We had our wonderful core travel fan team on the ground for this show, first one on the 2017 tour. You can hear several of the group screaming with delight in one of the videos and it’s soooo nice. Again, this was the first show on this 29+ city visit and it was awesome! It’s so hard to write these recaps of shows as each year passes because the excitement grows beyond anything one can ever imagine. We are appreciative of the time and energy put into every concert by the band and the fans who travel alongside in support! Many thanks to Silver Kitty for snapping photos and providing visuals of the experience! Huge thanks to Bobby for driving! Carolyn and Becky Boom Boom for logistics and rentals! It’s all team work!!
Huge thanks to all of our fellow travellers who fly great distances to scream and shout their admiration throughout nearly every performance. We did a calculation and believe it or not, if you’re going to each show, paid the VIP ticket price, add airfare plus hotel fees …then you’re spending $20,000+ USD. That’s a lot of love to say the least! There are many that are doing 2-4 shows and THAT TOO is a A LOT! You are loved and deserve a fan conference!
Be sure to make friends, subscribe to each other’s YouTube channels and follow on Instagram. The more friends you make, the bigger the shows will be and remain until the guys call it a day! Keep it going! 🙂
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Billie Jean – MJ Tribute
There are very few videos of this show because security was insane and wouldn’t let fans do much more than stand there and listen…
Please continue to follow along via @papasfans for recaps of our fan experiences!
Plenty of shows left to go… We’ve got footage and shares from a ton and will post as we go along. So much to upload!
*Dedicated to Katie K!
There are times when only photos can capture the moment…words do nothing. This show was certainly one of those occasions. Many thanks to Katie K. for her amazing contribution. These are all her photos and should not be used without permission. Enjoy!
Update: Need tickets Los Angeles? We’ve got a set on the 12th row for the first show of the reschedule! Leave us a message on our Facebook page or Tweet us – both @papasfans (gmail or Twitter). Concert recaps and travel fan experiences are noted below. You can find your city by using the search or the check the side navigation for the latest blog updates. Each show will be linked to its city noted here once the North American tour concludes.
As a team of dedicated fans who travel to follow the band, we’ve been gathering and celebrating Tears for Fears for over 2 decades. In the last 7 years (started archiving our travel in 2010), we’ve made a lot of efforts to be inclusive and keep our fellow fans in the know. Some of our fun includes where to meet up for photos, notifications on the band’s prompts to hang out and spend a few minutes with fellow fans and more. Many of us are back on the road again for #Tour2017. Below is an updated list of the full 2017 Tears for Fears concert schedule (global) and those who have checked-in to say where they’ll be during the tour. Cheers-cheers!
Dedicated to Valerie who will be in Arizona and to Katie who cashed out her 401K (not uncommon) to see the band this year. We wish everyone safe travels and a great time!
Air Travel: We suggest Delta or Southwest – please be sure to join their frequent flyer club programs. There is no extra charge and the perks are worth it. In 2014, we were able to use points each time we wanted to see the band. You can earn enough points for free tickets, free hotel stays and more.
4 May Tulsa,Oklahoma @Bok Center Tickets Hotel Get the Bok Center package – it’s the better deal
Several TFF Travel Fans will be present including Carolyn our Midwest rep.
6 May St. Louis, Missouri @ Scottrade Center Tickets Hotels
TFF Travel Fans: Several including the core Travel Fan team and moderators
11 May – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center Tickets: starting at $35 Hotel: several from which to choose, suggested by venue
13 May – Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center Tickets market rate is $32 – $126 Hotels Venue has several from which to choose that are very near event
15 May – Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena Tickets market rate is $35 – $300+ Hotel aLoft has a shuttle, it is listed as the first choice
TFF Travel Fans: Todd S., Lori
17 May – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena Tickets prices range and can get into the 1000s if you use the third party site Hotel Hilton is your best bet price wise…
18 May – Ft Wayne, IN @ Embassy Theatre Tickets $46 – $180+ Hotel Holiday Inn – it’s very close to venue and reasonably priced
TFF Travel Fans: Becky M.
