The Fray return to The Paramount Huntington, NY for a sell out 1-31-14

Sometimes we find a place we are comfortable at and want to return time after time. For alternative rock band The Fray it appears one of those home’s away from home is The Paramount in Huntington, NY. Three months after playing 2 consecutive packed shows at this beautiful venue, The Fray came back on Friday January 31st. Returning with The Fray were American Authors with the addition of A Great Big World. With the images of their previous shows at The Paramount still fresh in concertgoers minds the venue sold out once again.

Packed with returning fans and new fans, the stage was first occupied by A Great Big World. Straight out of New York City, it was just a trip down the Long Island Expressway for singer/songwriters Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino to The Paramount. The longtime friends have been composing music for sometime now, deciding to join forces two years ago as A Great Big World. Their sound can best be described as soothing piano-drenched indie rock. Axel and Vaccarino voices compliment one another as they played through a dynamic set of upbeat music. Lyrically enticing each song played had a unique quality. Mixing clear electric guitar tone, melodic piano playing, each tune had fans interest from start to finish. While many were not familiar with A Great Big World at the beginning of their performance, the band won over the audience with a solid stage performance and thoughtful music. Their debut album entitled Is There Anyone Out There? was released January 21st and judging by the amount of people tracking down the titles of each song played with Shazam on their phone chances are they will be picking up a copy soon.

Keeping us in a New York state of mind, Brooklyn’s American Authors came onto the stage next. Already acquainted with The Paramount from three other performances in the past two years, the band seemed relaxed and right at home. Consisting of Zac Barnett (lead vocals, guitar), James Adam Shelley (lead guitar, banjo), Dave Rublin (bass), and Matt Sanchez (drums), American Authors combine catchy vocals with bright instrumentation. Barnett’s voice was strong and clear as he and the band showcased tunes from their forthcoming EP Oh, What a Life, which comes out in March. They had many in the crowd dancing and all eyes were on the stage. While many knew the sing-along track “Best Day of My Life”, they were at the same time enlightened to all that American Authors has to offer. It will be exciting to see them on their opening spot with OneRepublic on the Native Summer Tour 2014.

With two fitting opening acts in the books, the sold-out crowd was ready for The Fray. Establishing themselves as a leader of alternative rock, The Fray has given audiences three consistent records of tunes worthy of praise and repetitive play. Many in the audience had arrived early before the doors opened for a special meet and greet with the band, and because of that, all you could hear around The Paramount was how genuinely nice the boys in the band were about taking photographs and signing autographs. Personal experiences such as these make the music more special to listeners and can set the mood for a performance.

The band took the stage with energy and excitement, blasting off into a series of newer and older tunes. With vibrant illumination upon each band member evenly, Issac Slade strolled around the stage singing gracefully and emotionally. Fans packed toward the front held their hands in the air for most of the show while some couples were dancing around. Covering an ample amount of material in their set it was nice to be treated to songs from their forthcoming album Helios due out February 25th. Mixing in a balanced offering of songs from Scars & Stories (2012) there was plenty of special moments with Slade, Joe King, and Dave Welsh sharing the spotlight with drummer Ben Wysocki’s beat holding everything together. Each member of the Fray displayed multiple instrumentation skills but most of all gave enthusiastic performances which kept the crowds attention.

Some of the most rousing moments of the evening were also some of the band’s most popular songs including “You Found Me”,”Look After You”, “Over My head (Cable Car)”,”How to Save a life”, and “Never Say Never”. The Fray recognize the impact these tunes have on their audience and judging by the happy glow of the audience, they did not let their fans down. Keeping things interesting they even surprised the audience with Slade taking to the piano and singing the Miley Cyrus song “Wrecking Ball”. Adding their own unique touch to the track the song’s ending gave way to cheers and applauds all around.

Winding down the show Slade said goodnight but the crowd in The Paramount knew this was not the end as many in the front shouted and stayed. With perhaps the most magical moment of the evening, Slade came back out onto to the stage but this time going directly to the edge and sitting down with an acoustic guitar singing “Happiness” directly to people in front of him. Looking into to the eyes of the fans you could see the overwhelming sense of joy in the hearts of those who were part of the experience. Shows such as these are exactly why The Fray have made a family at The Paramount and many hope they come back again soon.