Review: Kelly Clarkson and The Fray
(seen at Jones Beach on Aug. 21, 2012)
By Christine Petralia





Image courtesy of LiveNation.com
August 22, 2012
(Seen Aug. 21, 2012 at Jones Beach)
I am not a huge American Idol fan, but when my friend told me she had an extra ticket to see Kelly Clarkson and the Fray at Jones Beach, I said I would go. I completely forgot until I was walking through the parking lot that Clarkson was the first American Idol winner. As I did the math, I realized that she has been singing for at least the past 10 years. And despite me not liking the show, I truly believe that she is the most successful pop artist to come out of the show. As I not only enjoyed her music, as she sang hit after hit, I realized I knew every single word to every single song.
I have to say it was truly nice to attend a show where there was no dancing, just plain singing and playing instruments. Carolina Liar opened. I had never heard of them, but my friend loved them. They weren’t bad and got the crowd amped for the headliners.
The Fray came out shortly after. I have to admit, I don’t really know much of their songs, save for the popular ones on the radio. From what I remembered though, their songs were supposed to be pretty depressing. And that they were. They did save the more upbeat ones toward the end, which was good. They were quite talented though. The lead singer and piano player, Isaac Slade, is amazing. And the audience really enjoyed when he walked through a lot of the crowd and then played the piano out in the middle of the stadium on a pedestal. I think my one other complaint about the Fray was that despite their talent, they didn’t really stray from the cookie-cutter music. Each song sounded exactly like it does on the radio, which is disappointing. I love hearing live music with a slightly different version of the songs that we all know and love. But then again, I’m not a big fan of the Fray, so maybe they did. My favorites from them were of course, “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life.”
Clarkson came out shortly after. With a brief picture montage of her various looks, she just walked out and starting singing “My Life Would Suck Without U” with a live band. And damn, that girl can sing. I loved how simple her ‘costume’s were, at one point in a mesh tank and jeans. I loved that she just came out and belted out the songs, never once looking bored. I loved that she told various stories to the audience and encouraged us to get up and sing along with her. And I loved how she just sang, no dancing, no backup dancers, no singing along with CDs. Just her. And she held her own. As I said above, I was a little hesitant if she could do it, but then, as she mentioned during the show, she’s been doing this for a decade. What I also loved about her was that she adjusted her voice during some songs, so it wouldn’t crack or waiver. And she did change up her songs, which is what I really wanted from the Fray.
At one point, she sang some covers. During the second one, Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” she explained the morning of every show, she and the band, take a look at Twitter, Facebook and fan song requests, and they learn a new song to cover. Gotye’s song was requested by someone in the Jones Beach audience. That was definitely a little treat. And she did it really well too (though I think it needed a xylophone, as the original does).
Her ‘encore’ consisted of four songs. And she ended with “Stronger,” her latest hit single and the name of the tour. I really would have liked if she sang some songs from her ‘My December’ album, but she didn’t.
All in all it was a great show. And as I realized on the way home, I actually have a lot of her albums, just haven’t purchased the last two. But, in my defense, I listen to everything on Spotify now and don’t really purchase CDs anymore.
And just a quick note about Jones Beach. While this theater is a great venue on the water, the acoustics are not that great because it is on the water. The best seats for sound need to be toward the middle of the stadium. Anything by the walls, the sound gets lost. We were sitting in section 12R, row FF on the end. Amazing seats. Good sound. Now, as we all know, there’s no alcohol in the theater, which is such a downfall. And it causes a lot of people to tailgate and take up a bunch of spots in the lot before the show. If you want food or drinks, do NOT order from the vendors walking around in the actual stadium seating area. The prices are increased 50 cents. And when the stadium is charging $5 each for a pretzel and a water, that 50 cents extra makes a difference. (I can’t even imagine what alcohol prices would be if they did serve it).
My last tip when seeing a show at Jones Beach; Always park toward the exit, which when you are driving in closer to the theater, you want to drive all the way to the other side of the lot and park on the right-hand side (closer to the tower). And always pull through or back in to a spot, so you can just pull out when you are leaving. Yes, you will walk more, but it’s worth it to be able to just pull out and leave. Try and leave during the encore or last song. As a judge, the shows usually don’t last past 11 p.m., as there is a noise ordinance. Some do go longer (but I was told that the individual bands/artists actually have to pay if they do play past 11 p.m.). If you leave the show a little bit early, you will get a head start on the crowd and leaving the lot. And lastly, just drive into the ‘line of cars’ that is trying to leave. Most people won’t ‘let you in,’ but eventually they will if you are aggressive. Don’t be too aggressive though. And once you are in that line, be considerate and let every other car in front of you. If you follow these simple rules, you’ll be out of the lot in just a few short minutes.
The Fray gets 2 stars; Clarkson gets 4. Total is 3 for the show.
Below are the setlists for each:
The Fray:
All at Once
Turn Me On
You Found Me
Syndicate
Never Say Never
Here We Are
Ungodly Hour
Happiness
Be Still
The Fighter
Look After You
How to Save a Life
Over My Head (Cable Car)
Heartbeat
Kelly Clarkson:
My Life Would Suck Without U
Behind These Hazel Eyes
I Forgive You
*Happy Birthday (to her friend)
Dark Side
You Love Me
We Are Young (Fun cover)
Already Gone
Don’t You Wanna Stay (with Isaac Slade from the Fray) - Click here to watch it!
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye cover)
Breakaway
Since U Been Gone
Encore:
Because of You
Mr. Know It All
Miss Independent
What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
Cirque du Soleil performers move, twist, contort and dance their way through Michael Jackson favorites.
Want more raves and rants? I have lots more to say!