Tag: Libre Stone

Tears for Fears’ Travel Fan Quarterly Update Q3 2022

Dedicated to Tineka Rose’s mother who was a long-time fan of Tears for Fears. Her mother and family found joy listening to the band. Tineka and her family loved to play the albums on repeat. The band’s music helped their mother as she battled a serious illness. May her soul rest in peace and the family be comforted during this time.

The Bittersweet

After a very dreadful injury experienced by Curt, we’re grateful for the turnaround of late despite the shows that were halted. We learned from the BBC2 interview that Curt’s fall in the tour bus was the reason his ribs were fractured or broken. Scared us to pieces! Several of us spent quite some time in a state of prayer, adding his name and the band’s to prayer circles and envisioning him healthy and well again.  It was a lose-lose for both sides with the team having to cancel shows and local UK fans plus those from around the globe who flew in losing their opportunity to see the band after 3 years. Thankfully there were show refunds, and most important, Curt recovered!

Then Her Majesty the Queen passed away and services were scheduled during the same days as the Leeds Festival with the BBC and the long awaited Pryzm show in London. This led to additional cancellations. Several fans had already landed in London when many of these unexpected situations occurred. It’s the tough part about being a travel fan. Some issues are totally out of our control. The lesson we learned from this is to do our best to book hotels and options that have realistic refund policies. We also hope that band management can help us out with timely cancellation notices.

Big shoutout to Lady Tamara who, like many, pushed forward and made the most of the situation. She spent a memorable time throughout the UK with members of Libre Stone and the Tears for Fears fan family. She has a ton of amazing photos from her trip. She’s no stranger to the nation(s). She’s seen this and similar situations before. We’re so happy that she got to spend time in Peter Gabriel’s studio where Libre Stone album production has been underway. She also spent time with Radio Bath team members and members of Curt’s family. That is very rewarding!

Tamara with Dion and Gunner of Libre Stone

Another rewarding moment in the midst of some of the disappointment of the UK shows being paused were Daniella’s dolls. She designed this cute set of darlings with various scenarios detailing what things may have looked like behind the scenes. The popularity of the dolls was so intense she got requests to create a set for various fans. We love them and we appreciate the comfort these dolls brought during what for us was a very scary situation. We’re thrilled that Curt is well and look forward to all the good things to come in fan land.

More Honours

Though the 2022 Tears for Fears tour season seems to have come to a close, we got news of some unannounced pluses for the beloved pair and their pals. They were honoured and performed at the Deutsch Radio Press event this month. Throughout the night they were mentioned, applauded and praised by fellow bands, the media and the event hosts. Then there were a few more interviews, commentary about the Queen’s passing and additional appearances that took place in Europe.

Our favourite right now is the session they did with KCRW. In this iconic space, the band sang the first few songs from the set list of the 2022 tour. It was very touching and beautiful.

Long, Long, Long Time Video

On the 18th of August, we were gifted by the band’s new video. The response was incredible but much like the ILYBIL video, the band was just not in it. That upset some fans. They crave a good R&C dance scene and singing. Some fans were slightly militant about it, noting angrily that the video should have featured the guys. ‘Boys of Summer’ was void of their members but it’s still a great song and so is this one. We’re just happy to have a video but yeah, c’mon Roland and Curt, smile for the camera! Take us with you!

Song Anniversaries and Significant Moments:

The month of September is FULL of Tears for Fears anniversaries for the band and the fans. Some of the band’s best and most memorable concerts in the last 10 years have occurred in September. We’re also celebrating the 33rd Anniversary of Sowing the Seeds of Love and the 40th Anniversary of Mad World.

The 11th of September (2001) was the anniversary of the sacred Tomcats Screaming Outside – Roland’s solo album that was filled with timeless mega beats that are still a hit among those fans that have a copy. It’s very hard to get and when one does find it, it’s often attached to quite a price tag. It is indeed priceless so we understand. We have literally asked Roland for it to be re-released along with several solo pieces from Curt (to be put into an album of its own that some of us like to call The Genius Brain).

There was the 17 September (2011) show at the Wiltern where Roland began gifting the microphone to an audience member. The first one was Andye. This is also the commencement (2010) of the Tears for Fears Travel fans commitment to aim to go to as many shows as possible every tour.

Mike B., Pennie and her brother Danny Cricks spent time standing at the gate with fellow fans in line for HOURS to attend the TFF show.

