Tears For Fears (Atlantic City) crowd, I pit thee.

The BBQ Pit
1

Well, it finally happened. Last night, my best friend and I, two of the biggest – and youngest – Tears For Fears fans in existence, got to see our favorite dynamic duo in action, live and in person. We made the seven-hour trip (stretched into 8 1/2 hours; thank you, Capital Beltway) on Friday morning, arrived at the Trump Taj Mahal at 8:00, took our (most excellent) seats, and prepared to be blown away. Blown away, we were indeed; in fact, doubly so…in a positive manner, by the spectacular performance of the band, and in a not-so-positive manner, by the not-so-spectacular performance of the “fans” in attendance. A few points:

  1. To the guy sitting behind us (we were in the 15th row on the floor, lefthand aisle seats of the center section) who had the usher come make my best friend and I sit down as we were getting into the opening number, and then spent the next two songs screaming at the group in front of us who were doing the same: maybe you ought not attend a concert of a band you don’t like. You see, some of the people there actually LIKE the band, and were attempting getting into it. I believe we refer to that particular phenomenon as “the whole point of a live concert”. In fact, for some members of the crowd, myself and my friend included, who were too young to have caught the earlier tours, this concert was a chance we thought we’d never get; an opportunity to actually see TFF – Roland and Curt – live. We did not drive the eight hours from southern VA to be told to “sit down and shut up”. While we continued dancing and singing and rockin’ in our seats, and certainly enjoyed the hell out of the performance, this was still uncalled for. Thankfully, sometime between Mad World and Break It Down Again, essentially the entire floor section in front of us stood up, and we were able to override your selfish demands, stand up, and dance and scream and sing our hearts out. You probably hate us for that. Well, good, then. Fuck you. Maybe next time you’ll stay home instead of ruining things for those who came to enjoy a truly amazing show.

  2. To the rest of the 95%-apathetic crowd: nice audience participation. I refer you by way of example to the end of Head Over Heels, when Roland pointed at us to sing “time flies” (the lyrical denouement of the song) for him. The correct thing to do in that situation would be to sing “time flies”. An incorrect thing to do would be to start screaming random nonsense at the stage, which, for reasons I cannot fathom, is precisely what you elected to do. I took comfort in the fact that Roland looked as confused as my friend and I did when that happened.

  3. The above incident was merely amusing and a bit perplexing. The one I’m about to mention was just fucking sad. The main show has ended, the band comes back onstage for an encore, rips into (IIRC) Pale Shelter, and at the completion of this number, stands still for a moment. Then, we hear it. The unmistakeable drum beat that defined an era; that half-measure TIKTIKTIK-TOKTOK that can mean one thing, and one thing only: Roland and Curt are about to let it all out with the one, the only, Shout. The drum beats continue, the bass line begins, and Roland, confident that every single person in the crowd knows the words to this one, raises his arm emphatically and asks us to let him hear us SING IT! My hearty thanks goes out to the (give or take a couple) four people who, along with my friend and I, screamed “SHOUT! SHOUT! Let it all out!” at the top of their lungs. The reaction of the rest of the audience can be described as follows: “…”. Excellent work, folks. Stick around after the concert, yell your fool heads off for an encore, and then, when the band indulges you, show your appreciation by looking at them in stupefied silence. Seriously: what the fuck?

  4. To the woman screaming for “Woman In Chains”…no. Just…no. That particular track is a duet between Roland Orzabal and one Oleta Adams, who accompanied TFF on the Seeds of Love tour. This was not the Seeds of Love tour. Oleta Adams was not there. Unless you would like to hear Curt Smith, a skinny, high-voiced white Englishman, attempt the vocal stylings of a large American black woman soul singer – in addition to rendering half of the song’s meaning irrelevant since no actual women would be involved in the performance – then they are NOT going to play “Woman In Chains”. I will admit that my friend and I were the two guys who screamed “Mothers Talk” in rapid succession, thereby kicking off that little rally, which in turn seemed to irritate Roland and Curt. Sorry about that; we figured they might be able to play it. But “Woman In Chains”? No.

