"Mad World--the original not American Idol" Tears for Fears Live Pacific Amphitheater 7/17/09

"Mad World" Tears for Fears Live Pacific Amphitheater Orange County July 17 2009

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Mad World
• Tears
• for
• Fears
• Live
• Pacific
• Amphitheater
• Orange
• County
• July
• 17
• 2009

[CelesteK]

Well, in my eyes Curt Smith will always be the right person to sing this song. Not Gary Jules, not Adam Lambert, not anyone.

And you're right about one thing. There are other songs that kind of lend themselves to large vocals. Mad World just isn't one of those songs that need particularly large vocals. Actually large vocals don't really do this song any sort of justice.

[willowmansdaughter]

Y'know, I don't think Gary Jules grievously murders the song. I dislike his relentlessly, oppressively, tediously sad, sad, oh-just-shoot-me-now sad interpretation of the song but, given that's the reading he's chosen, he sings it very well and in a way that serves that interpretation.

Lambert I'll give you. His take is all "Get a load of ME!" amateur dramatics, and I like to think that Curt's almost offhand performance here is just his way of saying, "See, kid? It's not fucking about *you*."

[MsPink68]

mad world is 'curt smith' and curt smith is 'mad world'

[mykalroze]

That's the problem with most of the singers on American Idol. It's all about the notes, not the feeling, not the passion, not the personal experience that an individual gives to music. They're more about vocal acrobatics and showing off their pipes, rather than some originality. Despite what the youths may think, there's nothing original there. They may be too young, but most Idols come from the Whitney Houston school of singing. Why walk, stroll or even run when I can do a CARTWHEEL!???!?

[willowmansdaughter]

It's not even that he shrieks, it's just that everything with him is about the singer and not the song. There are other songs that lend themselves to the kind of Large Vocals he wants to demonstrate; heck, there are other TFF songs he could have blasted his lungs all over if he had to (not that I'm suggesting or anything...egads!). Mad or sad, this song is contemplative, a thought bubble, not some impassioned plea or cry for attention. He just didn't care: The song didn't matter, just the notes.

[CelesteK]

It doesn't take much talent to shreik which is all Adam does.

When Curt sings the song he doesn't shriek like Adam does.

[willowmansdaughter]

Well, Curt can hardly wipe the floor with the kid if they're not in some syntactical proximity to each other. :)

[CelesteK]

I'd love to see that.

[CelesteK]

You see wmd Adam and Curt's names don't even belong in the same hemosphere together nevermind in sentence.

[willowmansdaughter]

I don't understand why Curt just left centre stage empty like that. It's one thing for him to hang out by the drum riser when he doesn't need to be near his mic but Roland's singing lead and has centre stage covered; but this is...well, weird.

If oddly endearing.

Roland probably came over to ask, "What, are you expecting me to dance or something?" :)