Brightest Young Things

(disclaimer: no photos for this one because of a guest list mix up. lots of memories by Katie Glanz  though)

Tears for Fears has been “off my radar” for a while, actually, since I was about 13, and regularly listening to the Flash Back Lunch on Austin’s alt-rock radio station. That said, given the chance to see the band of “shout, shout, let it all out” fame, I decided I was definitely down for the show. This was decidedly A GOOD MOVE.

I finally got into 9:30 Club, about fifteen minutes after Tears for Fears started playing, thanks to some, um… bureaucratic issues …still not too sure what I missed.

The place was packed with an interesting mix of eager forty-somethings, and eerily well-dressed “young adults” and I do mean “young adults.”  The crowd seemed pretty enthusiastic through the first few songs—And then—the band played “Mad World.” The band’s rendition of this one (of Donnie Darko fame) was spot on, and hardly sounded like a live version.

I think the audience might have been into this one. The tiny, dancing, gel-in-hair, leather-pants-wearing man next to me was so very excited that he might have spilled a little of his vodka tonic down my shirt.  I felt ok about it though, because he appeared to be entirely in his element and was clearly a little overwhelmed.

The band followed up “Mad World” with a few songs that I have to admit I didn’t entirely recognize, including; “Floating down the River (Once Again)” a weird little song with a random cutesy melody and nonsense lyrics. Kind of fun. Next up: classics like “Wake up,” “Pale Shelter,” and a random slow jam/ballad-esque version of “Billie Jean,” which I think might have been a better idea in theory than in practice.

At a very appropriate time of the night (about two-thirds of the way into their set), they played “Break it Down” lest you forget they are a (British) 80’s band. During this song, I had a Michael Hutchence moment (those sweet sweet 80’s vocals and sad lyrics-coupled with super happy melodies and dramatic percussive interludes!) Goodtimes.

THEN they played a near perfect version of “Head over Heels.”--definitely the crowd favorite.  What can I say? It was a knockout.

The band’s encore included a cake and song for lead singer, Roland Orabal’s birthday. Following the mini-celebration, came the sultry slow jam “Woman in Chains.” The finale song was of course “Shout,” which had a bit of a weird beginning. I think the band expected the audience to carry the first few lines of the song…but they didn’t really. Thankfully when the band took over for the crowd, “Shout, shout, let it all out” lived up to those angsty teen idealizations. Thank you for that Tears for Fears.

At some point in the night, Roland shouted:  “We’re not just known for our 80’s classics you know!” I may have to disagree with this statement, as I’m pretty sure Curt Smith? (or Roland himself did) with a “YES, WE ARE!”

Tears for Fears is sooooo known for their 80’s classics, BUT there is a reason, several reasons actually, that Tears for Fears, unlike so many other 80’s New Wave bands is still selling out shows: beautifully written pop-songs, powerful stage presence, and the ability to connect with the unstable teen in all of us. Cheers.

Previously in Live DC:

• 2/13: LiveDC: George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic @ 930 Club
• 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
• 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
• 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
• 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
• 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
• 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre