Red Rocks Amphitheatre beamed with pride Sunday night as the Fray played the second of three sold-out shows at the venue, proving that despite the band’s international success, Denver still considers it one of its own.
And we should. The group, led by singer-pianist Isaac Slade, contributes lots of time to Front Range causes without caring if anyone notices.
The members all still live here, and at the show Sunday, they weren’t shy about mentioning how good it felt to be in familiar environs, particularly after months of touring.
The show started before dusk, with Born in the Flood (recently crowned champs of the Denver Post Underground Music Poll) following openers the Dualistics. Born vocalist Nathaniel Rateliff’s sandpapery voice was in fine form, hitting growling notes and difficult falsettos with equal accuracy. The band’s guitars suffered a bit in the mix, but otherwise it was a triumphant show.
Born’s standard “Anthem” hit hardest, its metallic opening wave exploding into trademark feedback and noise. Truly, a song written for a venue like Red Rocks. A good part of the front of the crowd even gave the band a standing ovation.
Light show
The Fray took the stage in darkness, accompanied only by a wide-screen light show that mimicked a heart-rate monitor – appropriate considering much of the band’s success is attributable to heavy exposure on “Grey’s Anatomy.”
The title track of the band’s debut album, “How to Save a Life,” whipped the crowd into a predictable lather, inspiring sing-alongs and deafening screams.
Critics often peg the Fray as Coldplay lite – the latter British pop-rock band itself a radio-friendly facsimile of Radiohead – but regardless of the Fray’s soft corners, its performance prowess is considerable. Slade frequently looked transported as he hunched over his baby grand, eyes half-lidded with one leg tucked behind his stool during “All at Once” and “Dead Wrong.”
Guitarist and sometime- singer Joe King sounded great too on songs like “Heaven Forbid.” A midset acoustic interlude led the crowd through covers of “You Are My Sunshine” and, humorously, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which seemed to fit considering the rain that began drenching the crowd.
In other words, variety, hits, covers and friendly stage banter ruled. It’s no wonder we love the Fray so much.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