  5. To the guy standing in the aisle next to us tearing it up with hip-hop moves, and to the…lubricated…gentleman who inexplicably stood and saluted Break It Down Again and did strange alien sign language to Sowing the Seeds of Love: you rock. I’m being serious here. You showed love for the band, you showed appreciation for their efforts, and you lived the moment and expressed yourself. Therefore, you rock. It was a pleasure to attend the concert with you.

As I said, a stellar performance by Tears For Fears. If anything, I am doubly appreciative of their outstanding effort given the lackluster (to say the least) level of enthusiasm they received in return. I gather that not many people on the fanlistings of which I am a member attended the AC show, and I believe it…I’d like to think they would’ve brought their A-game with them, and rocked the night away. And sang “Shout”. I mean, come on…it’s “Shout”. You know the words. People who’ve never heard of TFF know the words. People who don’t know what the song is called know the words. Really. But I digress.

Of course it should be said that not everybody in the crowd was as wholly unenthusiastic as the majority seemed to be. In addition to the two guys mentioned above, there were smatterings of people all over – the true fans, I can safely assume – that were getting as much into the moment as my friend and I were…and, as far as we could tell, we were the youngest ones there (we’re both 20). On the whole, though…truly pathetic, folks. Roland and Curt gave it all they had (literally; you could see Roland huffing, puffing and starting to lose his balance near the end), and you rewarded them with little more than polite applause and general indifference. Thanks a whole fucking lot, folks. You really helped to improve this once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and my best friend.

2

Roland, are you shitting me? Admittedly I didn’t read all of your rather voluminous post, but from the bit of skimming I did, it looks like you’re pissed because someone made you sit down instead of happily allowing you to block the view of people behind you. Am I reading this right? You’re normally a pretty good guy, but if you were doing that shit in front of me, it wouldn’t have been the usher that told you to sit down. Just because you drove a long time, and wanted to “get into” the concert, it doesn’t give you the right to shit on everyone behind you just so you can get your groove on.

My neice recently went to a concert she had been looking forward to for a long time (Evanescence) and it was totally ruined for her friend and her because some 6’4" musclebound asshole in front of her insisted not only on standing up through most of the concert, but hoisting various girls onto his shoulders so they could see too. He was big and tough and he knew it, so he just decided “fuck everyone else, I’ll do what I want! You don’t like it, fuck you…do something about it.” She figures he fucked up the show for at least 10 to 20 people (who had also been looking forward to it for a long time and went to a lot of expense and hassle to be there.

If I’m right in my perception of what you’re complaining about, you’ll get no sympathy from me, although at least you were decent enough to sit down when told to.

On the other hand, if I missed something and read you wrong, I apologize.

3

One caveat; based on where Roland’s seats were, I imagine it was a sloped arena-style place, so he wasn’t really “blocking” the guy behind him.

4

Thanks for the caveat, but in my part of the world anyway, people in stadium seating can still have their view blocked going back at least a couple of rows, especially if the person is tall.

But again, thanks. Perhaps friend Roland wasn’t behaving as egregiously as I thought. :slight_smile:

5

I think the OP’s complaints have more to do with the band than with the audience. I’ve always liked TfF - and I’m old enough to remember when they were big - but if they can’t get the crowd to sing along with the encore then its their fault.

6

Without bagging on your choice of music, I have to say-sit the fuck down and enjoy the show. If you don’t feel like sitting the fuck down and instead plan on standing for the entire program, find a spot with nobody behind you. Some of us like to “get into” our concert while remaining seated.

Those of us who bought SEATS so we could SIT would like to SEE the program without having to stand up every 45 seconds when you decide to pop up and down. Nothing bugs me worse than going to a concert and having to play Jack-in-the-box because somebody thinks standing is the best way to enjoy the show without once ever thinking about the 30 people behind him who can no longer see.

