Daughtry raked in the cheers during the finale for the Homecoming pep rally Friday night in Reynolds Coliseum.

The Pack Howl concert followed a pep rally filled with performances by student groups. These groups included the cheerleaders demonstrating their acrobatic skill and school spirit, the marching band blasting the school fight song and the Packabelles treating the crowd to “Passionate Kisses.” The Black Finesse Modeling Troupe also displayed its moves and style and Fusion finished the rally with multicultural hip-hop routines.

Chuck Amato, who came to rally the attendees, told the students, “You people single-handedly helped us to beat Florida State.”

Amato encouraged fans to continue to “energize” the Wolfpack.

Other appearances included the Leader of the Pack finalists, who thanked the students for their support, and the Homecoming Committee, which handed out parade awards as well as door prizes.

The audience also voted for the “craziest fan” from the Homecoming parade. The winner was Ben deKeyzer, a junior in textile and apparrel management, dressed in a NCSU cheerleader’s skirt and top.

“We’re just thrilled at the response we got,” Meridith Peele, a senior in accounting and Pack Howl committee chair, said. “We hit a wide variety of student groups. We didn’t focus on just one section of N.C. State’s campus.”

Following the pep rally, a group of attendees rushed the floor to stand in front of the stage.

“It was just intense,” Amanda Giggard, a senior in chemistry, said. “The crowd was so pumped and it was so much fun.”

Chris Daughtry’s band, Daughtry, took the stage after an opening set by Saving Jane, known for its song “Girl Next Door.”

“I’m really glad [Daughtry] came. It was amazing,” Lia Amini, a sophomore in biochemistry, said.

Amini said she was a fan of Chris Daughtry during his time as an American Idol contestant. She said Daughtry is better off now than if he had won the contest.

“He’s able to do what he wants instead of being ‘poppy,'” Amini said.

Not all those present were already Daughtry fans. Charles Leister, a senior in mechanical engineering, said he was skeptical at first.

“It’s better than I thought it would be,” he said “They rocked it pretty hard.”

Nicole Hooks, a freshman in chemistry, was one of the fans who waited outside Daughtry’s dressing room for his autograph.

“He’s really nice,” she said. “It was good to be patient.”

Hooks said she is looking forward to seeing Daughtry again.

“I can’t wait till next year’s [Pack Howl]. They should bring Chris back,” she said.