Tears for Fears perform at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif. on June 2, 2022. Gary Chancer/STAFF.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Tears for Fears brought their tour in support of their latest album, The Tipping Point, to Shoreline Amphitheatre on Thursday for the second of two shows in the Bay Area. 

The band’s set leaned heavily on the new material in addition to its hits. Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal—who now sports a shock of white hair—seem determined not to be relgated to the category of legacy act on this tour.

Supported by backing singer Carina Round of Puscifer, Tears for Fears played more than a handful of songs from the new album, including “Break the Man” and “Rivers of Mercy.”

Tears for Fears perform at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif. on June 2, 2022.

Fan favorites included “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Sowing the Seeds of Love” and “Pale Shelter.” Orzabal and Smith included one song from their 2004 “reunion” album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, “Secret World,” which was interpolated seamlessly with Wings’ “Let ‘Em In.” There was also the jazzy “Badman’s Song,” from Seeds of Love.

The band members, who were once acrimonious toward each other (Smith left the band for two albums in the ’90s), seemed genuinely happy to be playing together.

Tears for Fears played only one song from the Smith-less era; “Break It Down Again.” Round shined on “Long, Long, Long Time” as well as on the vocal part made famous by Oleta Adams on “Woman in Chains.”

Garbage.

The band finished the set with “Head Over Heels/Broken,” before returning and closing the show with an encore, including “Change” from its first album, and ’80s smash “Shout.”

Garbage opened the show, in its second pass through the Bay Area since concerts resumed in 2021. The Scottish alt-rock band played Concord Pavilion with Alanis Morissette in September. Its 12-song set included many of its ’90s hits as well as a couple of tunes from their latest album, 2021’s No Gods No Masters: the title track and “Wolves.” Unlike that last tour, Garbage was at full strength with drummer Butch Vig this time around.

Both bands move on to play Los Angeles next.

— Rachel Alm