Photos + Review: Tears For Fears at Jones Beach Theater (July 25, 2022)

Photos and Article by Omar Kasrawi

There are concerts where the whole arena knows your songs. Where you could unplug the power to the band and the audience wouldn’t miss a beat belting out the hits. You expect that from songs that were as massive as Tears for Fears’ iconic 80s hits like “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”. It’s when you can see that happen with a band’s brand new studio album – in this case the aforementioned’s “The Tipping Point”, which was released only a few months prior – that you know you’re watching something special. Cause on a beautifully breezy Sunday night in July, that’s exactly what happened as Tears for Fears closed out their recent North American tour by returning to Jones Beach, after almost exactly 32 years.

Before Tears For Fears took the stage, the audience was primed by a rollicking set from alt-rock superstars, Garbage. The band was the perfect opening act on this night, even if it remains a little weird to see Shirley Manson, Butch Vig, and company perform in daylight.

On any other given night, the capacity crowd at Jones Beach would be there to see Garbage rock out, but this night belonged to boys from Bath, England. The band played a masterful set that night, sounding crisp and energetic. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith chose a diverse set of songs from their catalog and mixed some arena-ready rockers off their new album. And they regaled the crowd with stories about their past, particularly paying homage to Long Island’s fabled WLIR radio station – one of the early champions of the band on this side of the country.

The show made one thing abundantly clear, the duo still sound like they are in their primes. They had complete control of the audience from the opening notes of new tracks like (and opening number) “No Small Thing” to their staples, such as “Sowing the Seeds of Love”. Gone may be their days of curly-haired mullets and cable-knit sweaters but as long as their voices and arrangements remain this powerful, the band and its music will always be a must-see.

Find a set of photos from both Garbage and Tears For Fears below, all taken by Omar Kasrawi

Garbage: