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Feature : The Fray

The end of a tour can often be a mixed bag of emotions; for The Fray their Summer Helios Tour came to a close right here in Bethlehem at the Sands Event Center. The last show of a tour is always a different vibe than shows in the middle of the beginning of the tour and the Sands has been lucky enough to have a few closing dates of tours over the years so far. This show was no different as the band was in good spirits about the conclusion of their tour and were eternally grateful for all the fans who came out to the spend the evening with them.

Sometimes the end of the tour shows a band fatigue and exhaustion from many months on the road but The Fray only continued to show why they have the following they do. The band came out just a few minutes late which is to be forgiven just due to their elaborate and dramatic lighting rig that had to be set up following Barcelona’s set. The Fray had enough energy on stage that you would have thought it was the first day of the Helios Tour and not the last. The crowd over course fed off this on stage energy, in fact they really fed of lead singer Isaac Slade. The Fray’s music isn’t always the fast or most upbeat but that doesn’t stop Isaac from commanding the stage and bringing a raw emotion to his movements on stage.

Vocally, Isaac’s performance far surpasses the studio recordings of the band songs and I mean that in the best way possible. The live music industry is full of “good” bands so it takes that extra step that Isaac has to catapult a bad to the “epic” live band status. Though the band only performed about 85 minutes they managed to cram 20 songs into that time, that is no small feat to accomplish! In fact the band spent very little time talking to the crowd besides a few grateful comments here and there. Though some fans would have liked some more interaction in that way I think most were excited to hear a few extra songs that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

The setlist was a mixed bag of material from the band’s discography and contained a large number of songs of their most recent album, “Helios,” which was to be expected being that the name of the tour was the “Helios Tour.” The setlist from the Bethlehem show was as follows :

  • Closer To Me
  • Heartbeat
  • You Found Me
  • All At Once
  • Hurricane
  • Rainy Zurich
  • Look After You
  • Keep On Wanting
  • Wherever This Goes
  • Just a Closer Walk With Thee (Patsy Cline cover)
  • Hold My Hand
  • Turn Me On
  • Give It Away
  • Our Last Days
  • How To Save A Life
  • Over My Head (Cable Car)
  • Love Don’t Die
Encore:
  • Break Your Plans
  • Never Say Never
  • Shadow and a Dancer
Eastern Pennsylvania was treated to two stops of the Helios Tour with The Fray being a part of the Radio 104.5’s Summer Block Party and returning to end their tour with a proper headlining show. It is safe to say that the band has a large following of dedicated fans in the area and that we will see the band again soon when they hit the road after taking some much deserved time off. Two shows in the same month didn’t keep the crowd from coming out to the Sands and packing the floor from side to side until the very last song of the tour was played.
Until then be sure to check out their new album “Helios” if you haven’t already and also check out Sight of Sound’s exclusive photo gallery of the Bethlehem performance below from Matt Christine Photography :

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The All-American Rejects at Musikfest 2014

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