Cyndi Lauper didn’t need to say a word before the entire crowd of London’s Royal Albert Hall were on their feet, cheering and calling her a queen. Well, she is pop royalty, after all. “Alright, let’s get this party started,” she smirked.
Wednesday night’s gig was the first time Lauper had played in? London in eight years. The fiercely feel-good show gave her a chance to flex her muscles before a slot on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage this weekend and a farewell tour, which kicks off in October before touching down in the UK the following February. Based on that giddy performance, she’ll absolutely smash both.
A soaring Time After Time and the gorgeous True Colours lived up to their legacy as euphoric, uniting karaoke classics while Into The Nightlife and Rocking Chair were strutting, confident forays into the world of dance-pop.
“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of rock,” Lauper grinned midway through the snarling I Drove All Night, but a beautiful, stripped back take of Fearless managed to silence the entire room. A cover of Prince’s When You Were Mine and a snippet of Not My Father’s Son from her Tony Award-winning Kinky Boots musical were just as gorgeous. Lauper clearly wasn’t afraid of her sprawling legacy.
Lauper’s voice was as powerful as ever, and she gladly led both her five-piece backing band and the audience through a career-spanning set. A cry of “I love you” was swatted away with the smirking reply “never believe your own press, hun”.
But Lauper couldn’t keep away from the front rows of the audience either. “Let me know when it stops working for you,” she instructed those in the upper corners of the venue, wanting everyone to feel part of this party.
Living up to the mantra, Girls Just Want To Have Fun was performed twice. The first saw Lauper celebrate a protest anthem that’s been passed down between generations by singing “girls just want to have fundamental rights” before a reworked, disco version closed out the night.
For that final joyful flourish, Lauper was joined onstage by a number of drag artists with the entire venue back on their feet once more. “Let’s celebrate our differences and come together,” she said as a parting message to the crowd.
More than 40 years into her career, Lauper remains a righteous force of nature. Glastonbury isn’t going to know what hit it.
