Last night’s True Colors show at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall was a lot like tour organizer Cyndi Lauper’s feathered, rainbow umbrella hat — colorful, funny, and very, very gay. Of course, considering the show (which also featured Margaret Cho, Erasure, Rosie O’Donnell, Debbie Harry, the Dresden Dolls, and the Gossip) supports the Human Rights Campaign, anything less would’ve bordered on objectionable.
Despite the packed bill, though, the star of the show was undoubtedly Lauper, who stalked the stage and engaged the audience with the kind of youthful energy that makes it easy to forget her landmark album She’s So Unusual is close to 25 years old. It helped that Lauper wasn’t afraid to strap on her guitar and breathe fierce new life into old gems; "When You Were Mine" never sounded more desperate, and a slowed-down, honky-tonk-ish "She Bop" made you half expect to see a tumbleweed roll across the stage during the song’s trademark whistle breakdown. Even better, a back-to-back assault of two of Lauper’s greatest achievements, "I Drove All Night" and "Money Changes Everything," proved her voice has only grown stronger and more poignant with age. Who else can make a shriek sound so glorious? (Bonus points for dusting off obscure hits like "Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" and "Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough." Yay!)
Lauper was joined on stage for her last two numbers, "Shine" and"Girls Just Want to Have Fun," by guest drummer O’Donnell, who thwackedaway to the beat like she was still unleashing some post-Viewhostility. Her earlier standup set didn’t aim high, but played well tothe friendly crowd, particularly her abortion-rights zinger that, "Idon’t think anybody should have control of my body except me andAngelina Jolie," and subsequent comment that her wife "Kelli hates thatjoke." O’Donnell, clad in a black, lacy top and yellow Crocs (le gasp!)also took a swing at her View colleagues ("they’ll stab you inthe back with a high heel on live television!") and joked abouttabloids overestimating her weight at 300 lbs ("I’ve got an 80-poundswing. Let’s go to Baskin-Robbins!").
Cho, who served as emcee, scored far bigger laughs in betweenmusical acts with material that’s mostly too blue to get reprinted in afamily blog, particularly a vulgar but hilarious rap duet with DianaYanez about her nether-regions (catch the YouTube video if you dare). Cho also labeled Craigslist the "Penny Saver" of gay hook-ups, and skewered celebrities like Isaiah Washington and Anne Coulter who’ve uttered homophobic slurs in public. "In gay rehab, you have to direct an all-trannie version of The Vagina Monologues," she declared to whooping applause.
Of the remaining headliners, Erasure fared far better than Harry,partly because the band didn’t skimp on its greatest hits ("Chains ofLove," "Oh L’Amour," "A Little Respect"), and also because lead singerAndy Bell seemed to be having as much fun as the audience, which leaptto its feet midway through the band’s set and remained standing for therest of the night. By comparison, Harry didn’t play a single hit fromthe Blondie years, and far worse, made no effort to engage the audiencewhile perfunctorily performing material from a yet-to-be-released solodisc. How about a little intro to (or explanation about) those newsongs? Or maybe a couple thoughts about the night’s civil-rights theme?No? All you’re gonna do is give a listless take on "French Kissin’ inthe USA"? Sorry, Debbie, not even a house full of jubilant gays aregonna get worked up over that. Maybe next time, you can take notes onthe Dresden Dolls, a duo who can take a keyboard, a drum set, and abunch of songs I’ve never heard before, and make me want to visit theiTunes store in the morning
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Love the lady. I have the best of Cyndi Lauper. She is fun! It’s nice to hear the show was a success.
Slezak, you’re gay and you DON’T know the Dresden Dolls?!! They’re gonna revoke your membership card, man!
while cyndi and erasure were both outstanding, they’ve been touring over the last few years and really focus on enjoying the show with their core audience. what really surprised me was how little deborah harry had to say and how bored she looked onstage.
and what about the gossip? heard of them only on the trashy blogs, but they really impressed me. i’ve already put their stuff on my itunes. not at all my genre, but a fantastic set.
overall, while i enjoyed the show in total, i was disappointed in the lack of diversity onstage. there were no black or hispanic artists performing, only margaret mc’ing. there are a slew of upcoming queer acts of color (just look on sponsor logo’s music show/website), so they could have done better there.
but, the show still rocked.
