The Fray

Name: The Fray
Start: 2024-10-04T19:30:00-05:00
Location: The Vic Theatre

Schedule

Fri Oct 04 2024 at 07:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

The Vic Theatre | Chicago, IL

Jam Presents
The Fray is Back
THE FRAY
FRI, 4 OCT 2024 at 07:30PM CDT
Ages: All Ages
Doors Open: 06:30PM
OnSale: Fri, 2 Aug 2024 at 10:00AM CDT
Announcement: Thu, 25 Jul 2024 at 08:00AM CDT
When The Fray first burst onto the scene in the early aughts, the Colorado-bred band introduced the world to a profoundly life-affirming form of alt-rock: timeless but inventive, arena-sized in scope but firmly rooted in raw emotion. Over the coming decades, their soul-searching songwriting and high-powered sound led to earning four Grammy Award nominations, scoring a multitude of Billboard top 10 hits, and amassing a passionately devoted worldwide fanbase. On their first new body of work in ten years, vocalist/guitarist and primary songwriter Joe King, guitarist Dave Welsh, and drummer Ben Wysocki continue the band’s formidable legacy following the 2022 departure of former frontman Isaac Slade—all while uncovering entirely new dimensions of their artistry. Named for a joyful declaration shouted out by a fan at a recent live show, The Fray Is Back finds King stepping into the role of lead singer and joining Welsh and Wysocki in launching a bold new chapter for the globally beloved band.
Arriving ahead of the 20th anniversary of their four-times-platinum debut album How to Save a Life—a 2005 LP whose title track spent 58 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100—The Fray Is Back emerged from a highly collaborative process propelled by unbridled exploration, beginning with all three members working remotely in their respective cities. “We didn’t start out with any definitive expectations for this new material,” says King. “We were just sharing ideas with each other and going on our own journey with the songs, and it became a unifying force that gave us new purpose and direction.” In a particularly monumental shift, the EP marks the first time that King (the band’s longtime lead songwriter) has personally delivered his deeply introspective lyrics. Co-produced by The Fray with Andrew DeRoberts (Fitz and the Tantrums, Zac Brown Band), Ryan Linvill (Conan Gray, Chappell Roan), and Joe London (Thomas Rhett, Bailey Zimmerman), the six-song effort ultimately echoes the newly revitalized creative energy the band brought to each track. “Before our hiatus there was a sense that we didn’t need to fix what wasn’t broken, so we weren’t necessarily adding new fuel to the fire,” says Wysocki. “This time we were working in a completely new way where we allowed ourselves a lot more freedom, and it felt so fun and empowering—almost like a collaborative art project, which is really what this band has always been.”
In an auspicious start to The Fray’s new era, The Fray Is Back opens on the driving grooves, shimmering textures, and gilded guitar tones of “Angeleno Moon”: a soulful and soaring anthem that strikes a potent balance of dreamy nostalgia and forward-looking urgency. “I used to live in L.A. and went back to visit and ended up spending a morning walking around my old neighborhood,” says King, who now lives in Nashville. “All these memories came flooding back to me, and at some point I looked down and saw the words ‘new beginnings’ painted on the sidewalk—it felt like some sort of sign, and the song started to come together from there.”
All throughout the EP, King reveals his gift for transforming the subtlest moments into songs with tremendous emotional impact. Sparked from a chance encounter in a coffee shop, “Same Thing” offers a bracingly honest look at struggling to break free from self-limiting patterns. Next, on “Not Now,” The Fray bring fluttering piano melodies to a heavy-hearted meditation on fractured relationships and the passage of time. “Years ago in New York City I drank a bottle of wine with some people who were very close to me, and afterward we decided to write down our hopes and put them in the bottle to read ten years later,” says King. “Now life has changed for all of us, and I still have that bottle in my garage and don’t know what to do with it. ‘Not Now’ came from that experience and from asking, ‘What do you with the dreams you once shared with someone else?’” From there, the EP takes on a euphoric mood as “Don’t Look Down” channels the pure joy of true connection, then slips into wistful reminiscence on the folk-tinged storytelling of “Time Well Wasted.” Finally, on “Known You Always,” The Fray Is Back closes out with a piano-driven reflection on loss, acceptance, and the way certain people leave an indelible imprint on our lives.
Known for their exhilarating live performance, The Fray look forward to watching their new songs come to life onstage in a national headline tour kicking off this fall. “A lot of the time when we talk to fans, we hear such intense stories about how our music has affected them,” says Welsh. “Every time we play a show, we try to present as though it’s just for those people, and really honor that bond that they feel with us.” And with more new music on the way soon, the band partly views their latest output as the product of an unshakable dedication to their audience. “There’s no way for us to make the first album again, because we’re not the same people anymore—so much time has passed, and so much life has been lived,” says Wysocki. “But what we can do is stay open and keep paying attention to the world around us, and hopefully create something meaningful for all the people who care about this band as much as we do.”

MEET & GREET PACKAGE INCLUDES:
-One general admission ticket
-Early entry into the venue
-Exclusive Meet & Greet with The Fray
-Personal polaroid photograph with The Fray
-Limited edition tour poster; autographed
-Exclusive The Fray merchandise item (VIP only)
-Official Meet & Greet laminate & lanyard
-Priority merchandise shopping
-Limited availability
Buyers will receive an email approximately three days prior to the show date with VIP details, sent to the address submitted at time of purchase. One More Time VIP, the artist, tour, promoter, ticketing company, venue or any other affiliated parties are not responsible for outdated or inaccurate information provided by the consumer. All packages and package contents are non-transferable; no refunds or exchanges; all sales are final. Package elements are subject to change. VIP merchandise items will be distributed at the show. If you have any questions regarding your VIP package elements, please contact [email protected]
No backpacks, bags, laptops or tablets allowed in the venue. For a full list of prohibited items, please click here.