To top it off, the 23rd of September is the day ‘The Working Hour’ showed up on the tour after being absent for yearrrrs thanks to saxman David Moyer of DDHorns. Mr. Moyer joined the band for several appearances including one that night at The Wiltern where fans were overjoyed to tears hearing that song live. It was an epic moment to say the least.

We also celebrated three birthdays. Curt’s gorgeous wife in August, then Diva Smith, Curt’s darling first child, celebrated a birthday on the 14th of September! You can get her music here. The third of course was last month on the 22nd, the Good Sir, Roland Orzabal began his 61st turn around the sun with lots of love and well wishes in tow.

What’s everyone up to right now?

Lauren is out and about. We saw a video of her this summer singing one of Whitney Houston/Dolly Parton’s famous ballads and it was so beautiful. We pray her schedule will be filled next year with Tears for Fears busiment. Carina’s schedule is filled with her band Puscifer. She was also at the #DRP22 ceremony.

Oleta Adams‘ tour has begun and several fans have their tickets, some having already seen her to start off the autumn months. Her summer tour was amazing and we look forward to supporting her upcoming shows as well.

Neil Taylor has lot of cool shares online and interactions. Be sure to check those out!

Raoul Orzabal’s art and work was featured in the Financial Times.

Libre Stone are super busy with their next album. Several fans and supporters were allowed to be in studio during some of the recording. The legend, Chris M. Hughes was also on hand. The band then had their first show as a group at Komedia in Bath. The audience was packed with top names including notable producers, travel fans and a young Mr. Raoul Orzabal.

Photo by Paula Smith featuring Jamie Wollam of TFF, Andy Carr of ABC, Julian Orzabal of Libre Stone, Chris Hughes the Legend, and Dion Smith of Libre Stone

Many thanks to Darren for providing live video from the show and big welcome to Chris Nichols and Danny Cricks as Libre Stone moderating team members. The band also did a Q&A available on YouTube. One of our favourite moments was in July when the band joined media member and Bath Radio icon, Dave Mason at Radio Bath for a great interview.  We’re excited about the future for LS! Gonna be a good one!

Many fans are still working on their thoughts from the tour, putting together summaries video collections and looking at their finances wondering how to do this again. It’s an ongoing question as we do our best to support the band. We’re hoping residency shows are on the list for the future. The band is busy with next year’s plans, more promotions, conversations and the World Cup FIFA collaboration with Lil Baby! Checkout the song here:

Lots of former fans still finding their way through the new material and material post SOL. That means lots of questions and surprised finds. In some groups, you’ll see people who are returning after the successful marketing of the The Tipping Point but are not aware of ELAHE, TSO, RATKOS or even Elemental. As shocking as it can be, we’ll continue to be patient and flood their threads with all the new info so they can sing along at the upcoming shows. There’s also the new fans in their teens and 20s who are discovering photos, interviews and information that many of us archived years ago. It’s exciting to see them discover it for the first time and share the moments when we were there for those super special events. The Tears for Fears fan family has grown to well over 1 million with over 47 groups on Facebook and multiple fan accounts on IG. The fandom may be close to 2M at this point. Cheers to the good years and those to come! Enjoy this great set from the summer and leave a comment for Mr. Javaruski – he’s one of us! More memories and fan fun moments to share in the coming months.

Thanks for reading!

-TFF Travel Fan Team

Follow: @tearsforfears @tearsforfearsmusic (IG) @curtsmith @therealoletaadams @thereallaurenevans (IG) @stone.libre/@librestone (IG) @papasfans @tfftravelfans (IG)

*Shoutout to Chris Wave for updating the Media Page featuring all TFF TV appearances available from 1982 to present day. There’s also the Band Members in the News that we’re updating.

Tears for Fears Travel Fans in Atlanta
Love this crew! Tears for Fears fans for life!

The Tipping Point …A Summary of the Single’s Release

Dedicated to Shaun Smith and the Friday Night Fry Up team at Radio Bath! Thank you for making release day a two-day party! THAT was awesome!

It’s been an exciting three weeks to say the least. First Tears for Fears win an Ivor Novello award on the 21st of September 2021. Then we get a single release of Tipping Point from the anticipated album whose title the majority of us who huddle daily had solidly confirmed as early as 2017…and really, there was hinting of it prior to that. Music writers were discussing in depth by 2017. Many of us have had a sixth sense about the album. For example, we took one look at Curt’s tweet featuring Cinta Vidal and her gallery and said, “That has a Tears for Fears feel to it…possibly the cover artwork?” And what do you know? There it is…

Artwork by Cinta Vidal

Many thanks to Robert for confirming our prediction the morning of the release! We were right!

