The Fray!

So, I know, I know, I have TONS of music loves.  What can I say, I’m a music girl!  One of the three things I’d take with me on a desert island…my iPod, hands down!  I can’t live without my music!  I’m eclectic in my tastes, to say the least, but one of my top 10 favorites is the band, The Fray.  I’ve been a little obsessed with them for a while now, especially knowing their Christian background and roots.  Love that they can play secular music to the masses, but still have the Christian overtones in the songs.  That’s why their music speaks to me…I can hear it.  I can put on their albums and just immediately go to my happy place.  I can also listen to their ENTIRE album start to finish and not have to keep skipping songs that are sort of ‘eh’.  GREAT music, my people, great music!

They came in concert to Tipitina’s last night and I got to go with my sweet work friend, Diann.  At the last minute she filled in for one of my other friends that couldn’t go, so I was so grateful! 

To make the whole night an ‘event,’ with our other friend from work, Karly, so we started off by hitting Magazine Street for some dinner.  We went to the Rum House and I had yummy queso and mahi mahi fingers.  They were GREAT.  The restaurant was fun, had a cool vibe and was packed—due to it being $2 taco Tuesday.  LOL.  I’ll definitely be back there. 

 

 

Up next was my favorite part of the night (next to the concert, of course!)…SUCRE!  Um, yeah, it was ‘cheat night’ so we went for dessert right up the street at Sucre.  They have gourmet chocolates, desserts, macaroons, gelato…oh, be still my heart!  Seriously, one of the most awesome dessert places in the city!

  

 

I tried a salted caramel macaroon, which was delicious, then I decided to go big or go home and get the gelato po-boy.  Um, yes, I said gelato po-boy.  I had three types of gelato, peanut butter crunch, vanilla cupcake, and cookies ‘n cream, topped with whipped cream, sandwiched between a french ‘dessert’ bread, then drizzled with chocolate and strawberry sauce. 

 

 

 

Pure heaven.  This is on my heaven buffet. 

 

Here’s a favorite pic…the guy behind the counter was super sweet and loved that I chose all his favorite gelato flavors and was getting the po-boy.  We were ‘blog’ prepared to take pics, but then we saw him behind the counter whipping his phone out to take pictures of the masterpiece!  hahaha…awesome! 

 

 

 

 

NOW…to the concert!  It was at Tip’s, which is an awesome place to go see a concert, just due to the fact that it’s super small and intimate.  Which, can also mean that it’s packed to the gills and a little annoying at times, BUT, for this one, I think it was pretty amazing.  And, considering the last time I saw The Fray it was at an outdoor amphitheater with about 5500 other people, this was WAY cooler!

The Bad Boyz Brass Band opened.  They weren’t bad, however, in NOLA, I sometimes feel like if you’ve heard one Brass Band, you have heard them all…and, of course, I was getting tired and anxious for The Fray…so, hurry it up BBBB!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a little fun in between sets while laughing at and trying not to get annoyed with the crowds of people stuffed in there.  These two tall giants stood in front of us, and at that point, all you can really say is…REALLY?!  You see two short girls and yet, this is where you think your 12 feet of height is where you need to be?!?  How RUDE!  ;)

 

 

 

Finally the show started and IT RULED!  The sound was great, Isaac and the whole band sounded fab, and it made my day/week/maybe even month!!  Here’s some of my pics…not the greatest, but it was what I had to deal with, since I was peeking through heads most of the night to get my ‘show.’ 

 

This one picture below makes me laugh, because I finally just decided that if those two tall people were going to stand in front of me, the least they could do is take a picture during my favorite song, “We Build Then We Break”…so, here’s the shot he got.  LOL.  He’s not the best cameraman in the world, but it did cut out some of the ‘heads’ I was getting! 

I didn’t get a picture, but during ‘Turn Me On’ Isaac and the band invited all of us to get our dancing groove on, and invited Trombone Shorty out on stage to perform it with them.  SO FUN!  Dance party?!  I’m all over that.

It was a great show, needless to say.  Seriously, I love them.  Please, be my bffers.  Sing to me all day long.  hahahaha.

On one final note, we made friends with someone else standing by us, and he told my friend, that he had gotten tickets to the show from a friend of his.  Apparently, his friend had waited on them earlier in the day at Surrey, and they had gotten to talking to her about their being Christians (she had seen them praying prior to eating), and they at one point even prayed over her while there.  AND, of course, they left her some free tickets to the show.  I knew the background of their faith, but it still puts such joy in my heart when I hear stories of people who we see as extraordinary (musicians, movie stars, celebrities), just put back into a basic, ordinary status, just like us on our walk with God and our faith.  I love people who stand up as witnesses.  I pray I can be like that.