CNN’s Victor Blackwell interviewed The Fray and the Summerfest President to promote The Fray’s upcoming performance on CNN’s Fourth in America and their “How to Save a Life: 20th Anniversary Tour."

Washington

Members of Grammy-nominated band The Fray joined Summerfest President Sarah Pankary in an interview to discuss their return to the Wisconsin festival, where they have performed nine times. The band shared that Summerfest holds a special place in their history, having hosted their first tour show and supported them early in their career.

The Fray also spoke about their favorite July 4th traditions, including grilling and enjoying lake culture, and expressed excitement about their upcoming single and the 20th anniversary tour for their album 'How to Save a Life.' Summerfest's president highlighted the band's two-decade relationship with the festival and its significance for Milwaukee's music fans.

Hear what The Fray love about July 4th

Joining me now, Grammy-nominated band The Fray and Summerfest Festival president and CEO, Sarah Pankary. Welcome to you all. You're in Wisconsin, headlining for Summerfest Music Festival. We'll, of course, see some of your performance on CNN's The Fourth in America. Joe, to you first. How does it feel to be there? It's beautiful behind you on Lake Michigan, feeling the energy of the fans out there. Yeah, you know, we actually played a show last night. We pulled up this morning and, you know, I woke up, opened the door of the bus, and it was just green grass and a beautiful lake and a path. And I went for a walk and it was just joy filling my soul. So this is, I mean, this is a special place for us. I think this is our ninth time playing this Summerfest. So it's a sacred place for us, for sure. So good to be back. Full of joy. Dave, what is it about Summerfest that brings you back so many times? Well, our first, our very first tour and our first show on our first tour was at Summerfest. We were opening for the Pixies and Weezer. We had no idea how to tour. And we pulled up to the show. Our trailer was a mess. The crew, we opened up the trailer. Our gear was everywhere. Everyone was so gracious because they knew that we were a baby band and they just took us in. So this place, you know, has really like raised us in a lot of ways. So being back here at this point in life to, you know, to celebrate where we're at is, I mean, it's an incredible feeling. Yeah. No longer a baby band. You're the big man band now. Ben, this one's to you. So we, of course, are celebrating the Fourth of America. Right before we went on, I heard you all wishing each other a happy 249th. What's your favorite July 4th tradition? Oh, man. Grilling out for sure. I mean, there's nothing like Fourth of July without grilling out. There's also I feel like lake culture, like like boat life and lake culture is really big. And there's nothing more, I think, American than being on a boat, preferably a pontoon boat on a lake grilling out. So we're pretty close to that here. I think we're living our best lives. All right. So your first single of 2025 is on the horizon, of course, the upcoming 20th anniversary of How to Save a Life. Joe, what can fans anticipate from from the new music? You know, I mean, honestly, I think every artist, you know, you want to reinvent yourself. You want to find yourself where you're at now. And that's what we're doing. You know, I believe it's some of the most important work that we've ever done and we cannot wait to share it with the world. So it just feels like we're getting started again. And Sarah, Summerfest has this rich legacy. This is your 57th festival. The guys have said this is their ninth performance there at Summerfest. Tell us what it means to have the band be a part of the legacy for so long and what it means to Milwaukee and to music fans. Well, in Milwaukee, we have an exceptional fan base. And when we when we think about bands like The Fray that have a two decade relationship with us, come as baby bands and have a special, special place to come home to at Summerfest, we couldn't be more proud of that legacy. Thank you to The Fray and the Summerfest. Make sure to catch The Fray on their How to Save a Life 20th anniversary tour later this month.

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