NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
A week after Tears for Fears kicked off part two of The Tipping Point Tour, the iconic band from the 80s landed in Toronto to play at the Budweiser Stage. I was lucky enough to also catch Roland Orzabal (guitar/vocals), Curt Smith (bass/vocals), and crew in Cleveland for the first leg of the tour (see here for review and photos) but it’s never too much to see one of my favorite bands from my younger days. Plus it’s always interesting to see how the show develops from kickoff to later in the tour. The only questionable thing was the air quality of the outdoor venue due to the Canadian wildfires. At doors, the air quality was still under 150, considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups”.
Opening the show were the Cold War Kids, a rock band from Southern California. I can’t believe it’s been seven years since I last saw this band in an intimate setting in NYC (photos here). Their last “records” were the three part “New Age Norms” released in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Nathan Willett’s vocals were strong and the band’s set was heavily weighted towards 2017’s LA Divine. Unfortunately, even though their indie rock music bears some similarity to the headliner’s music, the crowd was very obviously there for Tears for Fears and, for the most part, ignored the opener.
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The sun had set by the time Tears for Fears hit the stage, a perfect setting for their amazing stage set and light show. They started with “No Small Thing” from “The Tipping Point”, same as their opening song in Cleveland. In fact, the setlist was exactly the same except for the first song of the encore. Carina Round, the backup singer from earlier in the tour was no longer there, replaced by another powerhouse voice, Lauren Evans.
It was nice that the band called out Toronto as the location where their video for “Head Over Heels” was shot (at Emmanuel College). The band was in good form, although there were some differences from their kickoff show in Ohio. First, the crowd in Toronto seemed much less familiar with The Tipping Point. Besides some people in front, there was little reaction to songs outside the band’s first two records “The Hurting” and “Song From the Big Chair”. That was a bit disappointing because some highlights from the show were not from those albums.
The amazing “My Demons” and, my favorite, “Rivers of Mercy” received almost no reaction. Between Orzabal’s beautiful vocals and the smooth blend of harmonies between Smith and Evans, the song was incredibly touching, written during the first Covid lockdown about forgiveness and redemption after the protests and riots. People talking all around me really spoiled things.
Two songs, “Suffer the Children” and “Woman in Chains”, really showcased Lauren Evans’ incredible voice. I’m still not sure why Orzabal and Smith don’t do the vocals on “Suffer the Children” like they do on the album but it was a nice break for them. At this show, “Woman in Chains” was the standout track. Just amazing play between Orzabal and Evans. Oddly, “Badman’s Song”, which was so powerful with its guitar solo in Cleveland, did not make the same impact this night. The guitar seemed a bit sedate and the crowd reaction (they didn’t know the song wasn’t over after the solo) was terrible.
The one difference in the setlist was opening the encore with a Tears for Fears cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”. With their extensive catalog, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t pull out a b-side and thrill the crowd but it was not to be. That being said, Orzabal, with a smile on his face, seemed to have a wonderful time singing “Creep” so who can argue? These guys have put in the time and can do whatever they want. And of course the audience knew THIS song.
Tears for Fears closed the show with two of their biggest hits “Change” and “Shout”. What else, right? What other song could get the crowd singing along throughout? While I won’t be catching these guys on any more stops on the current tour, I hope to see them on the road again really soon, perhaps with new music?
Epilogue: by show’s end the air quality was well over 150 into the “Unhealthy for Everyone” category. I’m not sure how the band was able to breathe, let along perform so well. The air gave me a headache and I could see a yellow haze around all the streetlights on the drive home. Stay safe everyone!
Setlist
1. No Small Thing
2. The Tipping Point
3. Everybody Wants to Rule the World
4. Secret World
5. Sowing the Seeds of Love
6. Long, Long, Long Time
7. Break the Man
8. My Demons
9. Rivers of Mercy
10. Mad World
11. Suffer the Children
12. Woman in Chains
13. Badman’s Song
14. Pale Shelter
15. Break It Down Again
16. Head Over Heels/Broken
Encore:
17. Creep (Radiohead cover)
18. Change
19. Shout
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