Saw the concert tonight in Toronto at an outdoor venue and it was spectacular! Nothing like a gay concert during Pride week. Rememeber Cher’s?
like all great artists this tour is skipping pittsburgh (i know, who wouldn’t skip us?), but anyway, i would love to see erasure and see cyndi lauper for the fourth time (she is NEVER boring or disappointing, LUV HER!!!) but i’ll have to settle for this board. oh well.
um hello, where’s the love for beth ditto and the gossip? saw the show in boston and beth ditto onstage with cyndi, she almost stole the show…dresden dolls were only okay, a testament to how good their shows usually are!!!
I though the dresden dolls were great – and that Diana Yanez & Margaret Cho’s routine was really funny.
I’ve always thought Cyndi Lauper was one of the best songwriters to come out of the 80s, and definitely an inspiring singer. I’m so gay.
The True Colors tour is fantastic! I loved all the performances. Thanks to all the artists for your support and wonderful music. Cyndi was the best…she has such a good heart and unlimited energy. I loved Debbie Harry’s new songs…give her a chance and listen.
Saw the show last night in Toronto. Without a doubt, Erasure stole the show. Cyndi tried hard, but she was ill-served by technical difficulties, but she still gave a great performance. Debbie Harry looked and sounded great, but way too many obscure songs, and she didn’t even perform the gay classic “I Want That Man”! Shame! Margaret Cho was hilarious. I love how she refuses to cater to expectations, and she’s still adorable. I can’t wait for next year!
Saw the concert in Columbus, and I had almost the exact same review as you! I was soo disappointed in Debbie Harry, and became very interested in the DD’s. Cyndi and Margaret rocked!!
I’ve seen most of the bands in the lineup but have to say was most disappointed with Debbie Harry. I’m all about her promoting her new solo efforts but Erasure slid a few new songs in with a LOT of greatest hits for a seamless show. Debbie just looked like she was going thru the motions until the next show. (Must agree with the previous post, too: “I Want that man”, Pride Month, audience full of gays…?!?!)
Her “Two Times Blue” is a great single, though, definitely worth a trip to iTunes!!
Erasue and Cyndi Lauper rocked the house in Houston!! Debbie Harry was a complete let down. I was soooo looking forward to hearing Rapture, Heart of Glass, Call Me, etc…
This woman was hot in the late 70’s…what the he!! happened?
The True Colors Tour in Denver was amazing! Cyndi Lauper is absolutely amazing! What a voice! Her presence on stage was absulutely amazing! Can’t wait to see all of them again in San Diego!
Great cause! Cyndi is brilliant! I adore her!Can’t wait to hear her new album! Go Cyndi! We Love You!
Cyndi Lauper is a champion for Gay Rights!
C’mon at the age of 62, I think that Debbie has earned the right to put on a show that can satisfy her needs to break free from the Blondie image (Debbie was there adn NOT Blondie, right?) I’m sure if she had to sing that sweepie-vac song one more time she would have goneinsane. I guess she wanted to put on a show that highlighted some of her earlier solo gems like French Kissin and the film-defining Rush Rush, along with a group of new songs that seemed to relate to the isues at hand; unrequited love like in If I Had You, the warped sence of personal intimicy in NECESARY EVIL, the erotic, seductive straiins of Heat Of The Moment, the angst of School for Scandalthe sexually pleading and teasing og You’re Too Hot, and finally the simple “I Will Survive: and you won;t anthem of Two Times Blue” Now if people only paid attention to the thoughtfulmess of Debbie’s selections and actually enjoyed them for what they were, maybe a different set of reviews might be coming.
Be warned this show is very X-Rated. We went hoping for great music and found the F word 30 times in less than 30 minutes. The Dresden Doll’s coin operated toy describes gay anal sex… a show NOT for the family. We stood in the (long)line for refunds and got our money back. Way over the top. Buy the great music on Itunes and stay home. Not worth the filth in my humble opinion. (certainly you guys are open minded enough to accept this opinion and not blast it, right?)
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