HOW TO SAVE A LIFE TOUR @ THE WILTERN GALLERY
On August 23rd, The Wiltern had a show that will be remembered for generations. Headlined by the timeless band The Fray for their How To Save A Life Tour, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album, with support from Landon Barker and The Strike. It was a night filled with nostalgia, dancing, and a passion that not even a hurricane could take down. Not to mention each artist’s music was completely different from each other, the kind of diversity of music that you’d normally not see in a lineup. That just served to make the night a more fun experience. The crowd was alive the whole entire night, the energy was always there.
LANDON BARKER
My first time seeing Landon Barker was at Warped Tour this year; at the time, I didn’t have my camera on me. I didn’t expect to get the opportunity to photograph him a month later, and for that I am incredibly grateful. He was amazing at Warped Tour, but this time I felt like I was able to fully immerse myself in his performance, really appreciate the music. Even in the short time of a month, you could tell he had improved. His setlist that night consisted of the songs Run, Kids, Wearing Me Down, Freaks, Pretty Faces, Want You Back, Friends With Your Ex and Die In California. He brought the punk alternative energy to the night and appealed to all ages of the crowd. It was cool watching how he moved around on stage, such as how he moved the mic stand around. We even got a song where his dad, Travis Barker, who’s a famous drummer known for performing with Blink-182, came up on stage to drum for a song. It was a beautiful, unexpected moment. Although one of my favorite moments would have to be when they turned the lights off and let the crowd’s phone lights fill the space. The space lit up, and I’m excited to see what new songs Landon Barker has in store for us in the future.
THE STRIKE
Following Landon Barker was The Strike; it was my first time seeing them, but their music felt incredibly familiar. With a unique sound that’s best described as pop funk rock, they even had keyboard, trombone, and sax. The kind of music that would make Elvis proud. The lead singer always had a smile on his face; his joy was contagious. The Strike has the kind of music that your parents would love, but you’d also dance along to. Their setlist that night consisted of the songs Overtime, Miles Ahead, Pain Killers, Down, Just Like Paradise, The Getaway, Soundtrack, Your Love, Nothing New, and Devils In The Canyon. Their energy felt very upbeat and nostalgic. The kind of energy that could calm down anyone’s nerves after a long day. If you like bands like Train, you’d love the strike. Watching them felt like being both at a rock show and at the disco at the same time; it was a very interesting experience. In the best way, the lead singer reminded me of a theater kid with his movements on stage. Multiple times when I looked at the crowd, I saw smiles and people dancing to the music. Their set wasn’t what I expected, but definitely an experience I’ll never forget. If you get a chance to see them live, take it.
THE FRAY
Now, a band like The Fray isn’t just going to make a normal entrance. They came on to the stage in the shadows with the light from the light bulb hanging. The lightbulb is the same one used in the picture of their album for How To Save A Life. Their use of shadows was so well done that I keep looking at the photos of it. Even though brown light typically isn’t anyone’s first choice, they made it work. The smoke on stage made the band look cooler and more mysterious. The lead singer had a fire in his eyes up on stage that nobody could blow out. Their setlist that night consisted of the songs She Is, All At Once, Look After You, Fall Away, Little House, Dead Wrong, Trust Me, Heaven Forbid, Hundred, Vienna, Over My Head (Cable Car), How To Save A Life, My Heart’s A Crowded Room, Hurricane, Heartbeat, Dreams, You Found Me, Love Don’t Die, Never Say Never, and I Saw The Light. They had us all hooked in even before the second verse of She Is. They created a special moment during Look After You, when they had Landon Barker come up on stage to perform with them. You could tell the band loved having him up there from the smiles, and it felt like bringing different generations of musicians together. Bridging the gap and lighting the torch. Anyone could tell Over My Head is a fan favorite from how everyone was singing along with their hands in the air. Hearing How To Save A Life live, emotionally hit me in a way no performance ever had. It brought back memories of my friends I lost that I couldn’t save, and while everyone was in the room cheering and singing along, I felt like my friends were also there in the room with me too. I cried during that song, and it felt like somehow a weight was lifted from me in that moment. During My Heart is a Crowded Room, the lead singer jumped into the crowd and sang along with them while holding the hand of one of the audience members. It truly captured the name of the song. The band had as much energy as a metal band, and during Hurricane, the movements on stage were like a hurricane. The backgrounds, the lighting changes, and the light bulb that never goes out truly showed that this wasn’t just a show but an artistic experience that sticks with you and reminds you to never give up on your dreams. You could tell the crew and everyone involved worked really hard on this, and it was special when the lead singer mentioned the efforts everyone put in as well. Truly a down-to-earth band that has never let fame change the purity of their hearts. We even had a crazy metal moment of the lead singer swinging around what looked like some kind of spotlight; it was a very trippy display to the eyes. We also had moments like the crowd clapping along during Love Don’t Die. I’m highly convinced that the audience knew the words to all of the songs. They brought The Strike and a whole bunch of people up on stage for the finale. Seeing the smiles of everyone in the band and everyone up on stage in that final moment just shows what the music world is all about. Community and coming together to create something bigger than ourselves.
This was a night that you don’t walk away from. You hold it and treasure it in your heart. This show reminded me of the beauty of loving people even when you lose them. That our lives are precious and we can’t take them for granted. That no matter how much pain there is in the world, there is always joy as well. I won’t forget it, and I’ll keep on treasuring music in honor of what I experienced that night. These artists can move mountains just from the passion they put into their music.
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