Review: Cyndi Lauper regales with charm, wit and yes, fun, at career-spanning farewell tour

WASHINGTON – Cyndi Lauper should name her next album, “Anyway, I Digress.”

The mighty-voiced singer hopscotched through 40-plus years of music on her fittingly titled Girls Just Want to Have Fun Farewell Tour, but also solidified her position as everyone’s favorite charmingly batty aunt from New York.

On Sunday, at the fifth date of a 24-city arena tour that will wrap in the U.S. on Dec. 7 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, before heading to Europe, Australia and Japan next year, Lauper, 71, amused and captivated a packed Capital One Arena for nearly two hours.

It took only one song – the coyly naughty “She Bop,” which gave Tipper Gore fits in the ‘80s – before Lauper launched into one of her meandering chats that usually included the phrase, “Anyway, I digress …” as she inevitably veered off topic.

“How the hell are you guys?” she asked, elbow leaning on her mic stand, her teal-tinted wig a mop of dangling tendrils. She told fans that she “wanted to say goodbye in a really pretty way” – a reference to her towering, beautifully illuminated stage – before she was physically unable to perform with vigor.

“I still do the yoga because Cher said, ‘Don’t stop doing the yoga’,” Lauper said with a smile and a shrug.

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Cyndi Lauper unveils a towering, colorful stage production

“The yoga,” along with a well-preserved voice proved a potent combination, as Lauper, her black-and-white-clad quintet and two backup singers cavorted through a set list that spotlighted the career of a stylistic chameleon.

Whether the airy fun of “The Goonies R Good Enough” or the palpable yearning that anchors “I Drove All Night,” Lauper’s volcanic pipes are still capable of going from a whisper to a wallop.

But that isn’t a surprise to those who have experienced Lauper in concert during the decades.

What is different about this outing, aside from it feeling like a genuine farewell, is the massive production, for what is – shockingly – Lauper’s first headlining arena tour (which includes a hometown stop at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday).

Her artsy vision includes panels of video screens behind and above the stage arranged like a procession of folded picture frames, sometimes rolling scrolls of MTV-era videos, other times blasting layers of colors. Even when Lauper was chatting, a peacock palette of hues swirled in a psychedelic blob behind her.

A small square stage in the middle of the venue floor wasn’t used until the encore, except during the affecting “Sally’s Pigeons,” Lauper’s ballad about a childhood friend who died seeking a back-alley abortion.

“I never thought at this point in history we’d be fighting for our autonomy,” Lauper said as a prelude to the song.

Her voice reverberated with sadness as a sheer white sheet floated and swerved through the air above the ancillary stage, staying aloft only by perfectly positioned fans.

Cyndi Lauper regales fans with old favorites

While the expected – and really, required – smashes are sprinkled throughout the show (spoiler alert, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” closes the night), there is also much for Lauper aficionados to relish.

The traditional New Orleans chant “Iko Iko,” its percussive thrust led by longtime Jason Mraz associate Mona Tavakoli sitting atop a cajón, hasn’t regularly made Lauper’s set list since the late-‘80s. But there was the perpetually animated Lauper in a canary yellow wig, scratching out the beat on a washboard.

Likewise, the torch ballad “I’m Gonna Be Strong,” the 1964 Gene Pitney hit that Lauper recorded with her early rockabilly-pop band Blue Angel in 1980. Her purposeful, mic-stand-tossing delivery earned an ovation – which would be repeated following her riveting stage-pounding coda during “Money Changes Everything” – as fans expressed awe at her vocal stamina.

Lauper also offered a surprise with one of her most beloved tracks, “Time After Time.” After telling the story of how she named the song – Lauper was a fan of the 1979 Mary Steenburgen film of the same title – Lauper brought Amanda Shires onstage to sing and play fiddle on the tender ballad.

Shires, Sunday’s show opener among a rotating cast for the tour along with Elle King, Emily Estefan and AJ and Aly, seemed unsure when to jump into the lyrics, but the two pros eventually hit a stride as phone lights illuminated the arena.

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Cyndi Lauper advocates for voting

Lauper has always been a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and women’s rights and spoke several times about the importance of voting in the November elections.

“You can’t complain if you don’t participate,” she said following a sweet “True Colors,” performed on the smaller stage while Lauper’s hair – now a sleek blond wig – and a long multicolored ribbon swirled. She paused and added, “I know I don’t have to tell you, but I’m voting for (Kamala) Harris,” as the crowd erupted in cheers.

Even though she’s saying goodbye to regular touring, Lauper is hardly going into hibernation. Her long-gestating “Working Girl” musical will head to Broadway in 2026, while this year brought her “Let the Canary Sing” documentary and this successful arena tour. So hey, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, how about a return to the ballot next year? It’s past time to fete this true pop pioneer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cyndi Lauper farewell tour concert review