On the same night that [article id="1639079"]"American Idol" kicked off Michael Lynche[/article], another fourth-place "Idol" finisher, [artist id="2385930"]Chris Daughtry[/artist], returned to the stage to show Big Mike that he can still have a bright future as a recording artist.

The season-five contestant and his band were welcomed back to "Idol" on Wednesday night and performed "September," a single off their platinum-selling second album, [article id="1616729"]Leave This Town.[/article] Looking not much different than he did upon his "Idol" audition years ago, a bald-headed and bearded Daughtry belted out the slow-burning tune as Lynche and his fellow contestants awaited their fate. Any one of them would be thankful to have even half the success that Daughtry has enjoyed.

His self-titled debut hit the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 in 2006 and ended up going platinum four times. Last year, the band's follow-up disc debuted at #1 and was certified platinum in February 2010. They're also in the midst of a wide-ranging North American tour that has them playing in huge arenas throughout the country.

"It doesn't get old," Daughtry later said of playing for large crowds. "It's an amazing feeling every night, and we're fortunate that we have fans that want to come out and see us. We don't take that for granted."

Daughtry also had a piece of advice for this season's remaining finalists. "Stay hungry and actually don't compromise the music that you love," he said. "Stick with what's true to you."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.