*Congrats Susan B and her daughter on winning the tickets to the show!
21 May – Louisville Kentucky @ Louisville Palace Tickets
TFF Travel Fans: Becky M.
22 May – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center TicketsTickets $35 – $391 Hotel The Blackwell Inn is the official hotel. Tell them you are booking b/c of the show!
TFF Travel Fans: Becky M.
24 May – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena Tickets VIP are still available in section 3 (Curt & Charlton’s side) Hotel Omni Nashville Hotel is really nice!
11 June – Duluth, GA @ Infinite Energy Center Tickets (up to $129) Hotel (This venue is 35 mins from Atlanta – you need to stay in Duluth, not Atlanta if you want an easy to commute to the show – tweet @andyeisthenews for additional info)
Travel Fans: Teresa, Andye, Adam, Meg & Michael Magno, Tyler & Meg, M.W. & family, Karon and husband from Asheville, N.C.
14 June – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Tickets Hotel Sheraton Hotel was the official hotel last year
16 June – Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Tennis Stadium Tickets Hotel use booking code ‘FRONTROW’ when booking at the Ace
TFF Travel Fans: Rachael, Pam R., Cindy
19 June Toronto, Canada @ Air Canada Centre Tickets
Hotel (tweet @andyeisthenews for details about Pantages – she lived there!)
Travel Fans: Half of Andye’s Family
21 June – Quebec City, QC @ Videotron Centre Tickets *You need a valid US passport to attend this show as an American unless you already live in Quebec. The site is in French. Please contact Andye @AndyeIsTheNews if you need a translation or leave at note with @papasfans. Hotel
22 June – Montreal, Canada @Place des Arts
Tickets: (on sale Friday May 5th) Hotel (*Remember you need a passport to travel here if you’re not a citizen of Canada. The law changed and a drivers license is no longer enough ID to enter the country. If you are driving over, dispose of any unlawful items in advance or they will ask you to declare them at border patrol.)
24 June – Boston, MA @ TD Garden Tickets Hotel – Show your ticket at the hotel and get 30% off the best available rate!
TFF Travel Fan: Lady Deb, Pam R.
26 June – Washington DC @ Verizon Center Tickets Hotel – please book now at the rate of $213 – I can’t guarantee this price later/closer to the date of the show… it’s crucial you book now while the rate is still low…
TFF Travel Fans: Donna R.
*If anyone has an extra ticket to this show, let us know. It is sold out and we still have very loyal fans who were not able to get in on the early deals. Tweet @papasfans or email us on Facebook if you have any extra tickets. Open to paying market rate.
12 July – Austin, Texas @Moody Theatre ACL Live Tickets Gen Am standing tickets are in front of the stage. Most of us want these for proximity’s sake…but again it’s Gen Am. You’ll need to be there early and line-up. Hotel – use the same hotels that are used for the festivals…Hyatt preferably.
TFF Travel Fans: Dian, Michael L.
13 July – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center Tickets Hotel St. Anthony or Grand Hyatt are what we suggest
TFF Travel Fans: Dian, Becky
15 July – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green
*Use the info from 2015
The remaining California shows have been rescheduled, please refer to the photo at the top for the latest dates and tickets available.
25 July – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center Tickets
Hotel
TFF Travel Fans: Penni, Lady J, Lady K, Lael, SnapHappyPam
26 July – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl Tickets (Dishwalla is opening, how cool is that!?) Hotel *If anyone has another suggestion please let us know in the comments or via one of our social pages.
