Category: Welcome to the Tears for Fears Fan Travel Blog
Read all about the fun fan adventures from some of the world’s most dedicated fans. Tears and Kooks (Kooks&Orzies) travel throughout the year to spend time near the band. Through the efforts of the leaders in our fan family and by the grace of a higher power and the band we’ve managed to enjoy a number of awesome shows, been recognized by the band on several occasions and continue to enjoy one another’s company on and offline. Cheers!
Skipping ahead to the San Diego show while fellow fans finish sending in photos and posting. We haven’t a lot of commentary or detailed tales of how we got there and what hotel we stayed in. This tour has been different and long…very long. So, we’re just getting to the point…the music. This post is not much different. We’re sharing some snippets from the show that were shared by many.
MVP of the night is Yara for suffering through the glitches in the ticket system. The amount of work that goes into getting to a show can be unspeakable at times and so any delays at the finish line can send some people into a flat out meltdown. Kudos to all who kept their cool. Heaven knows we want to be at these shows. It’s not a pastime for us, it’s a pilgrimage so we work double hard to make sure as many of us that spend time chatting together online every single day as we have done since 2004 (and some of us before that) get into the venue. Sometimes Lady Carolyn goes as far as to just hand out tickets. This year she literally grabbed security and said help me find someone to give this ticket to…on the second row center. I mean…come one now. We take this very seriously and we could literally do this for a living and not burn out or tire…I’ve spent 34 years listening to this band and I’m not even 40 yet! This is our yearly reunion so for goodness sake, Ticketmaster, AXS, etc…solutions please to these ticket woes!
High Five to all the fellow fans who came out to San Diego and sang with passion to all the songs. Did anyone else notice the magic on Head over Heels? Was that not the remastered version come to life or what? Wow!!!!!! and that crowd…super awesome!
*Dedicated to Yara and that Sd Guy who shared it all! Thank you both!!
Was gonna add Pale Shelter but someone in the audience was chatty ๐ฆ
HOH
Wait, play that again! Whaaat, whaaaat? The Broken version for HOH? Donโt tease, TFF! Keep it up and consider a do over where it wasnโt done before!
Weโre very grateful to all our Travel Fan friends and loved ones that travelled to London to see the band at Hyde Park. This show sold out so fast several barely got tickets. It was quite warm and someone allegedly โtook it all off.โ We posted several photos early on including a behind the scenes video and a montage of highlights from the night created by one of our fellow fans whose been with the team since 2004. Merci mille fois a chacun!!! London Rocked!!!
That sold out sign was slapped on this event in less than a few days…but that’s to be expected! xoxoxo #TearsForFearsForLife
Valerie’s gift to the stateside Travel Fans
EWTRTW
Sowing the Seeds of Love
Creep(do you hear the respectful silence as Roland prepares to sing Creep โ now thatโs love!)
Change
Pale Shelter
Mad World (hear that crowd)
Head over Heels
SHOUT โ sounds sooo good!
*These are just some of the cool moments and songsโฆ so much more happens at shows and you really have to be there to see it. Itโs something different in every city. The band didnโt seem to be in London very long. Who can blame them, there wasnโt much time to hang out. Big shoutout to Curtโs Brother Mr. S. and neighbour Lady B. who posted really great pictures. While we donโt share family material we did appreciate that sneak peek into a day with their family. How nice! Cheers all! Enjoy the videos and be sure to reach out and be-friend our new friends and contributors!
Thanks for reading!! Be sure to follow @tearsforfears on all platforms! Weโre in the home stretch! See you in the newsfeeds! @papasfans
*Before the trip to Brasil, we’ll be making some changes around here, adding on some teams and becoming a unified unit as we hope for a fan conference to come…stick around, it’ll be fun. xo -AA
So, Curt celebrated his birthday in Boston this year and the coolest part was the crowd singing to him annnnnd his family was there with him! How nice! Crunch Cake Day went off without a hitch!
But first, a little Bath in Boston from a fellow fan who worked hard to get to this show. See her story below.
Deb, Darby, Pam and others went to the show and had an amazing time! Check out some of these videos from shares online! Reach out to DB519 and say thanks!!! Make a new friend with those who post videos online! These are amazing fellow fans!
Sowing the Seeds
Creep
Head over Heels
*It’s crazy how much this sounds like the actual cassette tape from back in the day. It’s insane really how one can maintain that quality! In most cases, we’ve found they sound even better and they alreadyyyyy were powerful and outstanding… THIS! THIS is why we break our necks and the bank to get to every show. There’s a lot of good energy that just flows like a river at these concerts. You gotta be there to see and feel it!
Shout
Birthday Party in Boston!
