Much like their music, The Fray played through their each song in their debut album How to Save a Life, plus some of their newer material, with unobstructed grace and warmth, which the Filipino crowd welcomed with open arms.

On December 12, The Fray returned to the Philippine concert stage after 13 long years. Their How to Save a Life 20th Anniversary World Tour at the Araneta Coliseum marked our country as the only stop in Asia as well the venue for their grand finale – two factors that made the evening extra special for longtime fans of the band. Presented by Midas Promotions, the show was one to be remembered.

In the mid-2000s, The Fray’s debut album became a spectacular hit, receiving two Grammy nominations and receiving multiple Billboard Awards which included Digital Album of the Year. The band is known for their heart-tugging, piano-driven pop-rock songs – the kind that you want to listen to when you need a warm hug. Their lyrics, filled with dramatic push and pull of life and human relationships, were uplifting and reassuring. 

In pop culture, their influence was also greatly felt as their songs became soundtracks to a lot of popular TV shows back then such as Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and The Vampire Diaries. When you play “Over My Head (Cable Car)” or “How to Save a Life”, you could be almost sure that any millennial will recognize the song in an instant; and just like any millennial would tell you: it would be quite difficult to say that it has been 20 years since then. 

Still, 20 years did take its toll for the band. Since then, the band had released 4 studio albums, with their latest Helios released in 2014. The Fray is currently composed of Joe King, Dave Welsh, Ben Wysocki and touring members Dane Poppin and Kai Welch. In 2022, after a long hiatus, their previous lead singer, Isaac Slade, left the band due to personal reasons. It wasn’t until 2024 when they started releasing new music with their EP The Fray Is Back. Shortly after, they announced a world tour for their iconic debut album to celebrate the 20th anniversary of How to Save a Life, selling out majority of the dates worldwide. 

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Filipino rock band December Avenue opened the show with their hits “Huling Sandali” and “Sa Ngalan Ng Pag-Ibig”. Frontman Zel Bautista thanked the crowd for their support this year, and hinted at a possible Valentine’s concert next year.

When it was time for The Fray to take the stage, they made their entrance with “She Is”, “All At Once” and “Look After You”. Their connection with the crowd ignited an immediate spark. One second, it was silent; the next, people were sweetly singing ‘be my baby; in unison. 

The stage set-up was simple. There were 2 elevated platforms for the drummer and the guitarist. Flower patches adorned the floor while a flowing curtain which reflected gradients of light served as the backdrop. There were no LED screens at the back and the sides. No flashy visualization and no loud decorations; it seemed the band wanted to focus on the music and rightfully so. Following a theater set-up, each person in the crowd was assigned a specific seat. 

As the concert was primarily a celebration of the 20th anniversary of their debut album, The Fray made sure to play the entire tracklist, arranged as if to tell a story. Hearing “Fall Away” felt like being drawn back to a time warp, followed by the somberly foreboding tones of “Little House” and “Dead Wrong”, only to be washed away to the gently comforting tides of “Trust Me” and “Heaven Forbid”. An extended piano intro was played for the haunting melodies of “Hundred” and “Vienna”, making the songs more impactful.

While the crawling tick-tock sound of “Over My Head (Cable Car)” was playing, Joe King took the time to address a specific person in the crowd. “I’d like to dedicate this song to this incredible human being, back there vibing, dancing to our music”, he said. During the early part of the concert, there was a guy at the patron area who stood up by himself, singing and dancing all alone as the audience remained seated. A security personnel later approached him to tell him to sit down which Joe also apologized for. 

Encouraging the rest of the crowd, Joe shouted, “If you want, you can stand up, and you can feel however you wanna feel, and you can sing it however you want to sing it, because that is what music does, it’s free!” The whole arena then got on their feet and did exactly like the guy did: immerse themselves in the music. This tremendous energy was sustained until the end of the show. 

By the time The Fray played “How to Save a Life”, the entirety of the Big Dome was like a huge karaoke choir, singing each word in unison. This was made even more special when people started raising their flash lights in the dark. What started as a few lights in the upper part of crowd spread all over the arena gradually, until it filled the entire venue.

Beyond their debut album, The Fray also performed a few of their newer tracks including the flaring “My Heart’s a Crowded Room” and the EDM-tinged “Hurricane”, during which Joe King personally went down the stage to meet the crowd.

“Thank you for sharing this evening with us. We’ll never forget it. This tour is the last night of the tour for us, we’ve had an absolute dream,” Joe said toward the end of the show. He shared the tour lasted 5 months, they had played in 16 countries and around 85 shows, more that they had ever played in 15 years. 

Reminiscing about what the tour meant to them, he said, “Music is healing, and it can save you, and it saves us. Music is connecting, it brings you to who you are, brings you to where you were… reminds you that we’re not alone, that we’re all connected, we’re all in this together.” He reiterated that it has both been an honor and a dream to play these songs after 20 years, expressing his gratitude for allowing them to be part of their story. 

For the encore, The Fray performed “Love Don’t Die” followed their latest single “Songs I’d Rather Not Sing”. For the grand finale, they played “Never Say Never”, a song that took a life of its own when the audience repeatedly sang the line ‘don’t let me go’ as the band took their bow on stage. 

The song and the album How to Save a Life really did save lives, and it continues to do so until today, 20 years after it was released. Since then, a lot of things had changed both in the band’s landscape and their fans’ lives as well. It had been well over 13 years since The Fray’s last concert in Manila yet the intense energy the crowd had when singing along to their old songs felt exactly the same. As Joe said, music has the power to heal, and that is precisely what the fans could come back to time and time again. Beyond the nostalgia for old times, The Fray’s music has now found a home in people’s lives. 

Special thanks to Midas Promotions!
Words by Sandra Mae Laureano