UB goes head over heels for Tears for Fears
By JEFF MIERS
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC
10/6/2004
   
Concert review

Tears for Fears

Monday night in the University at Buffalo's Center for the Arts Mainstage Theater.

"Everybody Loves A Happy Ending" is the tongue-in-cheek moniker granted the new Tears for Fears album by the reunited partnership of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, and for a fair portion of the packed house inside UB's Center for the Arts Monday, those words rang true. Many in attendance had been waiting in excess of 15 years for an opportunity to see this band.

If any of these fans walked away at all disappointed, it certainly shouldn't have been based on the band's performance, which was inspired, emotionally compelling and, technically speaking, about as close to flawless as rock music gets. No, any grumbling overheard as the crowd filed out of the venue revolved around what some felt was an obtrusive over-arching "concept" framing the gig; the show, a sort of warm-up for the full-scale ensemble production tour kicking off soon, was presented as an intimate acoustic affair by Star 102 FM, with informal questions from the audience filling the gaps between songs.

As a result, there was less music - the band played only eight songs in total - and much more banter between audience and band, some of which was charming and humorous, some of which was inane.

The upside? The Center For the Arts venue is superb, and as is normally the case there, the sound during Tears for Fears' set was as impeccable as the band's performance. And the laid-back nature of the gig seemed to urge a deeply felt performance from the band.

Centered around songs from the brilliant new "Happy Ending" effort, the duo's first together since disbanding following the release of 1989's "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and its subsequent tour the show was a delight. (Orzabal carried on under the Tears for Fears name after Smith's departure, releasing several brilliant albums, including "Elemental" and "Raoul and the Kings of Spain.")

Not surprisingly, the new songs were granted an increased urgency in the concert setting, as Orzabal's acoustic guitar and vocals, Smith's semi-acoustic bass and vocals, guitarist/pianist/vocalist Charlton Pettus, and a drummer who also provided harmony vocals, joined together in service of some of the most finely crafted pop music this side of the Fab Four's later work.

Opening with the elegant ear candy of "Call Me Mellow," Orzabal, Smith and Co. made it clear that their new music is as timeless as the mighty "Seeds Of Love."

Over an arpeggiated descending guitar figure, Orzabal and Smith joined voices on the song's chorus, and one got goosebumps; the two were born to sing together.

"Closest Thing to Heaven" followed, marked by a particularly poignant melodic bass line from Smith, and Orzabal's soulful singing, which has lost none of its startling range over the years. Pettus, who plays a significant role on "Happy Ending" as producer, performer and co-writer, added much to the proceedings with his sprightly upright piano comping and the subtle underpinning provided by his Gibson jumbo acoustic.

Audience members used the Q&A section mainly for one of two purposes - to ask the members to meet them after the show, or to request specific songs, most of which were, sadly, the quite obvious ones. Orzabal and Smith for the most part obliged, and "Sowing The Seeds of Love" and "Head Over Heels" were played beautifully, as was an impromptu "Happy Birthday" requested by a concertgoer.

The new album's title track found an interpolation of Paul McCartney's "Let 'Em In" getting a rise out of the audience, while another new tune, the mini-epic "Who Killed Tangerine?" provided the evening's musical highlight, a spirited blend of heavenly harmony and psychedelia.

The band closed with its mid-'80s mega-hit, "Everybody Wants To Rule the World," and though the crowd stayed on its feet long after the house lights came back up, did not return for an encore.

There are rumors that the full-band/full-production version of Tears for Fears will passg through town again this fall, though nothing has been confirmed yet. But, despite its brevity, Monday's performance was a special one. There was no barrier between the audience and the timeless music being made on the stage. And that doesn't happen often with bands of this stature.