*Dear person that sang that with such feeling and emotion (do you hear them? soooo sweet! – And Roland’s nice suave ending! Goodness, get the tissues!)
You can’t miss Ms. Sylvia’s cakes! Every year she outdoes herself with a fine creation that captures the band in detail. Here’s Curt’s 2017 cake! We bet it has crunch toffee inside! Yum to the NTH degree!
Thank you Boston for making my birthday spectacular!! No witty post tonight as I'm spending time with the best birthday gifts โคโคโค pic.twitter.com/S9QeDyWjNt
Shoutout to Darby who finally made it to a show after years of almost making it to one. She also had tickets for Canada as well…offered to give them away to fellow fans. What a gem of a friend! Read her story below!
“Bought tickets for a concert at the Capital Theatre in NY last last year (but couldn’t go last minute.. THEN bought tickets at New Market (UK) as I have loads of friends there and was visiting… but again , had to reschedule my trip and gave my premier enclosure tickets away to another fan… THEN bought VIP tickets for the Boston show AND the Montreal tickets (our family has a summer home about two hours away and thought that might work as well).. in the end I can only make the Boston concert.”
Photo by Karon from Asheville, best show partner of the evening!! Love that lady!! She and her husband were so supportive!
*Dedicated to Adam and the couple from Asheville!
Many of us are still in a state of Euphoriaโฆ
Wowโฆplease give me a minute. This showโฆwas justโฆit felt good. From the hotel to the seats and fellow fansโฆit felt GOOD! Iโd say greatโฆbut GOOD in all caps is what works here with the intonation of โMEGA INSANELY GROOOOVY smothered in euphoric bliss.โ Iโve had euphoric experiences in the presence of this band since 2010 but this one took the cake! My friends and fellow travel fans felt the same! People spent quality time that night and the next morning discussing how outstanding that show was! It was more than a water cooler moment…it was lunch and dinner as well! Here’s a few snippets from conversation!
โI felt like I was 20 again! They sound just as good as 1985 when I first saw them live!โ โ Adam H.
โIt was like I was in my parents car again hearing them from the first time! They sound just as good!” – Tyler
Adam has been a fan since ’85!
Meg and T have been fans since their toddler years!
โFrom a technical perspective it was excellentโฆfrom the lights to the soundโฆit was great! I’m going to more shows this summer and will be comparing them all to Tears for Fears.’โ L. L.
“They Sound Amazing!!!!!” M.W. texting us during the show ๐
Where is Duluth, GA? Is that near Atlanta? Yes, itโs sort of the sameโฆ
I arrived a day in advance, skipping Florida because I was fearful Iโd be worn out in the summerโs heat and humidity trying to truck it on time Sunday morning. So, I got there on Saturday after a lavish French tea party (you all know Iโm all about a good tea social) for a fellow fan who recently graduated from one of the many Universities in Atlanta. Speaking of Atlantaโฆ the make-up of this city is very different. One might live in Duluthโฆbut you still call it Atlanta. Itโs all connected. Duluth is a neighbourhood that touches Atlantaโฆbut I still call it Atlanta. Many people do. In the last few years it has come into its own and has beautiful restaurants, venues and residential areas. Not to mention it is in Gwinnett County which is filled with culture no matter what view one might get of it otherwise. Itโs 30 miles up the road from Atlanta city center and it is spectacular when it comes to events (and the parking is usually free). So, everyone was right and Curt said it best when calling it Duluth and noting that people drove in from Atlanta. It’s also noted that it has one of the highest numbers of Japanese speakers/Japanese-Americans in the southeast and hosts Japan Fest annually! ๐ It is one of my favourite places to visit in the state! So green and serene with lots to do!
Who was there?
When I moved to Atlanta roughly 12 years or so ago, I noticed they played 80s music everywhere. They didnโt play the bandโs new stuff, but older cuts and sometimes deep cuts of various albums from Duran Duran, TFF and the like. Iโd often hear conversations when the music was played at a grocery store or hair salon…people talking about how much they loved that band. Of course, anytime they said they loved Tears for Fears I had to go on fan duty and tell them all about the online activities and opportunities to still see the band because, โthey tour!!โ This led to making new friends and keeping people informed via social media re: band things they may miss or what have you. So when all ย of these people, new and veteran fans, showed up at the concert I was floored!
I arrived at 6pm on the dot and the awesome Michael Magno,ย who is a local superstar and tours with various musicians in addition to a great solo career, showed up with his stellar wife Meg, I almost fainted! I was thrilled that they took me up on the invitation! Not just Michael but many of my media colleagues and industry pals from around the city showed up. COOs, VPs and heads of various companies were present and had floor seats. They werenโt trying to just โattendโ the showโฆthey meant business! They were there to celebrate the band! So, big hugs and shoutouts to those who took time away to be true fan on a Sunday night (thatโs a big deal around here because Monday mornings/the work week in ATL/Duluth, etc is no joke โ it starts at 5am and you need all the sleep and rest you can get on a Sunday to get through it).
