After over a two year hiatus from touring North America, UK New Wave band Tears For Fears are back with five select shows. Having topped charts in the 1980’s with unforgettable singles and selling over 30 million records since 1981, Tears For Fears have crafted a sound and style distinct of their peers from the era. Having recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut album The Hurting (1983), the timing could not be better for a return to the states as fans patiently waited to see them perform again. Kicking off the abbreviated tour at Austin Music Hall in Austin, TX on Wednesday September 17th, the wait was finally over as a packed theater of spectators were in attendance and the fun was about to begin.
First to the stage was British singer/songwriter Carina Round. Round is not new to touring with Tears For Fears as she shared the stage with the band back in 2012. Recognized to many in North America for working with Maynard James Keenan’s project Puscifer, Round has maintained a strong career in music with four solo records as well as time with the band Early Winters. Alone with her acoustic guitar, she started the evening with a brief but strong set of her solo tunes which engaged the audience. Her thoughtful compositions are beautiful and reflective, making Round a wonderfully talented artists to see live.
Awaiting Tears For Fears to take the stage, Lorde’s cover of “Everyone Wants To Rule The World” played over the speakers and fans began to cheer in excitement. Moments later Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith emerged along with their band as they kicked the set off with a soulful rendition of “Closest Thing to Heaven”. The songs seemed to flow like water from that point on as they went into “Memories Fade” and newer tracks “Secret World”. Mixing in the hit “Sowing the Seeds of Love”, the harmonic bliss of Orzabal and Smith’s voice had everyone completely awed by how the two bring each song to life with such bright colors in a live setting. Continuing with tracks from the 1989 album The Seeds of Love, the songs “Advice for the Young at Heart” and “Call Me Mellow” soothed the ears of spectators before newer Beatle-esque piece “Everyone Loves a Happy Ending”.
Already providing a wonderful balanced set, the excitement level picked up a notch when they went into classics “Change” and “Mad World”. The audience cheered for more, and that is when the band took everyone back to the 1995 album Raoul and the Kings of Spain where Orzabal shined on “Falling Down”. Shortly after, they made their live debut of their cover of Arcade Fire’s “Ready to Start”. Vastly different than the original version, Tears For Fears exhibited how to be inventive and add a personal touch to a tune. Having kept the attention of the audience, the set marched on with hits “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, “Pale Shelter”, and closed with “Head Over Heels”. Applauding in excitement, the crowd-swell provoked the band to come out for an encore featuring the ever so beautiful “Women in Chains” which featured backing vocals of Round before the finale of perhaps their most powerful hits “Shout”. With everyone on their feet dancing and singing along, cell phones held in the air illuminated the theater for this magnificent closing.
Kicking off their return to North America in the city of Austin was a perfect decision considering this is a city where music is a way of life. Tears For Fears was warm with the fans, and most of all, extremely detailed in their performance much like a painter putting the final brush strokes on a piece of art. This only reminds audiences how spectacular Tears For Fears and their music really are. While their 2014 EP Ready Boy & Girls? quenched the thirst of followers, many anxiously await the release of their forthcoming seventh studio album.
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