Much like Libre Stone featuring Captain Julian Orzabal, Roland’s brother’s band, the guys came correct with it by having not only the CD ready but all merch in place plus the video. All dropped simultaneously and we lept on that immediately. Note that they obliged us by having their names down the side of the sleeve. They know we LOVE that! We always want the name of the band on as much merch as possible. Represent!

One of many official items in the merch store…

There’s also the Super Deluxe option which includes the colourful vinyl and the cd plus the bonus tracks.

Standard copy will include:

  1. No Small Thing
  2. Tipping Point (the single)
  3. Long, Long, Long Time
  4. Break the Man
  5. My Demons
  6. Rivers of Mercy
  7. Please Be Happy (revised since we last heard it sung by Roland)
  8. Master Plan
  9. End of Night
  10. Stay (revised since we last heard it)

Deluxe copy will include:

All of the above plus ‘Let It All Evolve,’ Secret Location,’ and ‘The Shame’

That Video! It was directed by photographer and director Matt Mahurin. Many thanks to David Wild for that confirmation.

Two of the first radio stations to announce that they would play the single from the album were Radio Bath in Curt’s hometown and BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball Breakfast show. Zoe had Curt as a featured guest. From what we learned from him, he was able to join the broadcast from his home in Los Angeles. While he and Zoe spoke, fans from all over the globe tuned in awaiting this moment. Fans as far away as Malaysia were tuned in and kudos to them. High five to everyone stateside who stayed up almost 48 hours planning and prepping for the moment. By 5am ET, we not only heard the new song, but had purchased our merch and shared the release on a number of Tears for Fears fan huddle spots (e.g. Tears for Fears Travel Fan page, Tears for Fears Fan forum, Tears for Fears Peru, etc.). From Facebook to Twitter and beyond, the Tipping Point single was spreading like wildfire to much praise and adoration. The random few who dared to deny its excellence were quickly shut down by numerous people including some negative guy who thought he was special because he had 10K followers on YouTube. That lackluster count was also shut down and he was left looking like a clown. Everyone else has not only applauded the Tipping Point but are writing about it within media and corporate circles.

Messages reflect that the band is multigenerational

“A fair number of corporate leaders in various industries got in touch with me by phone and text noting how much they loved it – including one from a certain famous soda company. I heard from colleagues past and present and made sure to share it with fellow media peeps. However, I do hope they are remaining vigilant in their entertainment news beat and will reach out to the band or management without prompt. I also plan to gently check-in with producers to see if they have any interview plans.” – Andye

Meanwhile, the print media in music has jumped right on it. The best thus far is The Guardian interview, first shown to us by Gwen of Tears for Fears UK. Take a moment to read it. It is important.

More articles featuring the band’s release:

Rolling Stone

NME Japan

Spotify has them on the cover of the Legends category playlist.

“Omgahd, Like Where Have They Been?”  RIGHT HERE, THEY NEVER LEFT! PAY ATTENTION!

The number of people coming out of the woodwork on Instagram with this question is astonishing. The good thing is none of those people self-proclaimed to be their number one fan…cause if they did we’d need to have a serious intervention to bring them off that high horse. The band has been producing music and they have given us all kinds of treats and music since ELAHE. Curt was kind enough to re-release Mayfield AND put together an incredible bundle for us with candy and keepsakes. He even put a full long-sleeved shirt in some of the bags. If you go to shows you’ll see people with yellow bands on their arms, lanyards that say VIK and they’re probably carrying a bag of Skittles because that is the official unofficial candy of Tears for Fears. He also had several events in L.A. and was a featured guest at Brit Week 2012. There was also this album ‘Deceptively Heavy,’ online chats and promotions around his frequent appearances on Psych with James Roday and Dule Hill. Roland joined Twitter for a few years and released Sex Drugs and Opera: There’s Life After Rock n’ Roll which included a book signing at the Winstar Hotel show in Oklahoma. Then, there were 2 Record Store Days where we got ‘Ready Boys & Girl,’ Massey Hall Toronto concert. There was also The Greatest Hits with ‘I Love You But I’m Lost’ and ‘Stay.’ That’s not something to ignore, it was fresh new music! They did this ALL WHILE caring for their families – with pets, two children each, getting their now young adults to University and helping them with their careers in music and art/design. Roland’s wife passed and he somehow pushed through the tears and found a way to create steeped in grief. No, they haven’t gone anywhere. We’ve all been walking side by side this whole time…which brings us back to the article.

