The Fray has become one of the most loved bands of the early 2000s American alternative rock era and have returned to Australia as one of the final stops on their 20th anniversary tour of their How to Save a Life album. The band has undergone some significant changes in recent years, with lead singer Isaac Slade stepping away from the band in 2022 and guitarist and founding member Joe King taking up the vocal reins for this tour. This didn’t bother fans in the slightest, as they still packed out the Enmore Theatre for two sold-out nights, as the band returned to the venue as part of their Australian leg of the tour.

Illuminated by only a light on the stage to reflect the album cover of their iconic debut record, they started by performing the album in full. They opened with “She Is” before moving into the iconic “Look After You.” King has a more smoky and rocky voice when compared to Slade, but still performed with a great deal of gusto and power, alongside the rest of the fantastic band, who showed off great musicality throughout the set.

“After 20 years, we’ve made it with y’all,” he said to the adoring crowd. “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”

There was sometimes a feeling that something was lost with the power and presence of Slade, with King sometimes struggling to hit the same vocals that Slade hit, but overall this did not detract from the audience’s experience, who fell in love with King as he performed the set. With many bands performing celebrations of their original albums in the past few years, there is always a feeling that sometimes there were a few more misses in the set than would otherwise be due to the fact that the set can’t be as curated. However, even the lesser-known songs on The Fray’s album were very strong and resonated well with the crowd.

The band ended the 20th anniversary portion of the set with two of their biggest hits from the album, “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life.” The latter had the crowd rejoicing as they embraced the titular track with King’s vocals. It was a nostalgic and celebratory moment for many in the crowd, most of whom came coupled up and clearly had a strong resonance with the songs.

After the album was played in full, the band turned back to the rest of their set, with King heading into the crowd for “My Heart Is a Crowded Room.” Some of their newer songs didn’t quite have the same passion as their older numbers, but the Cranberries cover of “Dreams,” leading into “Syndicate” and “You Found Me,” was a wonderful way to end the set and a great way to show off just how far the band has come.

The band closed out their encore with some new songs as well as the iconic “Never Say Never,” which was a great way to end a wonderful night of music. 

Overall, this was a really strong performance from a loved American band. While they certainly have a different feel without Slade, King has a great presence and the band still has extraordinary musicality, which resonated extremely well with the audience. For many, this was a night of special nostalgia, and this came through in the audience reaction. A great night of music at the Enmore. 

Rating: ★★★★

The Fray – Enmore Theatre – 10 December 2025