If Cyndi Lauper doesn’t color you blue on her “From Memphis To Mardis Gras Tour,” you need to get checked out by a doctor.
9:30 club brought in ‘80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper on Wednesday, Oct. 18. Her 1983 album “She’s So Unusual” was a huge success back in the day, earning her two Grammy awards and further Grammy nominations for her follow-up albums. Since then, she has released 11 albums. With Grammy, Emmy, MTV VMA, Billboard and AMA awards in her repertoire, Lauper is one of the best selling artists of all time.
Opening for Lauper was Dr. John and his band from New Orleans. This past March, Dr. John, the stage name for 70 year-old Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr., was nominated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has also won five Grammys throughout his music career, which gained him a following in the 1970s.
From the get-go, Dr. John took the audience on a journey down south with the blues and some smooth jazz. His band contained a drummer, guitarist, bassist, trombone player and him on piano and microphone. Dr. John rocked the stage in a rouge suit, hat and cane.
To set the mood, the stage was decorated in homey rugs, skeleton skulls and other voodoo items. Towards the end, Dr. John treated the crowd with a duet with Cyndi Lauper. Of course, a Dr. John set would not be complete without performing his infamous song, "Right Place, Wrong Time.”
Lauper started off with “Just Your Fool” and the small crowd responded with extreme excitement. The audience consisted of adults in their 30s-60s, with the exception of a few teenagers and children who went with their families. While most performers feed off of the crowd, the crowd fed off of Cyndi’s energy and jokes. She constantly interacted by sharing stories about growing up in Queens, NY and responding to drunken “I love you” calls with wit and sarcasm.
The first half of Lauper’s set was very R&B oriented whereas the second half consisted of all of her biggest hits from the ‘80s like “She Bop” and “All Through The Night.” Some of the blues songs performed were Lauper’s own personal tracks, but she also sang her own versions of her favorite classics.
“The blues is actually really uplifting,” Lauper said.
The way she danced in circles with high energy as if she were participating in an aerobics video was classic Lauper. For the evening, Lauper flaunted herself in a leather vest and pants ensemble, wrapped together with a pair of black sneakers. Her curly, fiery red hair made her appear as if she’d never left the ‘80s, which definitely gave the effect of transporting everyone else back with her. It’s hard to believe that Lauper is 58 years old and still moves like a 25 year-old.
No one can belt out high notes like Lauper. The woman has soul and the passion she displayed was beyond enjoyable and left everyone feeling complete. Actually seeing the Lauper perform live is a one-of-a-kind experience that people dream about.
The audience was ecstatic when Lauper finished the show with her famous hits, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Time After Time” and “True Colors.” At the end, the show truly became an ‘80s party full of non-stop singing and dancing.
For adults who wanted to go back to the “good old days” and kids who wished they’d been born for those days, Cyndi Lauper was the perfect way to re-live an irreplaceable era in time.
sgore@theeagleonline.com
