The Fray July 18, 2009
USANA is a massive amphitheatre and as such has a large number of seats. I’ve noticed lately with many shows, they offer 2 for 1 tickets. When I got the notice that this would be the case for the Fray show, I asked my Komrade for most concerts, Erika, if she would like to go. She thought for a few days and we decided to get ourselves to the Fray show.
Now, I like the fray, every song on the radio, I’m fond of. I have the first album and after we bought seats to this show, I spent a little time with the new album online while I worked. It’s good.
After week of girls camp, I came home Friday and had homework to finish, and that took some time and then there were Saturday chores. And what I’m trying to say is that I almost forgot about this show on Saturday. Good thing Erika did not. We set out in the sweltering July heat and without being concerned about when the openers were starting we went to sit in the shade and gossip. After Erika was done telling me about her week and the opening band, meese was done playing, we decided to catch the rest of Jack’s Mannequin’s set. We spent a lot of time googling the band on Erika’s phone to figure out how cute the lead singer was. This is still unresolved. They are piano-drive rock, and we like that, so after the lead singer walked on the piano keys, not once, but at least twice, Erika decided that she would get their album. I couldn’t decide if I wanted a shirt or something, so I was empty handed but excited for the Fray. The stage set-up looked cool, but we were so far away it was hard to tell at this stage and we lamented that we wouldn’t be able to see anyone’s face as the band played. They have no jumbo-tron at USANA and this is grave oversight since most of the audience is like a mile away from the stage.
(As I write this, a Fray song starts on my player. It makes me smile.)
The fray started, all I could see of the leader singer was that he looked like an albino. Bald, pale head, white shirt, white suit coat. But it was his voice that impressed me right off. He has a lovely singing voice; they started with an acapella version of Home and I was hooked. And there were some screens! Four conjoined screens focused on the 4 band members. Erika and I started grooving with the rest of the audience to classics like How to Save a Life, Over My Head, and the new Never Say Never and You Found Me, where I introduced Erika to my version of the chorus, (Where was you?/Where was you?) which is very catchy and funny. We laughed about how we knew almost nothing about the band except they are from Colorado. After especially good moments we would say things like “You rock Mr. The Fray!” I liked calling him that, that little albino on stage. I got hooked on the song Little House (which took me days to figure which song it was even though I have it) and heard the Fray’s take on kanye west’s song Heartless. It was lovely, much better then Kanye’s version, I’m sure. There were LED lights on cltoh background that displayed images and white twinkle lights draped from the top of the stage, they made quite an impressive display and made the songs exciting. Erika remarked more than once that we should really read the lyrics for their songs, because they seemed so intense and beautiful, we should really know what he’s singing about.
After the show we were still on cloud nine. We decided to see if we could meet either jack’s mannequin or the fray, not expecting too much. The last time I was at this venue, I was there for Tori and was had to wait across the street from the backstage area and it was crappy and then we had to leave. I wasn’t expecting much more, but after finding a fan who was trying to meet the band with her 15 year old son, we decided to see where this went. I had a lesson in church the next day and I was still exhausted from camp and the day’s activities, but in the euphoria of the after-concert, I didn’t want to give up. After not a very long wait one member of the fray showed up at the gate, Dave. The awesome security guard let us back behind the gate with a promise not to make a run for it. It was oddly disconcerting to hear Dave’s American accent, since he looked so freaking Scottish to me. Erika was able to talk to him about Colorado and to find out another member of the band grew up a few blocks from her old house. After that we didn’t have much to say, but he was very polite. Then the other said member of the band, Ben, came out and signed our tickets and Erika told to him about Colorado and asked him about a local band from there, which sucks, thankfully he thinks they suck too. We discussed whether or not we were breaking erika’s fangirl rule for herself. Which is this: don’t be a lame fangirl for someone younger than yourself. Then Mr. the Fray came out. His name is Isaac, as we found out when we googled the band. We wanted to sound not like idiots. That’s important to us. Talked a bit about Colorado, of which I had nothing to add, of course. I asked for hug and he apologized for being kinda dazed as he had just had a massage (he had the bleary, I-just-had-a-massage face too) and then we took a picture with my phone. He was nice, not at rock star about anything, which is surprising because his band is really huge and he has every right to be a bit smug, but he was totally down to earth. In the picture he looks like he’s sneering, but he was quite pleasant. He didn’t look as much like an albino up close and even has a thin bit of hair, poor dear. Erika asked how old he was and he said 28, and I mentioned that meant she was not breaking her rule and Isaac (because we’re on first name basis) asked what that was all about, I told him and he seemed amused. We took our leave with our picture looking good to let the mom and her son have their moment. She obviously loves the Fray and saw them at a radio performance years ago before they were big. I can’t say anything bad about her, because in a few years, that’s freaking me. I’m going to be the mom dragging my child to the concert and riding the pit and being a cooler than all the other moms (I hope) so kudos to her for not being afraid of the preconceived notion of age and rocking out.
I thanked the security guard, because honestly, he didn’t lie to us, he didn’t try to make us leave and he didn’t make us feel like we were being lame or stupid while waiting to meet the band. I shook his hand and he really wanted us to try and see his metal band play at the “Dog Pound” in a few days. Sadly we didn’t make that show, I’m sure it was a riot.
We walked through the empty venue all giggly from the lack of sleep and excitement of meeting another rock star. I’ve been addicted to the new album online and I’m almost ready to buy it. I want it, but I’m so cheap, but I think I’m almost to the point where I need it and money is no object. It’s beautiful nd maybe even better than the first album.
All I have to say is, Isaac, keep the music coming.
