Tears For Fears shouts, lets “The Tipping Point” out, guests Garbage as great

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

In the painstaking 17-year wait between actual albums, Tears For Fears started and stopped recording on several occasions when music business pressures clashed with their creativity, but at least kept up a presence in concert while recording the occasional cover.

So when co-founders/singers Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith finally brought a ton of “The Tipping Point” to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, they were sounding quite tight with their eyes firmly focused on the present.

That’s not to say they weren’t willing to look back on four decades of synthesizer-centered innovation, but the nearly two-hour show had no less than seven new tracks demonstrating a revitalized sound that straddled modern pop, alternative rock, electronica, folk flavors and singer/songwriter stylings.

The title track, “Break The Man” and “My Demons” were just as topical as they were personal, while the blend of voices and instruments from the entire Tears For Fears troupe lived up to their seasoned veteran status, all while grasping the hunger to remain relevant.

That was also the case with classics such as “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” “Sowing The Seeds Of Love,” “Mad World,” “Pale Shelter” and “Woman In Chains” all of which may be a couple generations old at this point, but it was impossible to tell given how impeccably they were crafted in the first place.

Tears For Fears kicked up the intensity even further come “Break It Down Again” and “Head Over Heels/Broken,” ultimately closing with “Shout” as the massive audience let it all out with many thanks that the super duo is back and quite possibly better than before.

Supporting guests Garbage were also great with a power hour of several smashes (“Stupid Girl,” “The World Is Not Enough,” “Only Happy When It Rains”), along with current events-fueled cuts from 2021’s “No Gods No Masters.”

Scottish singer Shirley Manson gave a shout-out to Chicago as being the city where the Madison-bred band got off the ground, though has long since ascended to become a leading force in alternative, electronic and industrial rock, with a unique splash of punk and funk, that’s truly second to none.

Click here for more photos of Tears For Fears at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.

For additional information on Tears For Fears and Garbage, visit TearsForFears.com and Garbage.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre include Q101 Piqniq featuring Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (Jun. 18); Steely Dan (Jun. 19); Josh Groban (Jun. 25); Santana and Earth, Wind & Fire (Jul. 2); Halsey (Jul. 3); Train, Jewel and Blues Traveler (Jul. 15); Rod Stewart and Cheap Trick (Jul. 16); The Black Keys (Jul. 17); Chicago and Brian Wilson (Jul. 24); Backstreet Boys (Jul. 29); Kidz Bop (Jul. 31); OneRepublic (Aug. 3); Chris Brown (Aug. 4); Rob Zombie and Mudvayne (Aug. 5); Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin (Aug. 7); Jason Aldean (Aug. 12); Incubus and Sublime With Rome (Aug. 14); Kid Rock and Foreigner (Aug. 19); Korn and Evanescence (Aug. 20); Alice In Chains, Breaking Benjamin and Bush (Aug. 24); Imagine Dragons (Aug. 26); Sammy Hagar & The Circle and George Thorogood & The Destroyers (Aug. 27); “Encanto”: The Sing Along Film Concert (Aug. 28); Wu-Tang Clan and Nas (Sept. 2); Luke Bryan (Sept. 10); Keith Urban (Sept. 24) and Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth (Sept. 30). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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Tears For Fears shouts, lets “The Tipping Point” out, guests Garbage as great

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