28 & 29 July – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center Tickets Hotel
TFF Travel Fans: Yvette & Family, Artemisa and Jolene B. TBD: Andye, Kai, Carri, Yvette, SnapHappy Pam, Penni, Lady K and Lady J
*Ticket for sale: Floor – Row 15 – conact @qtcdior28 on Twitter
22 September – Rio de Janeiro -Rockin’ Rio Concert Series (Day 4) Tickets (this is in English for our general audience – se voce queria Portuguese, escerve a Andye o Marcio).
Hotel: contact Marcio – get his advise for the entire trip!
TFF Travel Fans: Marcio Campos (Team Lead), Vivian
*Hotel indicates a suggested accommodation that has worked for us as Tears for Fears Travel Fans in the past. Names listed as TFF Travel Fans are those that usually frequent shows in that location, have checked-in or have been helpful to fellow fans travelling to those cities and venues. As always, please feel free to leave a message on our TFF Travel Fans and Kooks page on Facebook or Twitter @papasfans.
It’s official! As mentioned early yesterday, the band will tour with Hall and Oates beginning in May of this year. AA met Hal and Oates while working at CNN International and the concert was a true “experience.” So, keep that in mind, you’re going to have more than a good time! Below are the dates of the tour. Many of the venues are places Tears for Fears played in 2016. Others are new places such as Duluth GA’s Infinite Energy Arena (which is actually Atlanta but a suburb/adjacent city that is 45 mins from Atlanta’s city center – we’ll go into full detail on each city in the coming weeks). Pre-sale for those who subscribe to Tears for Fears’ newsletter go on sale Monday (check your inbox for code). Tickets go on sale starting Tuesday for various card holders.
Subcribers – Monday: please visit, www.tearsforfears.com, click on tour dates and pick the show you wish. If you’re having trouble with scrolling down, the Hall and Oates All Access membership page (yes, it’s just under $30) will allow you to buy pre-sale tickets. VIP is about $300- $400 per ticket and comes with a huge gift bag FILLED with stuff. You also get to sit in the first few rows just like we did with the band’s friends Duran Duran.
TOUR DATES
9 May – Kansas City, Missouri @ Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland
11 May – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
13 May – Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center
15 May – Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
17 May – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
18 May – Ft Wayne, IN @ Embassy Theatre
20 May – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
22 May – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
24 May – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
27 May – Philadelphia, PA @ Hoagie Nation Festival
5 June – Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
9 June – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
11 June – Duluth, GA @ Infinite Energy Center
13 June – Pittsburg, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
16 June – Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Tennis Stadium
17 June – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
19 June – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
21 June – Quebec City, QC @ Videotron Centre
24 June – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
26 June – Washington DC @ Verizon Center
7 July – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
12 July – Austin, Texas @Moody Theatre ACL Live
13 July – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
15 July – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green
17 July – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
19 July – San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center Arena
21 July – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
23 July – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
25 July – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
28 & 29 July – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
*Tears for Fears will also be in Israel, UK and Brasil this year. Dates are noted in the blog and our social media sites.
Meet n’ Greets… we’ve had over 50 people request to meet the band. Just remember, we’re not in charge of who goes backstage. It’s usually a surprise to us. So work through your venues to get VIP options and of course keep an eye out for #RollCall tags in updates. When you see that, it means we have gained access to something cool for those travelling to see the band. More info on the way as we get tour preparations underway!
We love to keep track of and follow musicians that work with Tears for Fears. We’re thrilled the band’s drummer, Jamie Wollam (The Drummer Genius – that’s what we call him as do others), has a new site. Now we can wallow all in Mr. Wollam’s world as we know it’ll be filled with updates and cool information. Thanks are in order here to Dion and Paula Smith who worked hard to make sure this actually happened.
Thank you Jamie for taking the time and welcome Lindsey R to the crew.
Be sure to visit: http://www.jamiewollam.com/ and follow along on all social platforms to see the latest cool news. Jamie is so much fun and one of the nicest people on the planet. Don’t take advantage of that by sending him a list of wishes but be sure to yell his name and say hey when you see him out on tour! 🙂
Thanks for reading!
