Tears for Fears came to Merriweather Post Pavilion as part of their "The Tipping Point" World Tour on June 19, 2022, to promote their latest album, The Tipping Point, released on February 22, 2022. For good measure, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith brought Garbage with them on the North American leg of their world tour.  

This powerhouse lineup came to Columbia, Maryland, on a beautiful, sunny day, with hardly a trace of the usually oppressive DC Metro Area summer humidity. A near-capacity audience was prepared to spend Juneteenth and Father's Day enjoying a beautiful day at Merriweather Post Pavilion, as lawn chairs and picnic baskets filled the green slopes above the pavilion.

At 7:30 p.m., Garbage took to the stage and was greeted by a thunderous roar of admiring fans. Garbage was eager to showcase new material from their latest album, No Gods No Masters, released in June 2021.  Shirley Manson came on stage with her hands over her heart, genuinely touched by the roaring ovation and adoration displayed by the crowd. Throughout the 60-minute performance, Manson repeatedly told the audience precisely how much she appreciated them and mentioned she had not seen a gathering this big since the now-defunct 1995 HFStival. Manson showed why she is arguably the most dynamic and captivating figurehead of any band right now. Fans, captivated by her stage presence, hung on her every word as she talked with the audience in her engaging Scottish brogue.

By the third song, "Stupid Girl," the band really started to wind up the energy in the room. Manson emotionally dedicated their performance of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" to Depeche Mode's  Andy "Fletch" Fletcher, who passed away just last month. Manson and the band were clearly enjoying themselves on stage and relishing every moment of their performance. Manson had her husband grab a whiskey from offstage and offered up a "Slainte Mhath" (Cheers!) to him and all fathers. Manson went on to wish a "Happy Fathers Day from Europe to here. Life is short. Seize the moment. Happy Juneteenth! Long live the health of this Nation." After Tears for Fears concludes their US tour, Garbage will forge ahead alone on their North American tour. This performance filled with moxie and intensity was just a wee taste of the powerful performance awaiting audiences on the remainder of their summer tour dates.

At 9 p.m., Tears for Fears took to the stage with deafening applause, and Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal would once again show audiences why they are an iconic and timeless band whose music has been deeply ingrained in the musical fabric of the world since the early 1980s. In their heyday, their music spilled out of pop radio stations and music television stations around the globe. Over the past four decades, this synth-pop duo out of Bath, England, has produced spectacularly crafted multi-layered synth-pop songs that resonate so deeply in the hearts of fans worldwide. Tears for Fears' sustained musical resonance was on full display during their performance at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Tears for Fears' music is resonating with a new generation. One could see both older fans who undoubtedly fell in love with Songs from the Big Chair in the 1980s and younger fans, some of whom knew every lyric to every song, including songs from their latest album.

The last time Tears for Fears performed in America was in 2017 for their tour, highlighting their compilation album, "Rule the World: the Greatest Hits." This performance would be their first at Merriweather Post Pavilion since 1990.  In 2022, they are promoting their new critically acclaimed album, "The Tipping Point." Of course, it is hard for any artist to showcase new material to fans, especially when you have a song catalog as deep and beloved as Tears for Fears does. Orzabal, the band's principal lyricist, always writes personal, heartfelt songs for the time. Because of this and their recognizable musical sound, these latest songs masterfully dovetailed and intertwine seamlessly into their musical cache. It would be easy for an act as revered as Tears for Fears to comfortably slip into embracing the nostalgia of their heyday and paying homage only to their songs of yesteryear. Instead, Orzabal and Smith came to Merriweather Post Pavilion, showcasing seven songs off of the new album. The new material was embraced by fans, both young and old(er).  

