Tears For Fears & Cold War Kids at Mohegan Sun Arena

Tears For Fears is a highly-influential act that rose to prominence in the ‘80s. The band, comprising members Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith, Ian Stanley, and Manny Elias, spearheaded the new-wave synthesizer movement. The band released their debut album, The Hurting, in 1983. The highly-acclaimed record made a moderate breakthrough on the U.K. charts, with singles like “Mad World,” “Pale Shelter,” and “Change” – all of which entered the Top 40 singles chart. The band’s success with The Hurting comes after they renamed and reinvented themselves. Band founders Orzabal and Smith were formerly in a duo act called Graduate. Their pair pursued a subculture genre dubbed as mod revival, a U.K.-born subculture that began in the '70s. However, their interests in synthesizers and pop-rock implored them to change their name and bring in more members, such as Stanley and Elias.

In 1985, Tears For Fears dropped their sophomore effort, Songs From the Big Chair. The album notably topped the Billboard 200, marking the band’s phenomenal breakthrough into the U.S. market. The record, which spawned several hit singles, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Shout,” achieved incredible success and earned five-time-platinum in the U.S. and triple platinum in the U.K. Both songs also topped the Billboard Hot 100, making them band’s biggest hits in America.

By their third album, Tears For Fears continued their winning streak by releasing another number 1 album. The Seeds of Love topped the U.K. chart and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200. Like its predecessors, the 1989 record was also an international success after entering the charts in 18 other countries. Before the album was recorded, drummer Elias had already left the band to pursue other projects. Moreover, a few years later, before recording the fourth studio album Elemental, the band underwent another line-up change after the departure of Smith and Stanley, leaving Orzabal as the only original member left.

During the 2000s, Curtis Smith reunited with Orzabal, and together they produced the 2004 record, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. Now working as a duo, Tears For Fear remains a prolific touring outfit. They continue to travel the world, delivering their greatest hits to adoring fans. This 2023, the audience can look forward to new songs from their latest record, The Tipping Point, which was released last year.

Grab tickets now to see the new wave act that jumpstarted North America's “British Invasion”! Tickets to see Tears For Fears and special guests Cold War Kids at the Mohegan Sun Arena are now available!