Tears for Fears Serenade Cincinnati & Cuyahoga

Dedicated to Stephen and Sean (TFF UK), Andrea M., Lady Tamara, Cathy, Laura O. and Sharon

Let us take a moment to thank the Almighty Universe that the band completed their first two shows flawlessly. Tears for fears spent the weekend in Ohio, first in Cincinnati (20th) and then Cuyahoga/Cleveland on Saturday (21^st). Big thanks to the fans who helped fellow fans get VIP tickets and premium seats. Some fans literally gifted 2-3 seats to fans to ensure everyone that needed a ticket was able to get one. Fans flew in from all over the globe to attend this show. Big shoutout to the Tears for Fears Travel fans and fan forum members who came out in full force with the blue tees! What an incredible way to represent the soldiers of sound!

The goal of the synopsis is to give fans who are travelling and those who may not make it, a chance to understand what it’s like to follow a band from city to city out of love and support.

The trek to get to Cincinnati included a lot of flying and driving. Tamara drove from Nashville. Stephen and Sean flew in from the UK. Might as well let it be known that Stephen is the official Tears for Fears Fan Ambassador and Guest of Honour. He’ll be at every single show. We’re so honoured to have him representing us at each event. The teams battled the blazing heat, humidity and lack of shade during VIP check-in. It began at the specified time and then there was another hour or so of waiting around to be able to go in. The trek over to VIP was a bit much. Way too much walking if you’re injured or in any kind of pain. Not saying that injured individuals should think twice about this option but you need to know that there was a bit of walking at this specific tour stop. So, look at the maps and the distance from various points so you can plan accordingly.  We have quite a few people in our fan family of diverse abilities and so we may need to start hiring assistants to get from point A to point B if amphitheatres are going to be the norm. We’re not implying that the band need to provide it with VIP we’re just collectively discussing how we’re going to manage this in the future.

Once inside, fans were asked to line up single file in no particular order. So if you were the first one to buy a VIP pass, you may not necessarily be the first person in line. They are not numbered. Fans were then led into the amphitheatre where the band came out and welcomed them to soundcheck. No phones, no cameras, no media allowed. Just the fans and the band. Roland and Curt made some fun, warm and cozy conversation with the VIP audience. For several, they kind of wished this was the whole show, an intimate, fun cozy set with the band. And let’s just throw this out there…we’re here for it. If Tears for Fears wishes to have several shows a night in one city with under 100 people at a time…name your price!

After the soundcheck, which included Carina, Lauren will be on the east coast shows and half of the UK (so excited about her joining – heaven bless this tour), amphitheatre staff led the fans out of the area to wait for the show. This part was uncomfortable because it was hot. You couldn’t sit in the amphitheatre and wait for the show to start. You had to go in the heat outside unless you had a car to sit in. Given that many are flying in from around the world and getting dropped off by car services like Uber, it is very uncomfortable for them to sit outside. Not sure how to remedy that right now. So, bring a hat, sunscreen and whatever comfort you can get. Not sure why we can’t stay indoors but again, this is not a complaint and we don’t want this to detract from the euphoria that is Tears for Fears tours. The band members do not have a say in these types of decisions.

Merch table included a variety of new things that are not all on the official website. There’s the official Tears for Fears 2022 tour tshirt with all the cities. There’s a different version of the sun emblem long sleeve shirt and a few other items that you’ll have to attend the event to purchase or ask a fellow fan to buy for you. You may want to download cashapp so that fans can easily accept payment for the items you want and then have them mailed to you. Because there is so much new merch, buying one of everything meant we had loads of stuff to carry around into the amphitheatre. So, we let them know that this is a bit difficult. We can only bring in a clear bag that is 12x12x6 (see the official measurements on the venue page please – don’t quote us). But all that merch plus a breakable enamel Tears for Fears mug does not fit in that bag nor does that mug travel well in a busy venue with people dancing and singing. The venue understood our concern and said we could take our merch back to the car. Thank goodness!

After that, all was great! Venue opened, people got their seats and we had a blast!! Garbage as an opening act is incredible! Several fans reported they felt they sounded as amazing as an actual recorded album. Shirley Manson, their lead, wore an incredible ensemble and sounded as awesome as ever! We don’t have the full set list of songs she sang but many of the hits were performed (e.g. Stupid Girl, Only Happy When it Rains).

One of the biggest treats of the time between an opener and Tears for Fears is the music played in between. That usually consists of Stand or Fall, Ashes to Ashes and a few other cool songs. Fans noted they themselves were in such a state of euphoria that they don’t remember if any of these favourites were played on the sound system.

