The Fray perform at Walmart Soundcheck on Feb. 5, 2014. (Photo by Lunchbox LP)

I had the pleasure of going to see The Fray at the Fillmore Silver Spring last week. Many of us probably first came upon them when they just couldn’t get the Grey’s Anatomy theme song out of their head (“How to Save a Life,” see video below). Some probably heard them on the radio.

Regardless of how you found out about this band, it’s pretty clear after going to see them that they have reached a wide variety of people with their music.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjVQ36NhbMk&w=640&h=360]

The Fray consists of Isaac Slade (lead vocals, piano), Joe King (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Dave Welsh (lead guitar), and Ben Wysocki (drums/percussion). Also a nod to Jason Hardin, who is their current touring bassist. The one thing that immediately jumps out to me is that the original line-up is still intact. They have not had a consistent bassist, which bothers the bassist in me, but that being said it’s very impressive that they have been together from the start. The other thing that jumps out to me is that they have only recorded four studio albums. That is not necessarily a bad thing, just somewhat unusual for a band that has been together for this long. They are currently on a six-week tour and just released a greatest hits album, “Through the Years”, which also contains three new songs.

Here is one of the new songs from The Fray — titled “Singing Low”.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oq9LwYxR38&w=640&h=360]

This was a fun show. The crowd was excited but peaceful. The Fray put on a crowd-pleasing show for sure. After the first part of their performance, they went off the stage for a moment as their road crew set up an acoustic set. They played a few songs with this arrangement, including their cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless”. You can check out their rendition below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBTdJHkAr5A&w=640&h=360]

After the acoustic performance they went back to their original set up and finished the show, ending with the traditional encore. Throughout the night I was continually impressed with the intricacy of Dave Welsh’s contributions on guitar. I also enjoyed seeing Joe King’s versatility as a musician. He played guitar, bass, piano, sang lead, and backup vocals.

I sometimes wonder if bands who have been together this long ever get tired of playing their hit songs or going through the routine of putting on a show. There was no sign of this as I watched The Fray Tuesday night. These guys seemed like family, and I suppose they basically are at this point. It was just the right mixture of the various aspects of a concert, and it’s safe to say the audience got their money’s worth. If you haven’t already, check out some of their new music, and some of their old. It’s worth a listen. I didn’t even realize how much I liked The Fray until I started to listen to more of their music. I think The Fray will go down as one of the great bands of our time, and I am glad I had an opportunity to see them now. I think you should see them soon as well.