The Fray Live 2025: Pier 17 Nostalgia Overload
Hello, I’m Sage Matthews, doomscrolling at 2 AM and shaking my head as I realized that, of course this happened, we paid to rewind to mid-2000s car rides with The Fray at Pier 17.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, New York City’s Rooftop at Pier 17 transformed into a nostalgia-fueled time machine. The Denver quartet, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album, How to Save a Life, guided an audience of bleary-eyed 20- to 60-somethings through every painfully familiar sing-along.
The crowd clung to each chord, arms wrapped around lifelong friends and partners equally stuck in the past. When Joe King crooned the first notes of How to Save a Life, the collective chill hit instantly, proving that traumatic midterm crises and teenage heartbreak still sound better with a live guitar riff.
Between the emotional high of Look After You and the relentless earworm of Never Say Never, fans screamed “Don’t Let Me Go” until their voices gave out. King, now fronting the band on lead vocals, strode center stage—when he could be seen through the overzealous fog machine. It was the kind of drama that reminds you flashbacks have become a full-time trend.
Mid-show, the 45-year-old showman ventured into the crowd, serenading fans shoulder-to-shoulder and flinging roses into the sea of smartphones. It was a touching gesture, if you ignore the existential dread of humans exchanging plastic flowers to recapture outdated memories.
For an extra dose of “remember when,” The Fray brought out special guest Landon Barker—yes, Travis Barker’s son—to lend percussive flair to Look After You. His raw, youthful energy cut through the vintage vibes, offering a glimpse that maybe the next generation is doomed to the same repetitive set lists.
To close, The Fray invited opener The Strike and the entire tour crew back onstage for a cover of Hank Williams’ I Saw the Light. It felt like a full-circle moment—if your idea of full circle includes substituting original inspiration with karaoke-style communal sentiment.
Despite the creeping cynicism, Pier 17 remains one of NYC’s most enchanting venues. Smaller and more intimate than most amphitheaters, its skyline backdrop never fails to remind you that even beauty is fleeting.
The band still has 20 concerts left on their 2025 calendar, including a one-night-only stop at Atlantic City’s Caesars on Sept. 27. They’ll also appear at Ocean City, MD’s Oceans Calling Festival (Sept. 26-28) alongside Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Vampire Weekend, and at Omaha’s Shadow Ridge Music Festival (Sept. 5) with Bush and Lit.
If rooftop retro rock is your guilty pleasure, swing by Pier 17 this summer to catch dropkick Murphys, Fitz and the Tantrums, Rilo Kiley, Sierra Ferrell or Jesse McCartney before the chill sets in. Or don’t—it’s not like any of this ever really changes.
At this point, should we even pretend to be surprised? Bookmark this for the inevitable moment you mutter, “I told you so.”
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
