Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their landmark album How To Save a Life, The Fray returned to Melbourne on Sunday night for a sold-out show at The Forum. The venue was packed to the rafters, buzzing with those looming end of year vibes, and the crowd itself was surprisingly mixed. Clusters of twenty-somethings made up most of the room with date nights and big friendship groups, but there were also older fans, parents with teens, and even a few families dotted around. It created a genuinely warm, communal vibe before the band even stepped onstage.
Western Aussies Joan And The Giants warmed up the evening, marking their first time ever playing at The Forum- and definitely not their last! They played a fantastic set, bringing an infectious energy along with them.
To mark the occasion, The Fray played the album in full, albeit with a shuffled setlist to push the biggest hits a little further down towards the end. As much as How To Save A Life is beloved, it does have many quiet moments, and hearing several slower, moodier tracks back to back on a sleepy Sunday night definitely dragged the momentum down slightly. The crowd stayed engaged, but there were long stretches where the energy dipped noticeably and the room felt a little flat.
All was forgiven when the band played the heavy-hitters. “Look After You” was quite early in the set, and Melbourne put on quite a show, beating lead vocalist Joe King to the punch and singing the entire first verse a cappella. “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How To Save A Life” sparked huge spikes of excitement, with phones in the air and memories being made. These moments reminded me exactly why the album became such a cultural touchstone and why it still holds weight today.
With lead vocalist Isaac Slade stepping away from the band in 2022, guitarist and co-vocalist Joe King has taken over lead duties, and he handled the role with confidence and heart. His vocals were familiar and warm, close enough to the original tones fans remember while still sounding unique. Across the entire performance he didn’t miss a beat, and the band themselves played tightly and with real conviction.
Once the main album run-through wrapped, they loosened up with a handful of other tracks and a crowd-pleasing cover of The Cranberries’ “Dreams”. They closed the main set with their other massive hit, “You Found Me”, giving the room one of its biggest singalongs of the night.
The encore was an interesting mix, with “Love Don’t Die”, “Songs I’d Rather Not Sing”, and “Never Say Never”. On paper, a slightly odd trio for a final burst, but somehow it worked, sending the crowd out on a gentle high.
The Fray delivered a strong, heartfelt performance that proved they’ve still absolutely got it. The musicianship was on point, King’s vocals were impressive, and the hits remain as emotionally loaded as ever. However, the show was weighed down ever so slightly by stretches of quiet, low-tempo material that made parts of the night feel a little too sleepy. Despite this, How To Save A Life remains one of my favourite albums, and witnessing it live reminded me why.
3.5 STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Photos from the author
