 Curtain Call
Unfortunately Matt and I had to work and we missed the opening band Vedera so when we arrived at the INB Performing Arts Center the stage crew was setting up for Jack’s Mannequin. The Vedera set must have been good because the crew was sweeping up what appeared to be confetti. After grabbing a cold beer we went inside to find our seats. The INB was packed from top to bottom and there were a lot of big smiles and a great energy, I was excited. I have never seen Jack’s Mannequin before but knew their music from the radio, so yes I did sing along.
When Jack’s Mannequin came out on stage I thought it was cool that their bass player was wearing a Fray shirt. They all had the biggest smiles on their faces and went straight into rockin’ tunes. During their second song their stage crew came out on stage and started to cover everything in plastic. All the sudden my mind was running through past shows and wondering what could be so messy, why do they need plastic? What’s going to happen… I was nervous for them! It was their last night of the tour and you could tell they had a blast; it seemed a little bittersweet that it was coming to an end.
Into their third song they got the entire house to get on their feet and people were dancing and having a good time. Then you hear everyone holler and yell as water fell on top of the band, ah ha that’s why they need plastic. To top off the water The Fray came out and sprayed them with water guns then covered them all in flour. They were practically tarred and feathered. This was half way through their set so the boys continued to play after the mess and made it through the end of their set to play “American Girl” by Tom Petty. At this point I thought the jokes were over but sure enough the Fray and crew came out on stage wearing wigs and women’s brightly colored tank tops and short shorts. It was a spectacle! They took over making it sexy, fun, and hilarious. Surviving water, flour, and being harassed Jack’s Mannequin sounded great and left the tour with a bang!
 While the crew was cleaning up the stage from Jack’s Mannequin there was a screen above the stage that directed the crowd to do all these silly things during “She Is” as a joke… but I will get back to that. Once the stage was cleaned the INB went dark and you saw the silhouettes of The Fray walk on stage. The crowd went wild. I have seen the Fray a few times before and was excited to see how they have changed and grown. They had a great setup on the stage with a full wall of lights that changed colors and cool red light pillars. Their was also a rectangular screen installed at the top of the stage (the same one that had the directions) that had four different camera views of each band member, it reminded me of the Radiohead show I went to. The set was very visually stimulating.
The Fray covered every song I wanted to hear from Over My Head (Cable Car) to You Found Me. Even while playing the more mellow piano songs Isaac Slade managed to rock it out and have fun. During “She Is” the crowd got to have some fun, when prompted from the screen we would clap once, dance wild, be still, turn around, and yell loud. Everyone did it and it looked really cool. It threw off the band so much Isaac was laughing and almost couldn’t make it through the song. I thought that was going to be the end of the jokes but it wasn’t.
 Right before “You Found Me” a little disco ball dropped above the piano, no one thought anything of it. During the opening lyrics of “You Found Me” out came the entire crew and Jack’s Mannequin for the YMCA. It was hilarious and a lot of fun plus it caught the Fray completely off guard. Who doesn’t like to do the YMCA? After completing the song, the band left the stage. I was a little worried the show was over but they came back out to play a few more songs, do an encore, and there was even more pranks. But that I will leave for the show because sometimes what happens at a concert is meant to stay at the concert.
I will never forget this show it was hilarious and a blast. Full of great music, pranks, and a lot of laughing it was the perfect way to start the weekend! Big kudo’s to the INB for letting the bands have fun and for both The Fray and Jack’s Mannequin for letting loose for the night. I wonder what those boys are like on April 1st? Watch out!
Check out more photos from the show HERE!
Andrea@checkitoumusic.com |
