Tears for Fears rules Bethel Woods with timeless hits

The thousands in the crowd at the site of the original Woodstock wouldn’t stop cheering on Wednesday, July 5, as they did their best to get Tears for Fears back on stage for an encore at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Bandleaders, Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal, obliged.

The two British chaps, who started playing together when they were 14, finished off the night playing soaring renditions of “Change” from their 1983 debut album “The Hurting” and topped it off with their 1984 megahit “Shout.”

The new wave group shook the airwaves in the 1980s with a string of chart-topping singles like “Head over Heels” and “Sowing the Seeds of Love.”

Through the years

The group demonstrated how they have progressed from a group associated with the era of early 1980s British synthesizer pop rock acts like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Naked Eyes and Simple Minds to an even more sophisticated form of music.

The band opened the show with two powerful performances of songs from their latest album “The Tipping Point,” which has been heralded as their best work since their 1989 album “The Seeds of Love,” and in some ways may have surpassed it.

After playing “No Small Thing” and the title track, the band elicited a throng of cheers as they moved into their 1985 classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” from their multi-platinum record “Songs from the Big Chair.”

The song received an elevated push into pop culture memory when it served as the backdrop of a memorable ending for the 1985 Val Kilmer film “Real Genius.”

You didn’t have to be around then to feel the goosebumps as the opening guitar and keyboard notes gave way to the opening words from Smith’s piercing vocals: “Welcome to your life, there’s no turning back. Even while we sleep, we will find you acting on your best behavior, turn your back on Mother Nature. Everybody wants to rule the world.”

Orzabal’s range has developed a deep baritone, bringing a foundational quality to the songs. At the same time, it is Smith’s tenor vocals – most pronounced on “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Pale Shelter” and “Change,” that keep you hanging on every note.

Memory lane

By the time they reached “Mad World,” everyone was on their feet. The song catapulted the group’s fame to a new generation of fans after it became a hit again 20 years ago when covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the big screen’s “Donnie Darko.”

Smith and Orzabal appeared to relish being at Bethel Woods, though Smith joked he had forgotten about the humidity when he went for a run a day earlier. Smith told the crowd that he and his wife were married in Rhinebeck 26 years ago at a vacation home they owned while living in Manhattan. These days, both Smith and Orzabal reside in California.

On drums during the show was Jaime Wollam, who has toured with them since 2010. On keyboards, organ and synthesizer was Doug Petty. On guitar was Charlton Pettus, who also plays keyboards on their latest album. On backing vocals was Lauren Evans, providing a key backstop for the group’s higher notes.

None of their songs are more dynamic than “Shout,” with its unique blend of the main organ riff, drumming sequences and synthesizers along with the introspective lyrics: “In violent times, you shouldn’t have to sell your soul.”

As Orzabal put on the finishing touches for the “Shout” guitar solo to end the night, he looked out on the crowd with a grin – knowing that a solo he wrote 39 years ago was just as powerful today as it was back then.