By Doug Deutsch
Never underestimate the power and passion of the music we grew up on, and its impact on us to this day. Such is the case with Tears for Fears, the longtime English pop-rock group who made an appearance at the Mark Etess Arena in Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino last weekend before a capacity crowd.
For this being the first show of their Summer Tour, the group — fronted by longtime co-founders Roland Orzabal (lead vocals, guitar) and Curt Smith (bass and vocals) – sounded incredibly tight, mixing their very familiar, sing-along hits (“Shout,” “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” “Woman In Chains,” “Head Over Heels,” “Mad World,” “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” and more – with selections from their most recent album release, 2022’s The Tipping Point. Tears For Fears formed in 1981, and with the brief exception of a two-year breakup in 1991-1992 (primarily due to their previous manager, Paul King, being convicted of fraud and declaring bankruptcy), have remained together since that time (Orzabal even released a single, “Laid Do Low (Tears Roll Down”) in 1992). Childhood friends Orzabal and Smith clearly still have a blast performing live, and it resonated during the band’s hour-plus long performance, which included a long encore and left their fans very satisfied.
Opening act Cold War Kids, hailing from Long Beach, Calif., put on a credible set consisting of pop-flavored songs, but clearly did not remind this reviewer of a band that would be from that particular city (having lived in SoCal for the past thirty-three years before moving back East, I speak from experience). At one point, vocalist Nathan Willet actually sounded a lot like U2 singer, Bono. Nice stage presence, and with a few breakout hits, perhaps we may see this group in larger arenas as a headliner someday.