@papasfans Tears for Fears Travel Fan Team
One of the perks of following musicians is getting a glimpse at new music that they have discovered or created. If you’re fortunate and a dedicated follower, you might get to hear it much earlier than the release date. I have lost count of the number of times we all have been slipped a link or two to some amazing material. Well, that happened again of recent. I’m elated to say that Mr. Moyer who made history with Tears for Fears as their saxophonist on the LIVE version of the Working Hour at the Wiltern and for a recorded session has teamed up with trumpeter and long time collaborator Danny T Levin to create a new album.
As with Tears for Fears’ new material, we’re awaiting a release date and as soon as it is available celebrations will commence and copies will be available for purchase. We here with the Travel Fan Team will do our best to get these in the mail to our team and to fellow travel fans. Meanwhile, DD Horns has this incredible video out. Please go ahead and have a listen plus share this info on your fan walls and fan pages. We’re an inclusive group that celebrates all of those who have collaborated with Tears for Fears past and present. We’re thrilled to add DD Horns to that list.
Here’s one of many pieces on the new album. It’s beautiful. I promise you’re gonna really get into this.
This is dedicated to Lax, our travel fan pal from 2015. He is so hardcore he went to David Lynch’s concert and Tears for Fears all in the same night. He’s been doing shows for quite a while. Glad we got to do a couple with him. Also dedicated to Alan Todd who shared some amazing videos. Shout out to Mr. Mendoza who was also there!
Jason DeBord was in attendance. Long time fans will remember him from San Francisco 2012. Took some great shots and did an amazing write up on the show. Looking forward to sharing his work.
Some really cool things happened at this show. You all may remember Bill from way back when. He’s been with the band for a long time. Bill is a hard worker and is very kind, thoughtful and intelligent. He opened the Humphrey’s show with some bandmates and that was awesome. Thanks to his pal Sammy for allowing us to share this photo.
With that said, we think it’s important to highlight some of the amazing people who make these tours so majestic. Bill is certainly one of those people. On numerous occasions he has gone above and beyond to be kind. We appreciate it. We’re aware that it’s a task to remember faces and names. Not everyone can get a set list or a pair of drumsticks from the band but he, Jamie and others do try very hard to be fair and do extra things like that and it’s always appreciated by the recipients be they a part of our Travel Fan Team or someone who is just joining in the fan shenanigans.
Again, Bobby drove fans from place to place as did Becky (who was responsible for taking care of our travel fan t-shirts that were such a hit). So many people stayed in touch the entire time via email, Twitter and other social platforms. New friendships were made and the pictures say it all. The teamwork was terrific and was noticed!
TFF Travel Fan for over 15 years – Bblaze!
Meet Your Fellow Fans Online! Click through and like the content. Be sure to leave a hi and connect. It’s awesome to make new friends in the name of music.
Did you miss a show? You can find links to all the concert recaps and photos on the reschedule note. Feel free to share your concert experience on the Tears for Fears Travel Fans and Kooks FB page. Get some sleep, replenish your travel fan cash and perch! Also, please see the note below from the moderator to wrap up what has been a really amazing couple of weeks.
He knew exactly who he was looking at – thank Susan for this! 🙂
*Tour Pause – Closing Note from the Moderator
Very sad I didn’t get to meet many of the new people that flew out to see the band. When the reschedule dates were released they were on days that I had committed to other events. I’ve literally been en route to something 90% of the past three weeks. Also, much like many others, I couldn’t believe the $1000 total to rebook flights. I would rather put that money toward Tears for Fears merch and tour accommodations. It was a very angering experience to see there was absolutely no way to remedy that. For me it was a sign that maybe I should put a stop to the whole “Stop, Drop and Go see Tears for Fears” way of life that I’ve had for the last 6 years. We always say we’re making up for lost time and that’s why we go to such extremes to get to so many shows. Well, maybe that time has been made up?
