Shed no Tears, Brit duo endures
By Dean Johnson
Sunday, October 31, 2004

Will there ever be a better time than last night for a band to perform songs from an album called ``Everybody Loves a Happy Ending''?
     The irony was not lost on Tears for Fears co-singer Curt Smith, and not just for the obvious reasons.
     ``First the Patriots, then the Red Sox,'' he said from the stage, ``and after next Tuesday . . . who knows?''
     The album title actually refers to Smith's and Roland Orzabal's recent reunion after more than a decade apart. They're keeping all their options open this time around. This might be their last album as Tears for Fears. Last night's show could be the last one in the Bay State.
     But based on the quality of the concert, the sizable house, and the adoring response from most of the audience, it should be safe to assume the band will be back at the very least for a 2005 summer sheds tour.
     Smith and Orzabal - backed by drums, guitar and keyboards - made it plain early on that they were not on tour to do an oldies show. They began the 100-minute set with several songs from the new disc and ended up performing most of it.
     Since its start in the early '80s, Tears for Fears was the kind of band for which the word ``Beatle-esque'' was invented. ``It's one word for a massive category,'' Orzabal recently told the Herald. ``It can be songs full of angst and passion and political anger against the world or it can mean songs that are jolly and happy and philosophical.''
     The latter definition was on display last night - songs richly arranged with layers of melodies and vocals, whether it was the older (and most blatantly Fab Four) tune ``Sowing the Seeds of Love'' or the title cut from the new disc.
     The group was in fine playing and singing condition, and songs such as the new single ``Call me Mellow'' rank with its brightest material from the '80s glory days. The oldie ``Mad World'' got an enthusiastic treatment and reaction, in part because it was recently rerecorded by Gary Jules and was a smash hit in England.
     The piano intro to ``Head Over Heels'' was enough to ignite a similar reaction out of the audience. A tight ``Everybody Wants to Rule the World'' was another highlight, and the band saved the primal rhythms of ``Shout'' for the final number.