She's Still Unusual

Subscribing to Goldstar’s e-mail notifications can be the musical equivalent of garage sale shopping. You see an item, you know that you do not need it, but you buy it because the price is right. While I am a fan of Cyndi Lauper’s album She’s So Unusual, her complete body of work has never motivated me to see her in concert. However, I was willing to check out for her tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of this album when I found $12.50 tickets for her stop at the Greek Theater.

Hunter Valentine was an unusual choice to open their concert as their only link to the 80’s seemed to be that their lead singer, Kiyomi McCloskey, sometimes sounds like she is Martha Davis channeling Joan Jett. They were, however, a cut above the usual opening act fare and presented a set that was perfectly timed for introducing someone to their music. My only complaint is that the mix was somewhat hollow and it would be interesting to hear them in a venue that provided a little more thump.

My guess is that you are not reading this review to hear about the opening act. Imagine, if I made you wait for over an hour to find out what I thought about Cyndi Lauper’s set. That is how long it took for her to finally hit the stage. The roadies seemed to do an efficient job of clearing the opening act’s equipment and everything seemed ready to go. A DJ from 103.5 FM even introduced her, but still no Cyndi. They turned off the promotional videos and the show still did not start. I am going to play the optimist and assume that there was technical issues because I do not want to think of her as having an Axl Rose sized ego.

Finally the band took the stage and out walked...Fran Drescher. This show was really starting to look like Spinal Tap. After she introduced her charity, asked for texted donations and did a little comedy, she finally brought out the star of the evening.

Usually, a concert starts with a bang, but as the night would prove Cyndi Lauper does not do anything the way it is supposed to be done. First, she said her hellos to the audience, talked a little bit and then counted the band into “Money Changes Everything,” the first cut from the album, which she would play in full and in order. She seemed to share my lack of enthusiasm for this type of format, but made the best of it as she knows that this is what a majority of the audience wants to hear.

Starting with this first song, the stage could not contain her personality and she went singing and dancing right through the crowd to great effect. This was repeated a few times throughout the night.
Some of the songs were introduced with stories that were often long winded and disjointed. If Cyndi Lauper has ADD, she did not take her medicine last night. They were also surprisingly entertaining.

The arrangements of the songs were faithful to the album, and sometimes I felt that it made them seem a little dated. “Time after Time” was an exception that seemed to downplay the eighties keyboards for a more emotional tone. It was a standout of the night.

The format of the concert also meant that her signature song, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” was played early in the evening. Therefore, instead of ending the concert on an upbeat note, she performed an acapella version of “True Colors.” It was an amazing ending to an unusual night.