The Travel Fans
As mentioned many times, a travel fan is one who travels to shows. Thatโs it. Itโs a nickname. On the front row, there were many! On the second row were several others who were local and drove in from various counties up to Duluth. Third row was filled with fans in their own cool TFF designs. It was awesome and the venue looked full!
I was a bit worried for us because everyone knows we stand up and dance for every show. Why not, why wouldnโt we? Would the Hall and Oates fans understand? I turned around and shook hands with several people as they touched my shoulder to ask questions about various things. Some knew that I was the blog moderator and I wanted to make sure to thank them for following along as well as make new friends. I let them know up front that Iโd be on my feet the whole time but would leave for H&O as to not carry on throughout the concert. I leave more for courtesy purposes as Iโve come to see that some H&O fans just prefer to stay seated. Iโve heard this from other fans as well. I canโt go for that. ๐ I have to get up and groove. So, hey, let them enjoy the show without me wiggling around to every single song. I also left becauseโฆMonday morning. Iโve met H&O before through work functions so I donโt feel deprived of the experience for the most part. Most of my other friends and media colleagues stayed for a bit of time after TFF. They text and tweeted afterwardsโฆthey ADORED TFFโฆ Hall and Oats received mixed reviews from those I know.
THE SHOW!!
Let the videos do the talkingโฆ Somebody hug Christine Zap and get her a gift card to the TFF Merch store for this! Seriously!
EWTRTW
Thank you to Christine Zap for recording Secret World and many others! Gotta get her a t-shirt!
ELAHE
*laughing at myself in my Japanese Street Fashion Skull dress and book purse dancing gleefully in a state of absolute bliss.
Change
Creep
Pale Shelter
Band introductions
Because Charlton shall be loved!
*itโs called a zaghareetโฆ google itโฆcultural thing. #NigeriansInTheAudience
Head over Heels
*As much as this song means to me, it makes me sad to hear it at shows cause I know itโs almost over. Crowd response before encore! Curtโs โWowโ makes so much sense!!
Shout
Awesome photos from Adam are on our Instagram page – we just opened a new one because YT was down for a moment and we didn’t want to delay getting this recap online.
After the show, many went up to get merch. I felt faint, so I went to sit down. The familiar and strangers came over to compliment my skull dress. That was very sweet.
Made a lot of new friends and saw a lot of unity that night. The suburbs of ATL really showed up that night hand in hand and all in love with the band and each other. Lots of “Loving” couples representing our great ethnicities and cultures. It was awesome!
Adam danced his way into the 1000s on his fit bit! We all had a good time!
Curt practically called us Peach Cobbler! Now that’s a compliment cause that’s like the official state food down here! I’m all about this Narwhal’s nightie. Can I get that in extra large?
Thank you Atlanta you were the Narwhal's nightie & exceedingly charming in that warm peach cobbler Georgia way โค
I could say a lot more but I’ll pause here… we won’t forget that night. I, and many others, pray that ATL/Duluth stays on the TFF tour plan for decades! Just keep coming back Roland, Curt and Team! We welcome you here with open hearts!
Meg and Tyler said it all!!!
The band went quickly to Pittsburgh for the Paints Arena show the next morning. It was like waking up from the best all night slumber party and realising the guests of honour were gone! Come back! Come baaaaaccckkk!
We didnโt know a lot of people in Pittsburgh so our stock of contributions is rather low. If you have friends that went to this show let us know. Would love to recognise them and send some shoutouts and thank yous. So many fans got great photos and videos. Be sure to follow these great YT contributors and make new friends!
Shawn Dando captured the intro from a rare angleโฆ stunning!
TGrant42 got Head over Heelsโฆ. Amazing!
Thanks to all who contributed to the show recap with photos and videos!
Hope our dream of a fan conference comes to life soon!
This is dedicated to our #TravelFan team member Cindy who for years has followed a number of bands capturing the amazing shows and archiving them with attention and care. You can always count on Cindy aka ConcertChick. She is easy to spot with her gorgeous golden curls and perfect make-up down to the shoes honey! The nail polish and the glam go hand in hand as she represents the superfans of her favourite bands, Tears for Fears being on her list. For the record, she also does a darn good job looking after Duran Duran concerts, who, as we all remember, are good friends of TFF.
We also want to say a big thank you to @80smusiclovr for her follows and reports back on the good, the bad and the tough life of a fan following a band. There are few things easy about this. Also, much love to the fans that had to stand in line for a long time as they entered? Was reading concert notes and understanding the fan experience. Heaven bless everyone who was patient as they made it inside. Venue was massive, eh? ๐ It looked full of fans and concert goers! Great!!
