stay true to their music.
Q: What can the audience look forward to in the 3 Doors Down/Daughtry performances in December?
A: I think this show is going to be greater than ones in the past –– there’s so much camaraderie between the two bands. So you’ll definitely see, at some point in the night, us [3 Doors Down and Daughtry] singing a song together. We’ll be playing about 75 minutes each of the nights. I think it’s going to be a show that when you walk out the door, you’ll walk out the door saying, “that was a good concert.” We will be playing a lot of the older songs, and some of the songs we haven’t played on tour as much.
Q: You’re releasing a “remixed and re-mastered” greatest hits album –– what can fans expect from that? What’s it going to sound like?
A: It’s going to be cool. I just got the mastered version of it. I listened to the mixes…I’m definitely going to put it in the car, ride around and listen to it myself [laughs]. I’m excited for people to hear it and listen to this version of it. We’ve made the songs in surround sound. As far as the three new songs on there –– we wanted to write three new songs that could stand up against the past songs we’ve written. Those three songs are good songs and they have a good message in them, which I think is important.
Q: Do your new songs have a different sound?
A: I think these three are similar, but I think one is kind of a kickback to our older songs because it’s a heavier song. “One Light” is about being alive and giving more to the world than you take from it –– being that one light that shines. I hope that song will inspire somebody to be that light. I’m always writing meaningful lyrics. I want somebody to listen to these songs and to know what I’m saying; I like keeping it simple but having somebody take the lyrics and apply them to their own life.
Q: Your band has been around for quite some time now – how have your goals as musicians changed throughout the years? Is your newest music going to be representative of any kind of transformation?
A: We’ve never really tried to change ourselves. Over the years, you like to think that you get better as songwriters and musicians…I think for as much as we play it’s inevitable that we get better. Over the years we try to not follow the trends that come and go. If we stay true to ourselves, we think we’ll continue to be successful. We want to thank all of the fans for supporting us for so long, we thank God for it.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most for this tour with Daughtry?
A: I’m looking forward to…on that first tour, me and the drummer brought out a double drum solo, so as far as the performance, that’s what I’m looking forward to most. I’m also looking forward to collaborating with Daughtry. Every night we’re going to get up there and sing a song together, whether it’s a cover or one of our songs or one of theirs.
Q: For the fans, I’m sure they want to know – what’s your favorite song to perform with the band?
A: I always enjoyed playing “Away from the Sun” live, and “Here Without You.” I like watching the fans sing along.
Q: Why do you think you and Daughtry performing together is a good match?
A: I like Daughtry’s music. Their style and our style are kind of similar and we share a lot of fans. Chris [Daughtry] is a great singer. I was going through some of his YouTube videos the other day and watching him play the National Anthem…he nailed it. It was the best National Anthem you’ve ever heard. I’m looking forward to watching him play every night.