Shmuel

7

Well, not necessarily.

If the crowd didn’t recognize the introduction to one of the band’s two biggest hits well enough to sing the opening lines, that’s a crowd problem. It indicates that there were fans – Roland, his friend, and the two dudes dancing up a storm in the aisles – and there were people who said “Oh, yeah, I remember them, hmm, sure, let’s go to a concert, I don’t have anything better to do that night.”

The same thing happens with my favorite band (Duran Duran) too. The last time I saw them live, there were a bunch of kids there (I think they got discounted tickets through their college) who were maybe 7 or 8 the last time the group had a top ten hit, and not born when their biggest hits were released. They were just there for kicks, not because they had any particular interest in the band or the music. They talked through the show, made cell phone calls, didn’t sing along, laughed and made faces at the people who were there singing, dancing and enjoying themselves and then, to add insult to injury, when they got nice and bored (four songs into the show) they all started smoking. (That will be my last concert ever in an outdoor venue.) The chances of getting them to sing along with the encore (“Rio”) were slim and none and slim was on a train out of town.

Concerts – especially for bands that have been around for a number of decades – seem to no longer be about fans going out to hear the music and support the act as much as they’re about a night out with a musical backdrop. Unless, of course, the tickets are priced high enough to keep the riffraff out.

8

Sorry you didn’t have as great a time as you’d hoped Roland.

Did they play “Change”? I recently broke out my old copy of The Hurting, and I was absolutely blown away by that song. I always liked it, but now I wonder how it wasn’t a much bigger success (critically or in sales terms) than it was.

9

A few points of clarification. One: no, it wasn’t stadium seating, it was some padded folding chairs on a concrete floor. We had aisle seats. We were dancing in the aisle. We weren’t blocking the guy’s view at all…unlike, I might add, the group of six people standing up in front of their seats directly in front of us, whom the guy obviously didn’t feel strongly enough about to notify the usher about them, too. He did, however, feel strongly enough to yell “SIT DOWN!” and “DOWN IN FRONT!” at them multiple times during the performances. Way to teach respect, dude.

I could see no point to his behavior other than willful intent to prevent people from having fun. Nobody was doing anything, directly or indirectly, that affected him whatsoever. He just wanted to yell at some people, and since he couldn’t yell at us personally for blocking his view because, for starters, we weren’t, he decided to notify the usher who had little choice but to honor his complaint.

It’s their fault that their primary fan base is middle-aged and crochety? I think not. They put on an excellent show. I know I may not seem like an objective judge, given my username and all, but I went into it expecting to have to make do with a subpar performance. I’ve seen recordings of TFF live in the early days, and with rare exception, they pretty much sucked. Off-key singing, lackluster instrumentals, etc. That was not the case in Atlantic City. They…kicked…ass. They put their hearts and souls into giving us the best show they could. All the real fans in the arena were ecstatic. The rest were just disinterested. Actually, though, the confusing part is that they were randomly disinterested. During Mad World and the middle of Head Over Heels, the entire crowd got to its feet and got excited. Then, at other times, such as during the encore (which they screamed like bloody murder for a good five minutes to earn), they decided they didn’t feel like caring enough to sing along to TFF’s second most popular song ever. I think a big part of it was also due to what TeaElle mentioned. Atlantic City probably has a number of denizens who go to concerts because hey, it’s there, and they have nothing better to do. We met two groups of people who introduced themselves to us as such, and asked us a few questions about the band, which we were more than happy to answer. One such couple were sitting right next to us, and actually thanked us after the show for our show of enthusiasm. They said that fans like us really helped to make the occasion special, and different from the dozens of other concerts they’ve attended.

I agree with those who are saying that, unless everybody’s standing up, you should sit in your seat so the people behind you can see. But if you’re in the aisle on a concrete floor, dancing along with the other dozen or so (whom, by the way, nobody except you seemed to mind) and promptly sitting down whenever anyone tries to get through, you’re not doing anything wrong. If I wanted to sit in a chair and listen to TFF in silence, I could do that at home.

