It was a concert for the ages, particularly for fans of a certain age who've been following Cyndi Lauper since the early 1980s. But there were also gaggles of young women dancing along as the veteran singer-songwriter performed her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour on November 26 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
After a brief DJ set with drag queen Trixie Mattel, the '80s recorded hits continued until the more loudly-played classic Blondie song, "One Way or Another" signaled the 9pm start of a concert full of Lauper's classic hits and a few favorite cover songs.
The Grammy, Tony, and Emmy-winning artist (one Oscar short of an EGOT) has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. She's also, of course, long been a stalwart activist and LGBTQ ally.
After a dazzling montage of her career highlights shown on a dozen projection screens, Lauper kicked off with "She Bop," the wacky anthem to self-pleasure. She and her band and backup singers continued with her song, "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough," from the popular film. She also paused to name several of the performers in the music video.
The mood settled into a more contemplative tone as she then performed the Prince song, "When You Were Mine." But Lauper brought the pace up with passion in her own song, "I Drove All Night."
Mentioning afterward that it was about empowerment, that a woman behind the wheel of a car has control, was one of many storytelling moments that were insightful, touching, and sometimes funny. She talked about women's rights and the intent behind some of her songs like "Who Let in the Rain."
She briefly left the stage for one of many wardrobe and wig changes. The band struck up a fun instrumental percussion break until Lauper emerged from a trap door, donned a metal chest-plate washboard and strummed on it as they performed the Sugar Boy and His Cane Cutters song, "Iko Iko."
Peeling off her Caribbean puffy sleeves, Lauper looked splendid in a sharp red blazer and black thigh-high boots. She then performed "Funnel of Love," and mentioned that the song's composer, Wanda Jackson, an early Black female rock musician in the 1950s, never got true credit for talents.
Before performing "Sally's Pigeons," Lauper shared the backstory of the song about her childhood neighborhood and a man who raised pigeons. Animation on the screens and a floating fan-blown piece of gauzy white fabric above the central platform danced in air in beguiling patterns as she sang.
Lauper than performed a cover of the Frankie Laine song, her reconstructed version of "I'm Gonna Be Strong" (a personal favorite that Lauper has performed with Blue Angel before forming her own band). The song also proved that at 71, Lauper still has all her vocal chops, as she hit all the right high notes with aplomb.
Shifting to a stunning black gown with a long train, Lauper took a serious tone as she pulled off another colorful wig to reveal a black skull cap. It was a dramatic moment after she quoted one of her designers, Christian Siriano; "The gays want glamour."
After a brief backstage video of another costume change, with makeup and hair assistants comically fussing over her, "Sisters of Avalon" and "Change of Heart" brought the pace up, as the projected visuals continued a dazzling array of thematic images and videos.
Encouraging the audience to participate by lighting up their cell phones, the entire arena glowed as she performed the favorite, "Time After Time." But then the tempo picked up to a rousing green-lit performance of The Brains' song, "Money Changes Everything."
After walking through the crowd to the central platform, Lauper performed "Shine," and then "True Colors" while holding a rainbow-colored floating piece of fabric. On her way back to the main stage, on video screens, we could see her giving a brief hug to California Representative Nancy Pelosi, who seemed just a bit starstruck.
After a brief pause, the expected encore performance of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" included Mattel singing along, and the song was accompanied by an array of red-dots-on-white costumes and projections in honor of visual artist Yayoi Kusama.
Politically focused, with mentions of the fragility of women's reproductive and civil rights, Lauper's concert was more than just about music. Fans could scan a QR code to donate to the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund at the Tides Foundation to support efforts that advance women's rights and health.
Despite the majority of her popular music being associated with the 1980s, as an artist, Lauper continues to be relevant and timely as ever. She even mentioned her upcoming project, the musical adaptation of the film "Working Girl."
Cyndi Lauper's tour continues in U.S. cities through November, with February-April 2025 shows in Europe, Australia and Japan.
www.cyndilauper.com
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