If you note, the article describes how the band is living their life all while managing a music career. Meanwhile, in fan land, several of us are hilariously in our “between concerts routine” …like birds on a wire we’re perched and ready with our packed bags, checking the time for the daily Tears for Fears fan huddle hour online, checking Twitter for official band member tweets, and putting away travel money so we can leap up and get to a show at the drop of a hat.

The Family Is on a Roll!

As mentioned in the quarterly update, Libre Stone’s album has arrived in the mailbox of many and fans are loving it! Be sure to join in the fun!

Andye has put this playlist together featuring not just (the) ‘Tipping Point’ but also the aforementioned that the band released since 2013. There’s also Quarterboy – Roland’s son Pascal’s music as well as ‘Bet’ by Curt’s eldest daughter Lady Diva Smith. Be sure to purchase their music and enjoy the Spotify Playlist so the analytics behind it all will capture our enthusiasm for their music. The algorithm will work that into featured areas of the site and more will begin to listen to it as well. It has also been advised by fan forum moderator and members that it sounds even better when you listen with a good set of headphones…like, the real deal headphones. Try it and see the difference for yourself.

What’s next? Curt is going to be on Psych 3 singing “Thong Song” with Mr. Hill. Get your cold water ready…just kidding. Seriously, Curt will be on Psych 3: This is Gus (The Sequel to the Sequel). The movie streams on PeacockTV on the 18th of November, 2021. Peacock is currently free but you can get a premium membership that is so worth it! Check it out!

Courtesy CD/Silver Kitty Twitter

And of course, the band noted that additional concert information and plans will be coming up in some weeks…so, watch their space, this space and subscribe to their site so you don’t miss out. We’ll be here with summaries but it’s always great to see that email in your inbox from Tears for Fears!

For those in the Tears for Fears Fan Forum, there will be a t-shirt coming out soon. It looks really good. We’ll discuss that more when the purchase link is ready. Thanks for reading! Enjoy your band merch! *Little tip – that merch might release before the cd…if it does then you’ll want to make two separate orders. One for the merch and another for the cd. Read the fine print when you purchase.

Thanks again,

Tears for Fears Travel Fan Moderator Andye

Follow @tearsforfears (TW) @tearsforfearsmusic (IG) @curtsmith (TW) @stone_libre @LibreStone (IG) @pascalorzabal (TW) @papasfans (TW) @tfftravelfans (IG)

Another BIG THANKS to David and Mr. Mahurin as well as Shaun Smith and team at Radio Bath!!!

Libre Stone & Feeling ALL the Music

Captain Julian Orzabal and Dion Smith recently released a new album under their band Libre Stone. It is available on iTunes and makes an excellent road trip companion as you head out to see Julian’s brother and music comrades, Tears For Fears in the UK this summer. Julian has collaborated with musicians in the past including Tears for Fears, DelaQ and with Alisa McCathern to name a few as mentioned on the Members section of this archive. He’s got some great work and it has a style of its own that is captivating and hits the spot. You’ll really like it so be sure to get your copy while it’s available.

Being swept up in this circle of audio artistry and musicians is actually quite relaxing and euphoric. The emotions their music bring forth are spiritual in nature meaning it feels rather divine and rooted deep in the universal bond we as humans have with rhythm. Whether you feel you can dance or not, we all move to music in our own way. Tears for Fears have certainly pulled on our emotions, often from a place we didn’t know existed. When you listen to tracks from Captain Orzabal under DelaQ such as Butterfly and 20th Century, which are top picks, one can easily be swept away. Like a good meal, you want to hush up and enjoy it. It’s the kind of music that fills the void of silence in just the right way as you travel or contemplate. It’s a piece of fabric that is woven into a moment in your life. When you listen to it you don’t forget where you were or what was going on in your life. It becomes part of your life’s soundtrack.

TFF Soldiers
Mr. Wenner’s pristine TFF collection includes this rare find – EWTRTW soldiers…

Fans’ dedication is shown in so many ways. For example, there are several who keep immaculate collections of their work, the concert t-shirts and guitar picks thrown into the crowd. Some have been lucky enough to get more than one set of drumsticks from Jamie Wollam and have shrined those as well. Just look at those well kept, next to new soldiers that were part of the EWTRTW collection. As soldiers of sound, we certainly find this to be a thing of beauty! Nice job Mr. Wenner!