10

Oh, it’s okay. I still had a great time, I just wish everybody could’ve had a great time together with me. Those situations are always the best.

They didn’t play “Change”, but they did play “Pale Shelter” as part of the encore. I don’t think they like “Change” too much these days. Both of them have mentioned in interviews that they’d rather avoid performing excessively from The Hurting, as that album encompassed feelings they had during those particular years that have faded over time, and it is therefore hard for them to sing their old lyrics with any enthusiasm.

Of course, given that, “Change” might also have been a fitting selection. I’ll have to email them to suggest it for their next show. :wink:

11

Awwww, Roland, sorry to hear about the dampened experience. I mean, obviously, it was great, since hey, it was Tears For Fears! But an apathetic crowd can take the wind out of the fun you could be having. I’ve been to a couple of events like that.

I would have rocked out with you guys. And sang all the words, too. I don’t know if I’m older/younger than you (I’m 26) but I love Tears For Fears. Why someone would go to a concert and yell at people to stop dancing is beyond me, or just attend a concert put on by a band they obviously don’t seem to know… :confused: I mean, if someone asks me to a concert and I don’t know the band, I ask them “What do they play?” Maybe listen to a song or two, get a feel for it. After all, I don’t want to end up at a show I know I wouldn’t enjoy…

People confuse me. :frowning: :mad: :confused:

12

Dude, I mean seriously, dude, you take Tears For Fears WAAAY too seriously.

13

Naaah. Call it an inside joke with myself; one that I indulge in here because, hey, it’s an online message board. I do indeed like them as much as I proclaim, but outside my main circle, I’d be surprised if anybody I know connected me with them. Actually, I know for a fact that a couple people mistakenly think Radiohead is my #1. I haven’t bothered to correct them, because A) Radiohead is my #2, and B) who cares? I’m not obsessed, I just like them a lot. A whole lot.

14

Out of idle curiosity, I just did a search on your name and the term “Tears for Fears” and got back 57 posts out of 514 at this posting. That’s 11% of your total that mentions the name of the band specifically. There’s no telling how many others there might be that are about the band but you don’t say their name.

Of course, just to be fair, I searched my own name and “Star Trek” and got 151 out of 5,861 at 2% and I ***know ***I’ve posted at least ten times that without mentioning the show by name so I’m not one to talk… I just have a touch of OCD and am bored.

15

Well, yeah. They have to adjust themselves to the audience (of which, I’m sorry to say, you’re the exception) and perform in a fashion acceptable to people who like to sit down and don’t like to sing along. At a certain point a band stops being Sid Vicious and starts being Dean Martin.

Look, as a (relatively) young Billy Joel fan I know where you’re coming from. You just have to accept that your tastes aren’t cool and work from there.

16

:dubious:
:wink:

17

I’ve been listening to the “all 80s weekend” a local station has had for a few weekends now, and I’ve come to appreciate TfF’s “Shout” a lot more than I did in the 80s. I love how the chorus kicks in before the previous lyric is over, for some reason.

18

Roland, have you considered the possibility that other concert-goers went to the concert to actually listen to good music by a good band, and that your screaming, singing, and general carrying-on ruined the concert experience for them?

19

Have you ever been to a rock concert? Any rock concert? You can sing at the top of your lungs, and if you’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder with someone, maybe…maybe…that person will sort of hear you. If you wish to actually communicate, you must yell in the intended person’s ear.

And if fans dancing in the aisle at a rock concert ruins the show for you, two points of advice:

  1. Don’t go to rock concerts.
  2. If you must, then pay attention to the stage (it’ll be the thing in front of you) rather than turning your head to the side to glare at the dancing people.

That will solve that problem rather nicely. As I said, with the exception of the one asshat, nobody seemed to mind us or the rest of the dancin’ fans, and some people actually got a kick out of it.

20

Yeah, try obsessing over something worthwhile instead, like Paul Verhoven.