USANA is a massive amphitheatre and as such has a large number of seats. I’ve noticed lately with many shows, they offer 2 for 1 tickets. When I got the notice that this would be the case for the Fray show, I asked my Komrade for most concerts, Erika, if she would like to go. She thought for a few days and we decided to get ourselves to the Fray show.
Now, I like the fray, every song on the radio, I’m fond of. I have the first album and after we bought seats to this show, I spent a little time with the new album online while I worked. It’s good.
After week of girls camp, I came home Friday and had homework to finish, and that took some time and then there were Saturday chores. And what I’m trying to say is that I almost forgot about this show on Saturday. Good thing Erika did not. We set out in the sweltering July heat and without being concerned about when the openers were starting we went to sit in the shade and gossip. After Erika was done telling me about her week and the opening band, meese was done playing, we decided to catch the rest of Jack’s Mannequin’s set. We spent a lot of time googling the band on Erika’s phone to figure out how cute the lead singer was. This is still unresolved. They are piano-drive rock, and we like that, so after the lead singer walked on the piano keys, not once, but at least twice, Erika decided that she would get their album. I couldn’t decide if I wanted a shirt or something, so I was empty handed but excited for the Fray. The stage set-up looked cool, but we were so far away it was hard to tell at this stage and we lamented that we wouldn’t be able to see anyone’s face as the band played. They have no jumbo-tron at USANA and this is grave oversight since most of the audience is like a mile away from the stage.
(As I write this, a Fray song starts on my player. It makes me smile.)
The fray started, all I could see of the leader singer was that he looked like an albino. Bald, pale head, white shirt, white suit coat. But it was his voice that impressed me right off. He has a lovely singing voice; they started with an acapella version of Home and I was hooked. And there were some screens! Four conjoined screens focused on the 4 band members. Erika and I started grooving with the rest of the audience to classics like How to Save a Life, Over My Head, and the new Never Say Never and You Found Me, where I introduced Erika to my version of the chorus, (Where was you?/Where was you?) which is very catchy and funny. We laughed about how we knew almost nothing about the band except they are from Colorado. After especially good moments we would say things like “You rock Mr. The Fray!” I liked calling him that, that little albino on stage. I got hooked on the song Little House (which took me days to figure which song it was even though I have it) and heard the Fray’s take on kanye west’s song Heartless. It was lovely, much better then Kanye’s version, I’m sure. There were LED lights on cltoh background that displayed images and white twinkle lights draped from the top of the stage, they made quite an impressive display and made the songs exciting. Erika remarked more than once that we should really read the lyrics for their songs, because they seemed so intense and beautiful, we should really know what he’s singing about.
After the show we were still on cloud nine. We decided to see if we could meet either jack’s mannequin or the fray, not expecting too much. The last time I was at this venue, I was there for Tori and was had to wait across the street from the backstage area and it was crappy and then we had to leave. I wasn’t expecting much more, but after finding a fan who was trying to meet the band with her 15 year old son, we decided to see where this went. I had a lesson in church the next day and I was still exhausted from camp and the day’s activities, but in the euphoria of the after-concert, I didn’t want to give up. After not a very long wait one member of the fray showed up at the gate, Dave. The awesome security guard let us back behind the gate with a promise not to make a run for it. It was oddly disconcerting to hear Dave’s American accent, since he looked so freaking Scottish to me. Erika was able to talk to him about Colorado and to find out another member of the band grew up a few blocks from her old house. After that we didn’t have much to say, but he was very polite. Then the other said member of the band, Ben, came out and signed our tickets and Erika told to him about Colorado and asked him about a local band from there, which sucks, thankfully he thinks they suck too. We discussed whether or not we were breaking erika’s fangirl rule for herself. Which is this: don’t be a lame fangirl for someone younger than yourself. Then Mr. the Fray came out. His name is Isaac, as we found out when we googled the band. We wanted to sound not like idiots. That’s important to us. Talked a bit about Colorado, of which I had nothing to add, of course. I asked for hug and he apologized for being kinda dazed as he had just had a massage (he had the bleary, I-just-had-a-massage face too) and then we took a picture with my phone. He was nice, not at rock star about anything, which is surprising because his band is really huge and he has every right to be a bit smug, but he was totally down to earth. In the picture he looks like he’s sneering, but he was quite pleasant. He didn’t look as much like an albino up close and even has a thin bit of hair, poor dear. Erika asked how old he was and he said 28, and I mentioned that meant she was not breaking her rule and Isaac (because we’re on first name basis) asked what that was all about, I told him and he seemed amused. We took our leave with our picture looking good to let the mom and her son have their moment. She obviously loves the Fray and saw them at a radio performance years ago before they were big. I can’t say anything bad about her, because in a few years, that’s freaking me. I’m going to be the mom dragging my child to the concert and riding the pit and being a cooler than all the other moms (I hope) so kudos to her for not being afraid of the preconceived notion of age and rocking out.
I thanked the security guard, because honestly, he didn’t lie to us, he didn’t try to make us leave and he didn’t make us feel like we were being lame or stupid while waiting to meet the band. I shook his hand and he really wanted us to try and see his metal band play at the “Dog Pound” in a few days. Sadly we didn’t make that show, I’m sure it was a riot.
We walked through the empty venue all giggly from the lack of sleep and excitement of meeting another rock star. I’ve been addicted to the new album online and I’m almost ready to buy it. I want it, but I’m so cheap, but I think I’m almost to the point where I need it and money is no object. It’s beautiful nd maybe even better than the first album.
All I have to say is, Isaac, keep the music coming.
