The Fray and American Authors teamed up for two special nights at The Paramount in Huntington, NY October 23rd and 24th. On the opening night of the 2 night set, Wednesday October 23rd, the scent of fall was in the air walking down New York Avenue. As you looked up you saw The Fray tonight in bright lights on the marque of The Paramount. The excitement was high and it seemed the night was just right for some music.
A large crowd gathered as Brooklyn based indie rock band American Authors took the stage. Climbing the rankings in the indie rock scene since 2006, the 4 piece band were making their 2nd appearance on stage at The Paramount (their first in 2012 opening for 3 Doors Down and Daughtry). Zachary Barnett sang his heart out while strumming away at his guitar, displaying some of the band’s newer material off their new EP to be released in a few months. Barnett told the crowd that The Paramount was in fact the first big venue they have ever played and to this day their favorite. Fans were engaged in their performance swaying back and forth to feel good tracks like “Trouble”, “Hit It” and of course “Best Day Of My Life”. The Paramount may have been the first big venue American Authors played and it surely won’t be the last.
With a nice performance by American Authors the time was almost coming for The Fray to hit the stage. Spirits were high as The Fray played in the main lobby of the venue prior to the beginning of the set. A crowd of over 900 people gathered for this first night and fans ranged from all ages from teenagers to adults. It’s hard to believe the Denver, Co alternative rock band has been around the better part of a decade now. In that time they have established themselves as a powerhouse in the alternative rock scene. Driven by piano and soulful vocals by Isacc Slade, this band has even been ranked as Artists of the Decade. A special aspect that makes up The Fray is the fact is their ride to fame and popularity has maintained the same line-up of musicians and friends in Isaac Slade, Joe King, Dave Welsh, and Ben Wysocki. Now undoubtedly an amphitheater and arena band, it’s even more special to see them play the intimate confines of a venue like The Paramount for 2 nights.
As The Fray hit the stage a unison cheer filled the air and the band opened up with new track “Hurricane”. The mix of the guitar playing of King and Welsch with Slades vocals and piano playing grabbed the audience immediately and they went directly into the massive alternative rock radio hit “How to Save a Life”. Keeping things current, the band went into a series of tracks off their excellent album Scars & Stories (2012) mixing in classic tracks like “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “Never Say Never”. The whole night the band treated fans to a wide variety of their musical catalog. Slades made wonderful transitions from piano man to front man moving around the stage with grace. The emotion in each members face spoke a thousand words for the music being played.
As the night came to a close good vibes were felt all around. A relaxing evening of wholesome music was just what fans needed after a hectic work day and The Fray gave it to them. Let’s hope they come back around again soon to grace the stage of The Paramount for another 2 night stand.
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