Thank you from Alisa. Big Hugs to her!
Wear it with pride! TFF Swag
Feel encouraged to love!
Tears for Fears Superfans
As I sat in hotels here and there, I was continuously on the phone or exchanging email with fellow fans as we scrambled to see if we could get better seats for those flying such a long way. Some even flew in from the UK (Obrigada Paula). Others drove for hours. It was a lot of work! Despite not being physically present I am terribly exhausted. But it was worth it because many of those very people claimed that the band was in ‘belle forme.’ I’m so glad that people who dedicate a chunk of their year to see TFF didn’t have to break with tradition. The extreme excitement of a Tears for Fears show rushed through not only myself as I logged on at night to pick up video being sent to me but it electrified everyone else as well. It was even with us throughout the day. So many of us were literally in a state of excitement for three weeks.
I don’t know which was my favourite show. If I had to pick I’d say it would be Red Rocks. The energy was just wow! There were some really cool moments for the core team and the ROCSaTears. I’m so grateful that the band took time with those that appreciate their music enough to move heaven and earth to be present as much as possible. I know that inner flame of travel fandom and a sense of peace came over me when I saw Tears for Fears actually smiling together with fellow fans wrapped around them like dolls. We adore Tears for Fears and their families. Nothing beats getting to physically stand with them even if for a brief moment. I felt a so much comfort and relief when I saw the band hugging fellow fans and the numerous interactions on Twitter and in person.
Personalised Photos by Manami. Here’s one she did of Tears For Fears as SuperHeroes 2011 based on a funny day in Vegas and Andye’s glasses
Tears For Fears Superfans at the OC Show… Photo by Kai G.
Tears For Fears Fan MeetUp #7 Sunset Station 2012
Why So Emotional?
I learned something about myself this time around and that is, I accidentally became emotionally invested in this band and didn’t even realise it. A few others have expressed the same. For those who are feeling “addicted” to the work of Tears for Fears, remember that the band created several albums and you have purchased all of them and perhaps several copies and remastered remixes as well. They hold concerts and you bought tickets and enjoyed every show. This is what they are offering and this is what we’ve got. When we start to ponder what else is available, we are reaching a level that may not be the healthiest way to exist in the Tears for Fears fan world no matter how cool a Tears for Fears museum or fan conference may be.
The band knows many of us have a wish list a mile long that includes everything from a group photo spot at every show to a website with a registered fan base. What they are offering right now is music, concerts and merch. We will bask in the availability of those things and do our best not to get caught up in a dream land filled with visions of Tears for Fears theme nights at Disneyland (yeahhh…that was someone’s wish and what a cool thing that might have been).
One of many neat shares from the band over the weekend…
#Seats #TwitterThrowback – well timed…
Carolyn’s H’s Tattoo
In closing…
I do hope that everyone had a good time. It’s really refreshing to see that Curt took note of the front row. I hope that, if anything, Curt can somehow get those front row seats and sell them to fans directly. It’s long overdue that those of us who follow the band religiously should never have to fear that we’re going to end up in the balcony being yelled at by some person who doesn’t even own a copy of ELAHE (let alone have a copy of Tomcats and Mayfield) and only came to hear them sing Shout. You deserve better than that and so does the band.
Long live the good work that Tears for Fears has produced and I pray all of us are able to enjoy it to the fullest in the future. And…don’t forget the flight and ticket insurance! Just keepin’ it real…
-AA
This is dedicated to the awesome Valerie M, music queen of the night Melissa D and her husband plus lucky Lael who met up in Arizona for an outstanding show!
“Tears For Fears is just what the doctor ordered. Honestly, it is about living in the present. Letting go, being one’s authentic self and finding kindred spirits in people that are mirrors of ourselves, makes one keenly aware there is a power larger than all of us, and that our whole is larger than the sum of our parts, no matter were we go in this world…” – Lael
Our man Lax was there too! This is one of 2 shows he attended this year.
