On July 11th 2023, FirstBank Amphitheater was filled with people of all ages, all of them equally excited to experience the magic of Tears for Fears and Cold War Kids. The English duo have been touring the U.S. promoting their newest album The Tipping Point and the night in Franklin, TN couldn’t have been more perfect. 

Cold War Kids kicked off the night while the sun was still shining, opening the night with “Love is Mystical”. The band had a setlist full of hits, including “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “So Tied Up”. While their performance was good, the crowd could feel a more quiet and collected band. During the last few songs frontman Nathan Willett let the crowd know that they had just lost one member of their crew this past week and this entire tour is dedicated to him. Ryan Murgatroyd was the band’s audio engineer and had toured with multiple bands along the years. The emotional performance was closed with the hit “First”, and the band thanked everyone for being there supporting them. 

Tears for Fears was next, and the anticipation could be felt from anywhere in the amphitheater. As soon as the lights went down, the crowd screamed in excitement. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith entered the stage and started playing the first two songs of their newest album, and you could see many fans singing along. When the band started “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” not one person was standing still. The band had the most perfect setlist, a mix of their recent songs and old hits. Their visuals complemented the atmosphere, providing the public with an experience that stimulated all senses. Orzabal prefaced the song “Rivers of Mercy” by saying how that was his favorite song in this new album. This was the most emotional song on the set and you could see the commotion everywhere in the crowd. The band had an encore filled with good surprises, and finished up the night with an amazing performance of “Shout” – the band’s biggest anthem. The public in Franklin left the amphitheater filled with amazing memories and very happy to see the duo still delivering incredible performances after so many years on the road.