Summer of the Arts - Working at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts: How to Save a Night

While some bands are mainly studio acts and are hard pressed to produce their sound on stage, other groups excel on tour and actually sound better live. After last night, I would have to say the Fray are the latter. Formed in 2002, the Fray is led by singer/pianist/songwriter Issac Slade and guitarist Joe King. After releasing their debut album in 2005, the band achieved solid commercial success in the US with piano driven rockers like "You Found Me" and "How to Save a Life." The bands sound has often been compared to early Coldplay and the piano has remained a fixture on their records. While I thought that many of their songs sound the same, they still all sounded good and I was looking forward to the concert. Incredibly, the bands songs reached a new level live. Issac is a very dynamic frontman and the band drops their muted sound on their records for a performance worthy of stadiums. While the band had less skill instrumentally than John Butler Trio, they ultimately had an equally exciting performance by engaging the audience and just rockin' out. The opening acts, though a little less high quality than our usual openers, had some good songs. Oh Honey, a Williamsburg based outfit, had a sound reminiscent of Of Monsters and Men. The second group, local band Barcelona, relied on a simply guitar-sythesizer combo to create music straight from the 80's. The singing was a little lacking in both acts but they still had good shows. For me, it was the third straight night of fantastic shows and the Fray have no doubt convinced me that they are a great band who really show their full potential on stage.

Finally, after days of rain and clouds, mother nature decided to yield a beautiful night. The sky was clear and the temperature was very comfortable with a slight breeze. The show itself was great in terms of being able to listen and immerse myself into the music. The lawn was completely sold out but there were no problems behavior wise and everyone was having a great time. The crowd was very young for a Wolf Trap show and I even saw some people from High School! Turns out Wolf Trap can be a "cool" venue when it wants to be.

Talk about engaging the audience! My favorite part of the show was when Issac Slade ran all the way from the stage to the bottom of the lawn (yes the lawn!), climbed on a railing, and started singing. I may have casually walked down to see him better and I was able to get within 25 feet or so! A really surprising moment but just one of the many impressive moments given by the Fray last night.