Valerie has some really cool stuff. Check out her experience. She notes that some of the video is very bouncy because she was dancing around. We wouldn’t have it any other way! Gotta dance! Let the band know you adore them. “Curt is a combo of the guy next door and rock star. Cool watching Roland play guitar up close. Excuse my giddy schoolgirl giggle when he looks at me…” -Valerie M.
EWTRTW
Creep
Head Over Heels
Shout
We met a couple of people online too. Meet Tricia! She also agrees that not much has changed, Tears for Fears sound just as good as day 1!
Just before Roland sang Radiohead’s Creep, he chatted with the audience. These are golden moments for us. We love this and joke he could read the phone book and we’d be happy. He and Curt are quite enjoyable to listen to any time any place…
*Be sure to click through and like the video. Make a new Tears for Fears fan friend!
Secret World – such an excellent song
Shout
Listening to TFF "The Hurting" CD. @rolandtff and @curtsmith and the guys rocked @ComericaTheatre last night. On my feet dancing all nite 😃
So happy everyone had a great time. This was a fun tour full of excitement. Still feeling speechless at the amount of team work and the endless excitement! We can barely sleep! Thanks for reading, thanks for hanging out online and being present at shows so often!
-TFF Travel Fan Team
*Dedicated to the TFF Travel Fan Team at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Curt’s Kerfuffle of Kooks. Huge thanks to Drummer Genius Jamie for the hugs!
“Such an amazing show tonight!!! Gorgeous venue!! The band has never sounded better!!! The crowd was so stoked!! There are no words to describe how incredible tonight was! Not to mention, the incredible gift from Jamie Jamie Wollam! The cherry on top was a tweet from Curt Smith!!! Wow! I wonder if I’ll ever come back down to earth! PS: As always CD & I were representing!!!” – Becky Boom Boom – Travel Fan Soldier of Sound – a real ROCSaTear
Soldiers of Sound armour… many hard core travel fans wear it to every show. These are the “ID” bracelets from the coveted, limited edition “Curt Smith Bundle.” #VIKForLife
Hard to say anything else really…just speechless. As mentioned in the travel fan info, so many fans headed out to this show. The venue was packed. Very grateful we had so many long time travel fans on the ground last night. Huge thanks to those who went the extra mile to support Tears for Fears. There’s a lot to be said about people who dedicate their time and energy to this group. Not enough thank yous in any language to sum up the gratitude felt all around. Cheers all, enjoy the shares below. Be sure to click through, like the posts, and make a new Tears for Fears fan friend…
Thank you Jamie for taking the time and welcome Lindsey R to the crew.
*Drummer Genius Jamie will probably never know or be able to fathom how much he means to us. Some things are just left unsaid because it’s hard to express. Wishing he and the crew decades of good times ahead and we pray we get another 30+ years to enjoy them.
From Lady Carolyn: “The bag he is holding contains a couple gifts we got for him. Bobby Russell came up with the idea of finding out what brand of drumsticks Jamie Wollam uses and the size he prefers, and signing our names on them with different colored sharpies. Jamie is always giving the fans his drumsticks as precious souvenirs and we wanted to pay him back in some way. While we were at the music store, I saw a beautiful black cowbell, so we got that and wrote appreciative messages on it with a silver sharpie. He loved the gifts and said they were going in his collection. We (Bobby Russell, Silver Kitty, Becky and I….The ROCSatears) are extremely honored. Jamie is such a kind man.”
On that note, there’ve been many nights where we’ve wondered how to repay the band back for their kindness…nice to see he was open to receiving the gifts.
TFF Travel Fan for over 15 years Bblaze!
Always amazing weather and scenery, great venue, stunning and lovely…
Want to give a shout out to all of the fans that travelled to the shows this past weekend. Jen, KPC, Stephen, Sad, Dave, David, the list goes on. In particular, we had fans from Atlanta and New York that made the journey. Stephen documented his travel on Instagram. His primary reason for heading to Ontario was for the band and he ended up making a mini-holiday out of the trip. This post is dedicated to each of these great people who went the extra mile literally.