Tears for Fears' songs are not only known for their masterfully crafted, distinctive, and elaborate music but also for their poignant and deeply personal lyrics. The opening song, "No Small Thing," speaks volumes about the band's intent and feelings about coming to the United States once more. "But I've just one more song to sing / One more story to tell / ... / Take a trip to America / Let the wind blow right through your hair / We'll buy beer and some hope to share." Indeed the band had one more song to sing, one more story to tell, and the audience was delighted to listen to them as they shared that "one more story" for the next two hours. Next, the band introduced the title track of their latest album, "The Tipping Point." The audience danced deeply to this infectious new song as the breathtaking light show roared to life behind them. Then, having already reached a feverish pitch a mere two songs into the performance, Tears for Fears decided to hit the audience with one of their biggest songs, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." As one person was overheard saying, "You gotta hit them up front with a classic and let them know exactly why they came here tonight and not leave that for the encore." In fact, there was a significant amount of buzz and online chatter about Tears for Fears' latest tour, as concert experiences and performance details have been gleefully shared among fans since they started this tour in Cincinnati, Ohio, in May 2022.

Orzabal and Smith were clearly enjoying their time among their fervent fanbase and shared some heartfelt and genuine connections throughout the evening with their fans. At one point, a visibly moved Smith took a moment between songs to talk to two young fans, who had been singing along to all of the songs, including the new material. Smith asked, "How old are you?" The young fan replied she was thirteen, and he commented how her enthusiasm for their material warmed his heart. Smith continued chatting with this family in the crowd, talking with this avid young fan and her equally animated eight-year-old younger sister, who was equally as fervent in singing along to each song. Finally, with a softness in his eye, Smith wished their father and all fathers in the audience a happy Father's Day. After the encore, drummer Jamie Wollam would hand his drumsticks to these two fans to cherish as permanent souvenirs of this magical evening.

The band continued delicately and selectively weaving their way through their catalog until they reached their eighth song of the evening, "Break The Man." This infectious song was the catalyst for an all-out euphoric dance party throughout the venue. This rhythmic and powerful new instant classic would set mark one of many ecstatic and joyful moments of this performance. Orzabal and Smith's voices are still youthful, vibrant, and impressive as ever. This duo brought along a band of three skilled backing musicians, Charlton Pettus (guitar), Doug Petty (keyboards), Jamie Wollam (drummer), and formidable backup singer Lauren Evans. Evans had her time to shine alone during "Suffer The Children" and once again during "Woman in Chains." The first half of this duet with Orzabal was transformed into a solo performance as Orzabal turned his back to the audience to cast the spotlight on Evans alone.

As the band deftly maneuvered through their rich catalog, they not only performed animated and upbeat synth-driven songs but also balanced the upbeat songs with more poignant songs, including "Long, Long, Long Time" and a heartfelt, raw, and timely "Rivers Of Mercy" - such is the depth and breadth of Tears For Fears' repertoire.  

After performing for 90 minutes, the band concluded their performance with yet another emblematic classic from Songs From The Big Chair, "Head Over Heels / Broken." Twenty-thousand plus fans gleefully sang into the night along with Orzabal. However, fans did not want the evening to end, and cell phone camera lights appeared from every corner of the venue, stretching from the front of the pavilion all the way to the very back of Merriweather's lawn.

The band would not disappoint, as they came on stage for their encore to perform another masterpiece from their latest album, "End Of Night." However, this song was not the end of the night but rather the kick-off of a euphoric three-song encore. The band quickly segued into "Change" off of their 1983 debut album, The Hurting, before ending the evening with their first break-out hit and perhaps one of the most memorable songs in their catalog, "Shout." If one thought that the evening's sing-alongs and fan-led choruses were over, every ounce of enthusiasm poured out into the air as the band and fans ferociously and passionately sang along to a cavernous chorus, "Shout, shout, let it all out / These are the things I can do without / Come on, I'm talking to you, come on," as a surging bass and drum beat propelled an extended "Shout" into the night.

This performance was precisely the things that the audience could NOT do without. Performances like this have been precisely the reason for so much joyful discussion amongst fans over the last month.

Like so many others, we enthusiastically look forward to the next time Tears for Fears returns to our region in the years to come. We can only hope that Tears For Fears will continue to have more than one song to sing, more than one story to tell, and one more trip to America left in them.  

Until then, we shall all continue sowing the seeds of love, with their music being a jubilant guidepost to our hearts.