TEARS FOR FEARS LIVE IN MANILA, AUGUST 10, 2012 - SOME THOUGHTS AND AFTERTHOUGHTS

          The last time the Smart Araneta Coliseum was filled by a New Wave or an 80's  band concert, it was May 2, 2010, courtesy of the English duo Tears for Fears. Couple of  years later, although not as overflowing as their initial visit,  they did it again.
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          Unlike (the currently hot)  Maroon 5's  upcoming concert here this September, ticket  did not "sell like hotcakes" but all indications pointed  to   another sold-out concert. About  a month prior to the concert , tickets at the Lower Box and the Upper Box-A were almost sold-out with only the seats at the extreme sides available.   The strong demand for tickets   prompted the organizers to add another date. Tears for Fears indisputably has a deep-rooted fan base here.   

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            Among their contemporaries  and several famous 60's, 70's and 90's acts who have recently visited and performed in the Araneta Coliseum it is only them who have managed to fill that huge cavernous and iconic venue and what is even more remarkable is that they were able to do this   more than two decades removed from their heyday. Filipino fans  just love Tears for Fears timeless music.

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            Aside from the rain and the usual 'hold-up' prices of the food inside the venue, many fans had to brave some discomforts before seeing their idols perform. One is the heavy traffic jam at the Araneta Center created by the event  itself.  Many were still looking for a parking space even after the front act's set ended. For a person  who lives nearby, I know what to expect so I parked my car near the venue eight hours before concert time. Viewing the traffic jam  on the way to the coliseum,  it was like a festive atmosphere ( a  Fiesta in Cubao). Another one was the sweltering temperature and humidity at the lobby leading to the Upper Box's entrance caused by the collective body heat from the huge crowd waiting for the doors to open. They let the fans in at about 7:30,   which is quite late considering that the concert time as advertised was 8.   Anyway, I'm sure all the discomforts evaporated once they entered the arena.

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            The large volume of female fans at the venue was highly  noticeable.
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            With the excellent show provided by the front act,  Per Sorensen, lead singer of the  Filipino favorite  Norwegian band, Fra Lippo Lippi, a band responsible for sold-out concerts in Manila during the 80's, the event lived up to its advertising slogan "it doesn't get better than this." I've read some Facebook postings by fans saying that the front act alone was already worth the price. 

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             Before beginning his set, Per Sorensen asked for  a minute of silence or prayer for the victims of the  recent catastrophic flooding caused by the  heavy and continuous monsoon rains in the country. 

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              The first thing I did when I got home was to google the name of the unexpected and unknown(here) but very impressive solo middle-act performer, Carina Round. She sang four acoustic numbers. Her singing was so great that you can consider her voice as a secondary or a primary instrument. This English lady as I have read, turned out to have already more than ten albums tucked under her belt.. She did an excellent job backing up Tears For Fears especially in singing Oleta Adam's parts in "Woman In Chains" and Badman's Song."
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             Tears for Fears' set  was a well- balanced of  hits and album cuts. They started and ended their concert with a bang by bookending  their two chart toppers, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Shout", respectively.  In between, they covered all their well- known hits such as,"Sowing The Seeds Of Love," " Mad World," "Pale Shelter," "Break It Down Again," "Woman In Chains" and included  both "Change" and "Advice For The Young At Heart" which were absent the last time they were here. Only "Mother's Talk" was left out among their hits. Cuts from their  albums plus the non-album song  "Floating Down The River(Once Again)" were sandwiched between the  hits. The  longest stretch of songs without the radio hits was only three, occurring only once thus ensuring no  prolonged  mid-part drop in energy level usually seen among audiences in concerts. Towards the end, they delivered  a string of hits,  beginning with "Pale Shelter" followed by "Break It Down Again" and "Head Over Heels."
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           I think, the  songs from their 2004 comeback  album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, such as "Secret World" and "Call me Mellow" among others, would have been one of their most popular tunes had it been released in the 80's. How I wish the audience sang these songs as enthusiastically as their popular hits.
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            Mr. Orzabal in person has a strong and commanding stage presence while Mr. Smith's cool and calm  demeanor has its  own appeal. Both looked  fit and their  voices  are great, blending perfectly well.
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             After their third number, Roland Orzabal greeted and  thanked the audience for turning up even at a  difficult time. He stressed that their last visit here had become sort of a  legend in the "world of  Tears for Fears" and   shared an anecdote: Back home in England in a supermarket a guy once tapped him on the shoulder and asked him, " are you the guy from Tears for Fears?"  When he answered "yes", the guy asked him,"so what are you doing nowadays? Orzabal replied, "go to YouTube and search Tears for Fears in Manila. It doesn't get any better than that". This drew a loud appreciative cheers from the audience. After their sixth number it was Curt Smith turn to greet the audience. Afterwards, he mentioned that the proceeds from the Tears For Fears merchandise will be donated to the Red Cross for the benefit of the flood victims.
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             According to Curt Smith, he feels he has more Filipino fans in twitter than anyone else. Judging by the packed attendance in their shows here, I'm not surprised.
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             The high level of  intensity of the crowd's singing, screaming, shrieking, and cheering every time Tears for Fears sing  their hits was amazing. It was among the loudest if not the loudest I have ever heard  in a concert here at the Araneta Coliseum. To think that the energy level in their first visit was even much higher. Wow!
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             I noted  that the  peak of the audience's  high-intensity  responses was during the opening chords of "Head Over Heels" wherein they suddenly exploded in an ear- numbing level.
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           You can literally feel the vibrations of the venue as the crowd was chanting and stomping for more when  Tears for Fears left the stage after their 16th number "Head Over Heels."
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          With all the ingredients for a perfect concert present, such as:  a nice venue, great audio,  full  house  attendance, highly responsive and spontaneous audience, terrific opening act and  an inspired and excellent performance by the main act, I would describe the concert as more than awesome...the  best I have ever seen.
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           On my way out of the venue,  I will never forget the ecstatic look in a  guy's face  as he shouted in   vernacular " HAYOP ANG GALING!"
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          Set List:1. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD 2. SECRET WORLD 3. SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE 4. CHANGE5. CALL ME MELLOW 6. EVERYBODY LOVE A HAPPY ENDING 7. MAD WORLD 8. MEMORIES FADE 9. CLOSEST THING TO HEAVEN 10. FALLING DOWN 11. ADVICE FOR THE YOUNG AT HEART 12. FLOATING DOWN THE RIVER(ONCE AGAIN) 13. BADMAN'S SONG 14. PALE SHELTER 15. BREAK IT DOWN AGAIN 16. HEAD OVER HEELS ENCORE: 17. WOMAN IN CHAINS 18 SHOUT