Well, Tears for Fears in Canada came and went so fast. These videos and photos were shared with us and brought to our attention aligning our joint efforts to highlight fans in Canada, many of whom repeated their experience from last year. As Sad mentioned, we always aim to support this band. We addressed concerns about this leg of the tour below. For now, enjoy these shares from both shows.
Speaking of experiences, we had some complaints this time around. In fact, we’ve had some unhappy travellers in the past few shows and this is due to encounters with some in the audience who may not be so loyal or understand our dedication to the band. We can’t stress enough how important it is for us to have a fan section so we can stand up and sing along without people around us telling us to sit down. Throwing things at us, hitting us and other behaviour toward Tears for Fears fans because we won’t sit down is not acceptable. Snoozing through a show is also rude. If you were hurt during a show, email us. We have a lawyer, security and have no problems pressing charges quietly. Everything is in place to do so. A music holiday shouldn’t be a horror show and those that find these measures extreme should be mindful of karma. We’ve been following this band for years and have never seen or heard of people being assaulted until late 2014.
One of the reasons we have this team and try to keep in touch with everyone is make sure all who are making such an effort to take time out of their busy schedules actually get decent tickets and can sit together. Many travel fans (aka anyone that travels to see the band outside their home state or even 3 hours down the road) could be spending that time making money or being with their families but instead are spending a chunk of change to go see Tears for fears. However, the passion runs deep and people want to pay their respects to the band that made us cry so to speak. Many take their whole families, this is their summer holiday or in the case of the reschedule, an impromptu trip. Many went with their spouses and made the show a date night (i.e. famous musician Ted Yoder). We deserve the right to stand and enjoy a show without being heckled or abused. Due to the horrible behaviour we encountered last year, some sat this tour out and have no intention of travelling again unless we can be close to the band each and every time. No more sitting in balconies or random out of the way places. That’s over.
We don’t expect to meet the band nor do we beg for those things to happen (at least not all of us). The times that it has happened have been miraculous and we’re grateful for the many times we’ve experienced that blessing. Still, there are hundreds of us and they can’t meet us all. This is a concert, not a fan conference. But we do feel that fans who travel deserve some decent respect. That isn’t always happening. The only way to ensure that is with a fan club section at a show or an organised VIP of which isn’t “officially” available. So we work extra hard to literally “mine” tickets, sometimes paying horrible prices that are 5x as much as market rate just to get everyone together.
We’ve managed to get decent seats at most shows so far …except Canada. We’ve never been able to really get great seats for everyone due to the fact that these are casino shows for the most part. We have no control over who gets on the front row. The casino often reserves those types of premium seats for their casino winners, etc. Or premium seats get “gifted” or rewarded to other people who are rarely hardcore fans. In the case of Friday’s show, two people in those seats fell asleep…and of course Good Man Curt noticed it…and called them out on it. We support his decision to do so.
Those seats could have gone to any one of the people who drove the long distance to see them or maybe another local fan who has waited years for these concerts. Not sure who those people were that slept. Maybe they were just really tired and didn’t feel well? Hope they are okay but in future we trust they’ll have the kindness to leave and hand over their tickets to someone behind them instead of sleeping through a band’s show. It’s just as bad as people who go to the front row and just sit there. Andye saw that happen at Duran Duran/Nile Rogers Chic too…it’s very disrespectful and a slap in the face to tons of fans who, again, went the extra mile.
Of all the good things that did happen, this tweet from Curt was one of them. He’s done it before (solo show Spring 2011). So Heaven be the faith that moves mountains allowing us to support this band in our merry travel fan way.
Cheers! Be safe, stand your ground. You paid for it!
-TFF Travel Fans
Tears for Fears Travel Fans 