Post by Jules on Mar 20, 2023 9:08:47 GMT
humanracer found this gem from The Daily Utah Chronicle, a university newspaper:
newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=23406740
newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=23406741
Line-up changes work, Tears for Fears still soars
BY BRYANT ISON
Chronicle Music Critic
On Thursday, Oct. 28, Tears For Fears made their first appearance in Salt Lake in more than two years. I have to admit that I wasn't too excited to see their concert because of the break-up of the duo comprised of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.
It seemed that for Roland's first album without Curt Smith, he was trying to achieve a wider pop audience through new releases such as "Break it Down Again." By the end of the show, it was obvious that although Tears For Fears has undergone some radical changes within the past few years, they haven't lost their ability to provide a sincerely entertaining show.
Starting off the evening was the '60s throwback opening band Jellyfish. I won't say much about Jellyfish and their performance because there wasn't much to see or hear that was either new or interesting. They are just your typical pop group. Their music is slick, overproduced and overpracticed. I can sum up my opinion of Jellyfish's performance with this: after their third song, I went looking for refreshments. Enough said.
Having a bitter taste in my mouth from Jellyfish's big-label pop performance, I really started to doubt the direction that Tears For Fears had taken for this album as well as this tour. Those fears and doubts were quickly dispelled when Roland Orzabal took the stage with his new backup band. His perfectly balanced vocals confirmed his rock star status in my mind and he even stimulated the fellow behind me into screaming, "I want to have your children"!
Relying heavily on his current album, Elemental, Orzabal provided straight album renditions of "Stone Cold" and "Mr. Pessimist." Not to leave the crowd thirsting for older, pop faves, however, the band poured out versions of "Head Over Heels," "Sowing The Seeds of Love," "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" upon the excitement-intoxicated crowd.
On many of the older songs, the absence of Curt Smith's gentle backup and lead voice was definitely noticeable. In an attempt to fill the void left by Smith, Orzabal put together a very talented band to accent his dynamic vocals, including Alan Griffiths, who helped write Tears For Fears' current album.
What made the show so interesting and exciting was to see the transition that Orzabal and the band made in response to the adoring Salt Lake crowd. When the show started, both Orzabal and the band seemed very aloof. My sister, who accompanied me, noticed this attitude in Orzabal by cynically commenting, "He's really concerned with his hair!"
As the show progressed, however, the focus shifted from a "one-man Roland show" to more of a unified Tears For Fears performance. Demonstrated by a new song titled "The Size of a Sorrow," it wasn't sung by Orzabal, rather by the talented, bald female bassist. Roland seemed to drop his emotional walls
by the end of the show by conversing with the crowd and even alluding to Curt Smith's absence from the band. "It's great to be back," he said,
"there's been a lot of changes...some for the better...some for the better!"
Orzabal seemed more than surprised by the knowledge and devotion of the Salt Lake crowd. During the encore performance, Orzabal started to play the guitar part for "Pale Shelter" from his first album. Immediately, the audience overtook Orzabal's vocal part without missing a word. To reward the audience, and breaking from his normal "straight off the album" rendition of songs, Orzabal and the band ripped into a 10 minute rendition of "Bad Man's Song."
Although there have been a lot of changes within Tears For Fears, both musically and structurally, their devotion to performance has not dimmed. At the end of the show, Orzabal commented that it had been a long time since they had last been in Salt Lake, and he promised the he will never stay away so long again. When he does come back to Salt Lake, you can be assured that although he is a true rock star, Roland Orzabal has a soft spot in his heart not only for the fans, but also for his performance.
newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=23406740
newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=23406741
Line-up changes work, Tears for Fears still soars
BY BRYANT ISON
Chronicle Music Critic
On Thursday, Oct. 28, Tears For Fears made their first appearance in Salt Lake in more than two years. I have to admit that I wasn't too excited to see their concert because of the break-up of the duo comprised of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.
It seemed that for Roland's first album without Curt Smith, he was trying to achieve a wider pop audience through new releases such as "Break it Down Again." By the end of the show, it was obvious that although Tears For Fears has undergone some radical changes within the past few years, they haven't lost their ability to provide a sincerely entertaining show.
Starting off the evening was the '60s throwback opening band Jellyfish. I won't say much about Jellyfish and their performance because there wasn't much to see or hear that was either new or interesting. They are just your typical pop group. Their music is slick, overproduced and overpracticed. I can sum up my opinion of Jellyfish's performance with this: after their third song, I went looking for refreshments. Enough said.
Having a bitter taste in my mouth from Jellyfish's big-label pop performance, I really started to doubt the direction that Tears For Fears had taken for this album as well as this tour. Those fears and doubts were quickly dispelled when Roland Orzabal took the stage with his new backup band. His perfectly balanced vocals confirmed his rock star status in my mind and he even stimulated the fellow behind me into screaming, "I want to have your children"!
Relying heavily on his current album, Elemental, Orzabal provided straight album renditions of "Stone Cold" and "Mr. Pessimist." Not to leave the crowd thirsting for older, pop faves, however, the band poured out versions of "Head Over Heels," "Sowing The Seeds of Love," "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" upon the excitement-intoxicated crowd.
On many of the older songs, the absence of Curt Smith's gentle backup and lead voice was definitely noticeable. In an attempt to fill the void left by Smith, Orzabal put together a very talented band to accent his dynamic vocals, including Alan Griffiths, who helped write Tears For Fears' current album.
What made the show so interesting and exciting was to see the transition that Orzabal and the band made in response to the adoring Salt Lake crowd. When the show started, both Orzabal and the band seemed very aloof. My sister, who accompanied me, noticed this attitude in Orzabal by cynically commenting, "He's really concerned with his hair!"
As the show progressed, however, the focus shifted from a "one-man Roland show" to more of a unified Tears For Fears performance. Demonstrated by a new song titled "The Size of a Sorrow," it wasn't sung by Orzabal, rather by the talented, bald female bassist. Roland seemed to drop his emotional walls
by the end of the show by conversing with the crowd and even alluding to Curt Smith's absence from the band. "It's great to be back," he said,
"there's been a lot of changes...some for the better...some for the better!"
Orzabal seemed more than surprised by the knowledge and devotion of the Salt Lake crowd. During the encore performance, Orzabal started to play the guitar part for "Pale Shelter" from his first album. Immediately, the audience overtook Orzabal's vocal part without missing a word. To reward the audience, and breaking from his normal "straight off the album" rendition of songs, Orzabal and the band ripped into a 10 minute rendition of "Bad Man's Song."
Although there have been a lot of changes within Tears For Fears, both musically and structurally, their devotion to performance has not dimmed. At the end of the show, Orzabal commented that it had been a long time since they had last been in Salt Lake, and he promised the he will never stay away so long again. When he does come back to Salt Lake, you can be assured that although he is a true rock star, Roland Orzabal has a soft spot in his heart not only for the fans, but also for his performance.