Cyndi Lauper at Target Center, Minneapolis MN (2024-12-04)

(Reporting and photos from fan-in-the-stands John "PBS" Rafalski)

More than forty years on, Girls Still Wanna a Have Fun!

On her arena-sized Farewell Tour (a wave goodbye only to multi-city touring), 80’s pop icon Cyndi Lauper brought her stage production and numerous hit songs to the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, and our resident fan-in-the-stands, was there to take it all in!

Nashville by-way-of Texas singer-songwriter Gayle (stylized in all caps) opened the evening with a dose of girl power of her own, even paying homage to the headliner by sporting one of her t-shirts. She’s released a handful of singles since her 2022 breakout Atlantic Records EPs, but she preferred playing the more familiar, even working in her cover of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets.”

A bit of a rebel herself (as also evidenced when we saw her headlining in 2023) she wrapped her set with two (non-capitalized) singles from last year, “i don't sleep as good as i used to” and “don't call me pretty” before launching into her breakout initial hit, “ABCDEFU” which was even more successful overseas, topping the charts in the UK, Ireland, and on Billboard’s Worldwide chart.

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At 71 years young, Cyndi Lauper remains lovably oddball, verbose, talented, and yes, fun, as ever, as when she broke out solo after leaving her previous group Blue Angel, for her classic smash first solo album, 1983’s “She’s So Unusual”, even taking the Best New Artist Grammy Award that year.

A montage video intro reminded the crowd of all her many high points and Lauper and her seven-piece band began their two-hour headlining set with a literal bang, on “She Bop”, complete with a euphoric release of confetti at the end.

Moving next into a 1985 Goonies: film song and a familiar early Prince cover (complete with all-purple stage lightning), it became very clear how varied her songs are in range and theme, and despite her now singing some in a lower key (which happens to spare us from some of those vintage bird squeals).

“Going out big” as she has said about this last large-scale tour, everything really was- from the accordion-like video screens, the bright color wigs, and the fashion of striking outfits courtesy of wunderkind designer Christian Siriano, and the endless polka-dots of fabled Japanese designer Yayoi Kusama.

With her still very pronounced Queens NY accent speaking between most songs, it was a reminder that this was a very live show (no tapes or per-recorded bits here) when Lauper would pause to tell a story, or comment on whatever happened to come to mind at the moment.

A reminder as well, when she began, stopped, began, stopped, began, and eventually had to give up on a Frankie Laine cover, presumably due to some cold weather dry throat, remarking “I don’t know what’s wrong” but she rebounded quickly with an unplanned acapella version of 1996’s “Fearless”.

A well-timed video interlude gave Lauper a chance to catch her breath and regain some vocal strength and a few songs following, surprise guest Lucinda Williams appeared to duet on the huge hit, “Time After Time”. Fans reveled in the combination, despite Lauper’s cough returning and having to hold Williams’ arm for support.

“Money Changes Everything” ended the main set on a high note and all attention moved to the smaller B-stage for the encore songs of “Shine” and “True Colors”, both of which have become bigger in scope than when first released and have transformed into powerful social statements of love, acceptance, and a freedom to be just as you are.

Lauper returned to the main stage for her crown jewel song that would end the night and her biggest ever hit, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” accompanied by opener Gayle, making it obviously clear (both now, as back then) that females just want the freedom to chart their own destinies… and maybe still have a little fun along the way.