I just saw Tears for Fears LIVE!

When I was in high school, I listened to almost every type of music out there. My brother and I shared a love of old school rap, like Kurtis Blow, Kool Mo Dee, and Run DMC. I banged my head to Queensryche, Metallica and Savatage. And I had my quiet thoughtful side, which has somehow developed into “classic alternative.”

I liked some Depeche Mode, Siousxie, and my favorite, Tears for Fears. Before TFF got superstar status with “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, they released this delightfully painful album called “The Hurting.” I loved the introspection of that first disc as much as I loved the radio-friendly hits of “Songs from the Big Chair.” (Though as a kid, I couldn’t hit the bottom notes in “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”)

So, some 25 years later, low and behold, founders Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith are touring, and they’re at the 9:30 club in DC, on a Monday night in August.  I didn’t want to miss this show. I figured two decades of waiting was plenty…and this show was worth the wait.

What You Expected. TFF did a great job of mixing up the songs in the set.  They played a great balance of songs from the first two albums, plus the big follow-up, “The Seeds of Love.” They played about half of their most recent CD, 2004’s “Everybody Loves a Happy Ending.” They played all the big hits, and the crowd sang every word. The only song they played off of a non-Curt disc was the one you’d expect, “Break it Down Again” (from the CD “Elemental”).

What You Hoped For. The best from the band’s founders. Curt is intense on stage and his crystal clear vocals match his stage presence. He’s very in the moment, delivering the sensitivity of “Seven of Sundays”, or the anti-industrial venom of “Mad World” with equal precision. Roland is very aloof and whimsical on stage, working the crowd very well. He crushed on songs like “Sowing the Seeds of Love” and “Head Over Heels.” The pair performed great, in two different, complimentary styles. The backup band was solid, mixing blues guitar, jazz drums, and synth EVERYTHING (like the sax line in “Memories Fade”) to fill out the band’s wildly complicated composition.

What Blindsided You. Two words: Michael Wainwright. Not only did this cat open for Tears for Fears with just his voice and a guitar, but he hopped on stage and sang half the set with TFF. One of the night’s highlights was watching Wainwright belt out Oleta Adams’ soulful lines in “Woman in Chains.” I kid you not. This guy is a vocal cannon. Roland has the broadest range. Curt has the most signature vocal delivery, and Wainwright tops it off perfectly.

I had the great privilege of chatting with Curt’s wife, Frances, since we were stage left right by the monitor guy. Curt’s family was along for the trip (he is an American citizen), and apparently learned a lot about American history while they were here. I made her a promise that my cover band would play some TFF in the near future. The other great generational thing is that I had two tickets, and my DAD came with me! What a fantastic way to start the week.

If there’s a band coming to town you want to see, and your friends want to bail, Don’t!  Find someone willing to go. Who knows? If you don’t, it might cost you 25 years.

All the best,

nK