Another amazing show with The Fray! I feel so blessed every time I see the band perform live. These guys have so much talent. Isaac's voice, the piano playing, the guitars, bass, drums... all of it touches my soul deeply. And most of all, it's the meaning of the lyrics and how "stand up" these guys truly are.
Our (me and Kavita) adventure started out arriving in Oakland at 4:30 pm. The city looked deserted, like a movie where a war has happened, dark and gray with nobody around. The only activity was the line already formed in front of The Fox Theater. The show wouldn't start for another 3 1/2 hours and there was already a line!!! We had to eat so we pulled out our trusty phones and did some quick research on Yelp to find a Mediterranean cafe just a couple of blocks away from the Fox. We shuffled our food into our mouths quickly and then drove the two blocks to the venue where we easily found metered parking on the street - lucky for us it was free thanks to it being President's Day.
We found ourselves a spot in line with about 30 people in front of us. Soon our friend Bari arrived and hopped in line with us. We chatted, laughed, took photos and goofed off until the doors were ready to open.
Moments before the doors opened, Bari's friend rolled up on a little scooter she was using due to a foot injury. There happened to be a designated employee at the Fox wearing a blue jacket with a "handicapped" symbol on the back of it who walked over to us and asked if she needed assistance inside and a seat. Of course we jumped on the bandwagon and followed them up to the front of the line where the ticket takers were just starting to let people inside. As the guy began scanning tickets, people were pushing and shoving. Kavita gave him her ticket, he scanned it and allowed her past. Then he took my ticket but was being a complete jerk and deliberately taking his sweet time. Once he finally scanned it, he put his left arm and leg out to the side to block me from going past him. WTF? I yelled over his shoulder to Kavita, "Run!" I jumped to the left of the guy and ran past him, moving with such haste. Somehow Kavita ended up behind me and stepped on my Converse. I was doing whatever I could to keep moving forward with my shoe hanging off my foot. I was now running with my shoe dangling, stopping momentarily to get it back on (unsuccessfully) but continuing to move toward the front of the stage. I watched as Kavita ran down the steps and across the floor landing a spot to the left side of the stage right in front. I caught up and claimed my space, turning around to look for Bari who was sauntering behind in her dress and heels.
Moments before the doors opened, Bari's friend rolled up on a little scooter she was using due to a foot injury. There happened to be a designated employee at the Fox wearing a blue jacket with a "handicapped" symbol on the back of it who walked over to us and asked if she needed assistance inside and a seat. Of course we jumped on the bandwagon and followed them up to the front of the line where the ticket takers were just starting to let people inside. As the guy began scanning tickets, people were pushing and shoving. Kavita gave him her ticket, he scanned it and allowed her past. Then he took my ticket but was being a complete jerk and deliberately taking his sweet time. Once he finally scanned it, he put his left arm and leg out to the side to block me from going past him. WTF? I yelled over his shoulder to Kavita, "Run!" I jumped to the left of the guy and ran past him, moving with such haste. Somehow Kavita ended up behind me and stepped on my Converse. I was doing whatever I could to keep moving forward with my shoe hanging off my foot. I was now running with my shoe dangling, stopping momentarily to get it back on (unsuccessfully) but continuing to move toward the front of the stage. I watched as Kavita ran down the steps and across the floor landing a spot to the left side of the stage right in front. I caught up and claimed my space, turning around to look for Bari who was sauntering behind in her dress and heels.
Bari had told us weeks ago about this British band "Scars on 45", whom I'd never heard of, that would be opening for The Fray. I usually don't love opening bands. Sometimes I like a song or two but it's not often that an opener blows me away so I was pleasantly surprised to be tapping my feet and drumming my hands to song after song. The third song in, my ears really perked up as singer Aimee began belting out "Promises and Empty Words." What a stunning voice. The song was beautiful, brought me back to my childhood when I listened to a music group, PC Quest, whose female vocalist had a similar tone. Just gorgeous! Scars played eight songs and when their set was over I was actually disappointed that they were finished. Normally I would be thrilled because I'd be that much closer to seeing my boys but this band's music was life-changing for me.
During the show I told Bari to ask the band for their setlist because I knew how much she loved these guys. She questioned this as if it was an impossible request. Having worked with and travelled the country with a band, I knew that they are willing to share with their fans. Bari asked Aimee and she handed it over kindly. She walked away from the front of the stage for a moment and came back with another setlist, handing to a girl nearby. Aimee heard me say, "Awww" and came back a third time to give me my own setlist. It was such a heartfelt moment. I knew these guys would become one of my favorite bands!
Following all the excitement of Scars, we eagerly awaited the arrival of Isaac and company as the roadies moved equipment on and off stage. Girls were on all sides of us pushing and shoving to get to the front but I was not about to allow someone to inhibit me from seeing my boys up close!
Isaac finally came out on stage with the rest of the band in tow. They started with some older songs and then quickly began with songs off the new album, Scars & Stories. Isaac sings with such passion that you can't help but to sing along.
My favorite moment of the show:
Early into the show, Isaac made his first foray into the audience. He stood up against the gate that separates the audience from the stage and sang his heart out while us girls reached over to touch him. This was a magical moment indeed.
Some time in the middle of the show, we decided to get Joe's attention and ask for his guitar pick. I could see the recognition in his eyes when he saw us waving at him. He had this smirk on his face like he was teasing us. We kept catching his eyes and yelling, "Joe, give me your pick!" or "Can I have your pick, Joe?" After a while I said to Bari, "You know Joe can't hear us, right? He's probably reading our lips and thinking we're saying, 'Joe, can I have your d (rhymes with pick)?'" LOL
Besides my original favorite song off the album, The Fighter, I am now thoroughly in love with Joe's song, Rainy Zurich. The song's lyrics are romantic and sexy. His voice reaches parts of my soul that haven't been accessed in a long time. What a beautiful voice, handsome man, and sexy musician.
When the band came back for an encore, Isaac surprised us with his accordion playing skills. Who knew? I was also pleasantly surprised by their cover of Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's Maps. What a fantastic song!!! I purchased their album directly from them so I had no idea that they had covered this song on the iTunes extended version.
As the band finished and took a bow, I once again asked Joe for his guitar pick. He finally bent down to hand it to me. All these girls reached out to try to take it and clumsy me dropped it. It fell to the ground behind the gate so I immediately looked over to the security guy and motioned for him to get it for me, which he did. Thank you, Joe!
When the show was over we immediately went out to the lobby to purchase Scars on 45's two EPs from the merch counter. All of the band members were there chatting it up with so many of their new fans. I introduced myself and chatted with each of them individually. They were all so sweet and humble, especially Aimee. I let her know how much their music touched me. She responded, "Oh bless your soul. That is so sweet. Thank you so much." Bari asked her about their sold-out show with The Fray the next night in Redding and she offered to put us on the guest list. Unfortunately, I ended up not being able to go but I've kept in touch with them via Twitter (@scarson45) and hope to see them again soon, hopefully in Austin at the end of April where they'll be opening for Ingrid Michaelson at Stubb's. Ooooh, yeah!
I took photos with each of them and had them autograph their setlist. What a fabulous night!
If you haven't heard of Scars on 45 before, I highly, HIGHLY recommend that you check them out. You can purchase their EPs on iTunes. Their self-titled debut album will be out on April 10. You can preorder it here: http://www.scarson45.com/blog/album-pre-order.
Kavita, Bari, Matthew and Me
Me, Aimee and Kavita
Me, Chris and Kavita
Me with Nova and Danny
