Tears for Fears Blesses the Shoreline Stage

in SF Concert Reviews by

Isn’t it great to be able to go out and experience live music again? Last night was no exception when Garbage and Tears for Fears made their way to the Shoreline for a night of old classic and what are sure to be new classic songs under a canopy of stars in Mountain View. From my way down into the pit of the amphitheater to grabbing a hot dog at intermission, all were in glee at the recent revival of the bay area live music scene.

And the venue was packed. Not an empty seat in the house. With pretty much the entire lawn section taken over by a mostly middle-aged crowd that had congregated to pay homage to two iconic modern rock bands.

After a brief set by Garbage that had pulled out MTV classics like “Stupid Girl,” “Only Happy When it Rains,” and the rarely played James Bond soundtrack single “The World is Not Enough,” the headliners for the evening were up.

One by one, the now more mature founders appeared like mythical figures from out of the darkness and began playing songs from their latest masterpiece, The Tipping Point. “No Small Thing” and “The Tipping Point” kicked off the festivities with a bang, but unlike many bands today that shy away from playing their biggest hits, they jumped into “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” quickly after.

The first words of the night came from a wizardly Roland Orzabal who complimented the venue but admitted he had to Google whether or not the band had played there before. It drew a warm chuckle from the crowd who at that point was already under the spell of this talented duo.

The set continued with an even mix of old and new, before busting out the 80s juggernaut “Shout” as part of the encore. To say these guys still sound good would be an understatement. I’d venture to say they sound better now than they did almost 40 years ago when as a young tyke I remember dropping a 45 of “The Big Chair” on my first turntable.

Photos by Louis Raphael

Having released albums under Digital Nations, a label founded by Steve Vai, music critic Louis Raphael has remained deeply connected to the pulse of the San Francisco music scene. Following his tenure as the San Francisco Music Examiner for Examiner.com and AXS.com, he embarked on creating Music in SF® to authentically highlight the vibrant offerings of the city's music scene.

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