Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Fans of The Fray got an early taste of the partially reunited players on “The Fray Is Back” EP, but the brand new “A Light That Waits” marks its first fully realized long-player in a dozen years.

As a result, it was only fitting to find original co-vocalist, rhythm guitarist and bassist Joe King, nearly as longstanding lead guitarist Dave Welsh and drummer Ben Wysocki, plus sideman Dane Poppin (bass) and Kai Welch (keys) embarking upon the “Summer Of Light” Tour, filling up Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island alongside Dashboard Confessional and Colony House on their final night together.

Notably absent was singer, piano player and sometimes guitarist Isaac Slade, now a solo artist and record store owner, which found King adapting a more dynamic role as the primary front man, though throughout 95 minutes, the essence of The Fray’s melodic alt-pop framework otherwise remained the same.

Having instantly infectious cuts such as the current collection’s title track, “Tasted Glory” and “Ice Cold Lakes” certainly didn’t hurt, while its multi-platinum past definitely didn’t seem anywhere near two decades old.

In fact, The Fray attracted various ages as members potently recalled “Heartbeat,” “Over My Head (Cable Car),” “Never Say Never,” “All At Once” and “Love Don’t Die,” each featuring towering choruses and crisp harmonies.

Come the enormous “You Found Me,” a chilling collaboration with Dashboard’s Chris Carrabba, and “How To Save A Life,” everyone was loudly singing along, which the band seemed to acknowledge via a carefree cover of The Beatles “With A Little Help From My Friends” co-starring the entire cast and crew.

In the middle came Dashboard Confessional, no strangers to stirring souls since 2000, especially given the lifelong leader’s often imitated yet never duplicated merger of emo, alternative and acoustic textures.

It turns out Carrabba was essentially ageless when belting out “The Best Deceptions,” “Perpetual Heartache,” “Stolen,” “Screaming Infidelities,” “Vindicated” and “Hands Down,” frequently inciting screams in between at least a few falling tears.

Kicking it all off was Colony House, the steadily rising “Cannonballers” in the midst of its “77” season, who brought surf-inspired indie sounds and mega hooks that clearly got Northerly Island ready to rock.

For additional information on The Fray, Dashboard Confessional and Colony House, visit TheFray.com, DashboardConfessional.com and ColonyHouseMusic.com.

Upcoming shows at Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island include Babymetal (Sept. 4); O.A.R. (Sept. 6); TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue (Sept 8); Dermot Kennedy (Sept. 11); Chief Keef (Sept. 12); Logic and G-Eazy (Sept. 22); Yeat (Sept. 24); Sofi Tukker (Sept. 25); Foster The People (Sept. 26) and Mt. Joy (Oct. 3). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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