It looks like hopping a plane and just showing up but those of you who know the drill understand that just like the band, we too are haulinโ it across country to be present. Some travel alone, some follow as a flockโฆeither way, thereโs an unspeakable amount of work involved including taking time away from jobs, family and making a living for ourselves as musicians, writers and industry contributors. We appreciate what TFF does to get to each city because weโre experiencing it as well. Shoutout to the awesome flight attendants who help musicians and fans get from point A to point B with ease! Enjoy this collection of concert clips and relive the amazing memories and magic the band bestows upon us!
Forest Hills Thanks Cindy!
EWTRTW
SOL
BIDA
Mad World
Pale Shelter
Change
HOH
Shout
Sending Good Man Curt some sugar! #Mwaaaah! #FanLove #SweetGestures
Couple of clips from Art Park (48 hour prior).
Subscribe to The Kamherst and DepecheGore3 please and say thanks for these great clips! All kinds of daylight in this showโฆ the sun wanted to see the guys for a changeโฆgiven its rays had such cameos in the SOL album ๐
Intro
Mad World
SOL
Hair conversation, a zaghareet from a fanโฆ.and Creep cover ๐
HOH
Were there any issues? Thankfully only a few!! ๐
Sadly we donโt always have a smooth sailing as we jump aboard the SS DelaQ to go to the shows. This is a double ticket with a total of 3 sets of musiciansโฆ Allen Stone, TFF and Hall & Oates. While our primary focus is Tears for Fears, we understand and respect that there are H&O fans in the audience. We as TFFโs crew tend to stand and dance the ENTIRE time. Given that we are usually in the VIP section that means we are up front in the first 10-15 rows doing our routine like clockwork. With respect to the Deadheads who followed faithfully alongside GD, we, too, have solid routine of movements and swoon the whole show. So, those who may be looking to take a load off and have a seat and a drink are probably annoyed by our enthusiasm. Too bad!
We spend on average $5000 each to travel to handful of shows on these tours. We do not come to sit and have a silent night while the band of our dreams is giving us 110% on stage. No apologies here! Get up and join us or deal with us wiggling around. We paid as well. We also do not believe any venue should follow suit and expect people to stay seated during a CONCERT!! Itโs a CONCERT! This is not the OPERA or the symphony where staying seated is expected and respectable. This is a rock concert at the end of the day and we as fans are going to respect the band by standing up and singing along. Thatโs how we show our love and dedication and we hope others understand that. We do not have a reputation of getting drunk and being insaneโฆwe simply stand up and show respect. Please respect us in return.
Kudos to all who stood their ground and sangโฆespecially to those who were not in VIP and got hurled insults because they came to represent. In future, contact us so we can get seats together. We donโt travel in numbers for no reasonโฆitโs for safetyโs sake. Goal is to have a good time and build new fan family ties! Continue to enjoy!
Wow, St. Louis, Missouri… what an interesting place! The hotel I stayed in was the former train station now turned into an awesome Hilton owned property. It was so big I had to leave my room an hour before the show (which was two blocks away) just to give myself extra time in case I got lost! LOL! I have no idea where TFF stayed when they were there but I had a great time at this property. The food was amazing and the rooms were more than comfortable!
The show was overwhelming! We had great seats on the 3rd row center. The band gave a lot of face time and interaction which we loved! The H&O fans on my side were very tolerant of our dancing and dance routines. TThe Hall and Oates fans behind Becky were not so nice! Karma will find them!
The guys look and sound angelic!!! This is no surprise but it’s hard to believe they can sound so good and even better than the year before…when the year before they blew us away… I mean…it’s like they just elevate themselves with every tour! Wild! We love it!!!! More please! Here’s a few videos from the night… enjoy!
Intro & Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Memories Fade Snippet – Listen to this compared to the original recording…
This is even better!!!!
Change
Creep
Head over Heels
For the shared shows, they go straight into Shout.. no stepping away and coming back encore, just straight through to the song…
Shout
Merch was amazing! All this was $350 for those planning to get one of every shirt.
We try to have dinner after every show or before… the tour isn’t the same unless you’ve got your squad! Very grateful for all the Tears for Fears Travel Fans!!! Thanks for the drumsticks, Jamie!!!
Thanks for reading and supporting our efforts! We take our love for this band very seriously! This band life is no joke and we aim to be present, accounted for and supportive. Shoutout to others doing the same! We see you and stand by you!
TFF Forever!!
-Andye, Tears for Fears Travel Fan Team Moderator
Tears for Fears Travel Fans 