 


Again, the way Tears for Fears’ music has become vastly memorable and important to pop culture, the Orzabal and Smith families’ work has created a sort of virtual island for many fans to live on daily. A great example is a newly formed Facebook group called Tears Roll Down (administered by Darren Hull). After being a part of another of the 56 TFF dedicated groups on Facebook, Darren wanted a space where superficial details were not the focus. Instead, it’s about the collection of the band’s music as well as gathering with others at concerts. But most important, it’s to celebrate the legacy of the work and the various tracks.
While sharing photos of his recent concert attendance at Hampton Court where Tears for Fears played back to back on the 18th and 19th of June, Darren mentioned the reaction of a guy three times his size and how overcome with emotion he was at the show. He states,

“Last nite was the nuts 4 rows from stage. TFF on fire Best crowd reaction/atmosphere I’ve been in. The guy crying next to me, a lady in front kept turning round and fist bumping me while we sang. A couple behind me dancing away like crazy Amazing it was.”

He also noted that the man bear hugged him after the show and then went his merry way. It should be noted that this happens A LOT at shows. The band brings out some of the most comforting, soothing and, again, euphoric energy. It’s very lifting. People who did not know each other before, soon know each other VERY well. For example, in 2015, at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, a man turned around and smooched Andye, the TFF Travel Fan Moderator. They’d never met before and he was vaguely familiar with the work of the travelling crew.

“We were all drenched with sweat from head to toe and as if it were Woodstock. He had been taking amazing photos all night. At one point we were all intertwined on that front row, as if we’d all just shared an UBER ride to the show. When the concert ended no one left. Instead, people just starting turning toward their neighbour hugging and smooching. It was like someone had sprinkled brotherly love dust over the venue. I’ll never forget that night. It was surreal. You usually only see people that interlocked at airports when a loved one is about to move away.”

This isn’t the first time, it continued in 2017 in Tulsa Oklahoma after the show among the fans. Tears for Fears and those musicians that are a part of the sphere bring out a sense of humanity, brotherhood and humbleness that is indescribable.

The dedicated love the band and respect their families. Their level of respect and love goes as far as being willing to sacrifice a moment to say hello if the band members are spotted heading back to their hotels or on their way out. Julian, DelaQ, Alisa and others that are present in the TFF Universe, are a bit more accessible and one can pour their feelings into their appreciation of them via Facebook wall posts, Twitter feeds and Instagram. But we still want to keep our wits about us. One fan from Boston noted that she’s often just looked the other way because she knows they need their privacy. “After the show I went back to my hotel and I just happened to be on the same elevator as one of the band members. I politely smiled and then got off on the wrong floor because I didn’t want them to think I was going to share their location. I’m very aware of that type of behaviour and I didn’t want them to live with that fear.” She also noted that she’s seen them before at their hotels on countless trips to enjoy and support their music but she goes the other way because she just doesn’t want them to feel like they have to keep performing even after they get off stage. “They’re musicians, they need their rest more than most. That’s an hour and a half show. That’s a lot to give. Once it’s done, they’re done. That’s all we should respectfully expect.”
We hear that! That’s all we should respectfully expect.

“It is tough when you’ve flown over one or two continents and you REALLY want to tell them what an impact they have made on us. Or perhaps they finally came to your town after you waited to see them for 20 years…however, we have to learn to enjoy the energy they have at that moment and call it. It is one of the hardest things we have to be brave enough and self-controlled enough to do/be as fans. It’s excruciating really.” -ANM

All emotions and expressions of admiration within the space of those shows or online when conversing with members of Libre Stone, TFF and those residing in this sphere are valid, understood, shared and expected. Many talk about how much they cry at the shows or while listening to the band’s music. They don’t know where this emotion is coming from but it is such a release. You literally let it all out. All your woes drain you and you are on cloud 9 for quite a while. Coming down from that can be as painful as sugar, coffee and stimulant withdrawal. In some cases, it is essential to seek medical attention just to get through it. That’s how intense the shows are in addition to new albums or events where they are present. It’s a miracle we can even hold it together.

Thanks for reading!

-TFF Travel Fan Team

P.S. Friendly reminder the online birthday party starts at midnight BST on the morning of the 24th. Get your crunch cakes ready and sing happy birthday to Mr. Curt Smith!