After making a solo trip to the Tears for Fears concert at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD June 19, I caught their June 21 show at The Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, this time accompanied by my daughter for her first Tears for Fears show. It was an emotional night for me seeing one of my favorite bands and sharing the experience with my daughter. Roland, Curt, and the band were superb. Here are a few shots from the evening.
Tears for Fears brought The Tipping Point tour to Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD last night in support of their new album of the same name. I have always loved their music, but somehow never wound up seeing them live until this show. When their new album was released in February, I immediately fell in love with it and have played it so many times that I already consider it a classic. My love for The Tipping Point album made me determined to finally catch Tears for Fears in concert.
When most bands tour, they focus heavily on their greatest hits and might throw in a few songs from their newest album, much to the audience’s chagrin. But with The Tipping Point tour, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith made the bold decision to include a hefty assortment of songs from the new album. A whopping seven songs from The Tipping Point were played during last night’s show. This wasn’t unique to the Columbia stop of the tour. The band has built their core setlist for their entire tour around these seven songs while also including a crowd-pleasing selection of their biggest hits and fan favorites. The result is an inspiring, joyous show that celebrates the band’s past and present in a strong, 19-song set. It’s a gamble to include so many new songs in a show, but the reason that it works in this show is due to the strength of the songs on The Tipping Point album. I would argue that the new album is equally as good as — if not better than — Songs From The Big Chair, their classic eighties masterpiece. I am aware that this is a bold statement, but I stand by it. The Tipping Point is not just a good album, it’s fantastic. The show is so great that I decided to catch another date on this tour, June 21 in Philadelphia at The Mann Music Center. I can’t wait to experience the thrill of this show one more time before the band heads overseas for the rest of their tour. Thank you Roland and Curt for a beautiful night!
Here are a few photos and a video compilation of short clips from the show.
The Prince estate and Sony Legacy have finally released Prince and The Revolution Live, shown here in the deluxe box set configuration that includes 2 CDs, 3 LPs, and a Blu-Ray Disc. This marks the first time that this concert has been officially released on CD, LP, and Blu-Ray. The concert from the Purple Rain tour was originally broadcast around the world from The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY March 30, 1985. The video of the concert was later released on VHS, laserdisc, and eventually decades later as a bonus DVD included with the Purple Rain deluxe edition CD. Dissapointingly, that DVD was very similar in quality to the VHS release. The fact that the DVD had not been remastered or restored at the time was a major letdown to fans. That tragedy has been corrected with the Blu-Ray included in this new set, as the video and audio have been significantly improved. The video looks much better and more vibrant than the VHS and DVD, and even looks better than the laserdisc that had been — until now — the best video release of this concert. The audio on the Blu-Ray is a tremendous improvement too, presented here in 2-channel stereo, 5.1 Surround, and even a Dolby Atmos mix.
The real gem in this set is the audio itself, included as 2 CDs and 3 LPS. The sound on the previous VHS, DVD, and laserdisc releases always sounded compressed, was heavy with treble, and had almost zero bass or low-end frequencies. Brown Mark’s bass was almost inaudible in many portions of the audio. The fans always knew that there must be a better-sounding source for this audio, and finally, that source has been located. The audio in this set has been remixed and remastered from the original multi-track master tapes that were found in Prince’s vault. The result is simply stunning.
When I first heard that Sony Legacy was planning to release this set, I had tremendously low expectations because the audio for this show has always been mediocre at best. Even when a new version was released to streaming platforms in 2020, it sounded mostly the same as the previous video releases, which to my ears was a disappointment. But with this new release, the audio is infinitely better in every way. I’m not talking about one of those remastered releases in which you compare the original release to the remaster and say to yourself, “Ah, I do hear a bit of a difference,” to make yourself feel better about the used car (or more accurately, CD) that you just bought. I’m talking about a day-versus-night difference. A difference so significant that the original VHS, DVD, and laserdisc releases of this show sound like bootleg audience recordings when compared to this new release. The sound is still crisp and clear in regards to treble, but the low-end sounds have finally been revealed in the master tapes and Bobby Z’s drums and Brown Mark’s bass can now be heard and felt in all of their glory. I say “felt” because when I went to my first concert, The Purple Rain Tour in Philadelphia November 24, 1984, I vividly remember literally feeling the rumble of the bass in my chest as the show began. With the previous releases of the Syracuse concert, it was impossible to recreate that feeling at home because the bass and low end were virtually non-existent. But with this new release, I can finally hear — and feel — Brown Mark’s bass playing again, and it is wonderful! Mark is a superb, funky-ass bass player, and his rumble technique has always been lost in previous releases of this concert, but now it’s back and the world can finally hear the genius of Brown Mark and his contribution to this era of Prince’s live shows. Bobby Z’s kick drum is also back in all of it’s glory, serving as the anchor for The Revolution’s groove.
This set magically captures The Purple Rain Tour and is an essential purchase not just for Prince fans, but for anyone who wants to see what a live masterpiece looks and sounds like. It’s essential viewing/listening.
The Great Song Traveler: Chasing Songs From Town To Town 