Tears for Fears Take the Stage…

The band entered the stage to ‘Stay.’ This worried some because here it is…that song is the most beautiful worrisome ballad outside of the other two worrisome songs which shall not be named (hint: fish and Sun). When people don’t know why something happens, they make something up. So here’s what we came up with… This tour is promoting the new album. Seven new songs are on this tour. The band opens with ‘No Small Thing’ which we knew was going to happen so what other walk out music were they going to use? ‘Listen’ would be ideal as a walkout and lead into ‘No Small Thing.’ However, ‘Stay’ it is… What we want fellow fans to try to do (and this will be difficult and may require supplements like a B-stress complex vitamin) is to not make assumptions or feel like there’s a hidden meaning in using that to start a show. Because right now, that’s how several feel. They’re worried the band is trying to give us a message. Here’s what we do know. The band said and expressed repeatedly how much this album meshed and reignited their collaboration and brotherhood. Let’s believe them and trust that ‘Stay’ was used because it’s a great lead in to ‘No Small Thing.’ *Update, fellow fan says they heard ‘Listen’ before the encore at this show…we’ll confirm.

The show then continued with several top favourites from The Tipping Point (see set list – thank you Lady Tamara and King of Cool Cuisine Posts in California). The show also included one or two quick conversations with the crowd. One led by Roland and another by Curt. Now…we usually get a little more than that and we look forward to it. But we also understand this is a concert, not a speech. So…we’ll gladly enjoy the music. But as we often say, they could come out and sit down and just stare and we’d swoon and scream. If they followed that sit down with a cup of tea and had a conversation we’d be all in it and ask for more.

Carina performed Suffer the Children in what has become a very special and anticipated part of the show. Carina’s approach to the song is so perfect. We’re not sure if Lauren will also be given the song to sing. Her professional singing career and from what we’ve heard so far on her published work make it clear she can handle anything. So…throw down the challenge to the band. Carina can keep STC and Lauren can tackle “Me & My Big Ideas” on this tour. We’ll bring the salts to revive all those who may faint.

At the end of the Cincinnati show, fan teams  headed on out pretty quick. The day had been long, the earlier heat had worn them out. Not much by the way of fan photos post show. But there were plenty before. Enjoy!

Day two in Ohio brought with it the other elements for which Tears for Fears are known. If you noticed, at least 2x a week since 2010 during a tour there’s a day where the city or skies above the venue experience The Sun, The Moon, The Wind…and The Rain! Cincinnati had the Sun and the Moon. Cuyahoga had the Wind and the Rain…it POURED! It was so bad, they had to delay VIP by one hour. No one was allowed in certain sections of the event area until 6:30pm. Fans were caught out in that mess and had to attend the concert completely soaked. So, we guess that it’s crucial to bring a poncho after all.

But once it cleared, fans lined up for merch and soon found their way to their seats. There was a sound check and all went well. It led to an incredibly beautiful clear night and the fan family came out tenfold to support the band. They sang at the top of their lungs and the energy permeated through to the band members themselves. Curt noted it on Twitter how loud the crowd was and that’s a good thing. All that love flowed out like a river! And that, dear fan family, was the show!

We do not know who the men are that recorded the concert with professional broadcast quality cameras. There was one on each side of the stage in Cincinnati. Perhaps there will be a concert DVD? We’ve seen that before but never actually saw anything come of it. We sure hope this time someone is putting together a reel we can buy. One thing we do want to note is that if you’re on the first or second row…it’s best not to hold up a camera in Roland’s face. We’re just going to flat out say it, it makes him uncomfortable. Several of us noticed it and have noticed it for years. It’s also kind of rude. He likes for fans to just enjoy the show…and in all honesty it’s hard to enjoy a show when you’re fiddling with your phone. So please keep that in mind. Let’s give them our full attention.

If you do have photos and snippets you want to share please let us know. We will not accept full video of a song from up close. You can email us or contact us via Twitter or Facebook. We’ll gladly add them with your name credit and include a page about you and your experience, if you’d like, on this site where we archive our fan life with Tears for Fears. Be sure to check-in before and after the show on Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram. Use hashtag #TFF22. We can’t wait to see and hug you in person! Safe travels!

-Tears for Fears Travel Fan Team

Follow @tearsforfears on Twitter, @tearsforfearsmusic on Instagram @curtsmith on Twitter (for fan shenanigans follow @papasfans)

^{*more footage from Ohio may be added at a later date. Some of the files were so large we couldn’t edit them in time. We don’t want to make people wait too long for a synopsis.}