Cyndi Lauper proves herself time after time in Tel Aviv

Jerusalem Post ^ | 5/1/14 | David Brinn

[Eleutheria5]

Cyndi Lauper let her true colors shine through on Saturday night at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. Foul-mouthed, big-hearted and still quirky as hell after all these years, the bright-red haired, combat boot-wearing 60-year-old entertainer revisited her landmark debut album She's So Unusual, performing it in its entirety upon its 30th anniversary.

Whether spinning like a dervish, climbing onto speaker stacks, roaming out into the audience, or getting down on her knees to sing, Lauper has lost none of her spunky spirit, nor her powerful lung capacity. Her crack band, anchored by bassist William Wittman who performed and acted as engineer and producer on She's So Unusual back in 1983, accurately recaptured the new wave era, replete with echoing rim shots from the drums, cheesy synth riffs from the keyboards and upbeat dance tempos.

Video

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[PUGACHEV]

I saw her on Broadway about ten years ago in a revival of The Threepenny Opera, and say what you will, it is least admirable that she does make the absolute most of what little talent she has.

[Finny]

Only read the clip so far -- but the fact is this: "Time After Time" is one of the most beautiful pop songs ever written. It was lovely and captivating and reassuring when she wrote it in 1984, and it's lovely and captivating and reassuring 30 years later.

It was such a good song that Miles Davis did a (fantastic) rendition of it.

As for foul language ... off the top of my head, I can think of two men who are/were among the most Christian, generous, morally sound, big-hearted, life- and God-loving, productive, ethical, kind, and right-minded people imaginable, who are/were among THE most excruciatingly foul-mouthed individuals I've ever known -- Hollywood couldn't out-swear them. And I've known lonely, needy folks whose language was clean as a whistle, but to whom being kind and generous was the same as being "weak."

Like the Book advises: Judge a tree by its fruit.

[LegendHasIt]

Yep.

And several others of them do too.. And I don’t know why they do with me. I’m not a big music listener, and generally I prefer classical stuff (Bach, Beethoven, not the Beatles) and spy /adventure / cowboy movie themes.

[Finny]

But, I still like Cyndii way better than Madonna.

YEP!!!! Way better. To me, Lauper was "the real deal" of what Madonna aspired to symbolize.

[Finny]

...say what you will, it is least admirable that she does make the absolute most of what little talent she has.

After all, it only takes a little talent to pen a song that is played all over the world (just heard it on the radio last night and my sweetheart and I commented how beautiful that song is still today), loved, sung, memorized, and recorded by many, for going on three decades.

Pugachev, on the other hand, probably has many TRULY talented accomplishments under his belt to show us what talent really is.

*rolls eyes*

[Gay State Conservative]

She did some fun stuff in the 80’s...including one or two entertaining videos.I saw her signing autographs at J&R in Manhattan a couple of years ago and she looked pretty good.I didn't get an autograph...I just happened to be there when she was there.

[GeronL]

Still not worth listening to, after all these years

[dfwgator]

Why the need to be Foul Mouth? Is that what attracts people to her show?

Her fanbase is primarily composed of gay men.

[GeronL]

She was/is a much better singer than Madonna ever was.

I don’t think you were in error there.

[arthurus]

Her crack band? Do they allow that sort of thing in Israel?

[LouAvul]

Just shut up and play the style that made you all hits in the beginning

I remember Joe Walsh performing "Rocky Mountain Way" and saying, "If I'd known I'd have to be singing this song for the next 30 years, I'd have written something different."

I guess the accolades can't compensate for the boredom.

[Drew68]

Wow. I thought she was much younger than that.

Yep. Hard to believe she was already 30 when her debut album came out.

[dhs12345]

“Can’t stop messin with the danger zone.” ;)

[dhs12345]

She had a talk show for a while. Didn’t last long. I tuned out when she started sounding like a nutty Liberal.

[dhs12345]

And my wife.

[yawningotter]

The last I heard, she had discovered the blues.

[Eleutheria5]

I get a kick out of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and she was pretty good on the Goonies movie. But really, the only reason she interests me now is that she’s bucking the fashion among arty-farties, and playing Israel. We’ll take whatever support we can get.

[Joe 6-pack]

"I’m surprised that she’s 60. I’d have guessed 50."

Toni Basil of "Mickey!" fame turned 70 last year...

[Stevenc131]

I knew a girl who could really sing, even took opera in college. She raved about Lauper’s range and about her being one of the great pop singers.

I listened to this for 20+ years but continued to roll my eyes. I was wrong.

My wife wanted to see Lauper on her ‘Memphis Blues’ tour a couple of years ago, so I caved and bought tickets. Lauper was great in concert. Her backing band was made up of old school R&B musicians who had played with people like Al Green and Booker T. & the MGs, and a lot more.

There are a great many ‘artists’ these days who just lip synch and dance around to pre-recorded music. Seeing someone like Lauper perform live turned out to be a real treat, and to my old friend L. who talked about her for so long, you were right and I was wrong.

[TurboZamboni]

I miss Captain Lou Albino.