The iconic pop duo Tears for Fears brought their summer tour to the outdoor amphitheater at Artpark in Lewiston, NY last Wednesday. Taking a break from touring with Hall and Oates, the duo of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith took the stage to play a list of hits from their successful career with a few surprises thrown in the setlist. The band was suppose to perform last year at Artpark but had to cancel their tour so this was long time coming to the fans who eagerly awaited their performance.
From the opening notes of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” the crowd responded with loud screams and applause for every song. As usual for the Artpark crowd, many attendees sang along with every song, on their feet dancing like they were young again.
The balmy evening was the perfect partner for Tears for Fears. Some great songs followed like “Secret World” and “Sowing the Seeds of Love.” These tunes showed that the band had not lost a beat with both Orzabal and Smith trading the lead vocals. Smith did show a little effort in trying to reach the higher notes but the crowd was right on cue, singing along to help give him that extra push. Orzabal showed no signs of aging as his voice was crisp and clear. The band sounding great and looked very happy onstage. They were clowning with each other during breaks.
The highlight of the show came as Orzabal took the mic and played the first notes of Radiohead’s “Creep.” It was a little unexpected but the crowd loved it and sang along a little louder than they had been. “Badman’s Song” saw the band stretch out with some extended solos that were very well received. They ended their set with “Head Over Heels” which brought a standing ovation and cries for more as the band left the stage.
The band obliged with the perfect encore of their mega hit “Shout.” Voices rose in unison, the crowd chanting along with the band as if they were a huge backing chorus. As the crowd filed out, many were still singing. Tears for Fears left this night’s audience a very happy bunch.
Setlist:
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Secret World (with snippet of “Let ‘Em In” by Wings)
Sowing the Seeds of Love
Pale Shelter
Break it Down Again
Change
Mad World
Memories Fade
Closest Thing to Heaven
Creep (Radiohead cover)
Advice for the Young at Heart
Badman’s Song
Head Over Heels
Encore:
Shout
We would like to thank Maria Hays from Artpark for the credentials to review the show.
