A True Colors Tour Review!
July 2nd, 2008 Posted by: Dust Devil
Hello everybody,
I thought I would throw a curveball at you today and talk about a GREAT show I saw a week ago today on June 25 at the Dodge Theatre, the True Colors Tour hosted by Cyndi Lauper!
“Mr. Dust Devil, are you kidding me?” Nope, not a bit and trust me, I will probably make a point of going again if she puts on #3 next summer.
First of all, a great cause. The whole point of the tour is to promote tolerance of ALL things human. What a concept, tolerance of others regardless of gender, race, creed, religion and yes, sexual preference. (Let me get on my soapbox real quick). Come on people, if you don’t like what someone else does, great. Don’t follow suit then, but to deny someone the opportunity to make a decision on his or her own is simply asinine.
Credit Cyndi Lauper for being such an advocate of tolerance for so long now, and kudos for hosting an event for the second straight year that promotes such thinking. The show has a revolving cast of members and I feel very fortunate that the line-up I got to see was in Phoenix. For example, I would have had serious second thoughts about going if Rosie O’Donnell was at the Phoenix show …
Now, let’s talk about the show itself. Carson Kressley of Queer Eye For A Straight Guy fame was the emcee for the evening. I will be honest, I was not very thrilled about that AT ALL, until watching him at work that night. He killed and had the audience in hysterics all night. The format was great. Carson came out, did about a 5-10 minute routine, then introduced the first act. When they were done, he came out again and entertained the audience until things were all set for the next performer. This was the format for the entire evening. What an entertainer!
The Puppini Sisters opened the festivities and were simply marvelous, lots of fun. They were on for about 20 minutes doing their retro doo-wop with a modern twist to it. Immediately I thought of the Andrews Sisters, but they didn’t cover Heart of Glass from Blondie or end a set with Walk Like An Egyptian from the Bangles. A great show, I highly recommend the Puppini Sisters.
Next up was a rousing set from comedienne Wanda Sykes. Funny, funny stuff, she had the audience in stitches with her take on everything from politics to the heat in Phoenix. Her set was about the same amount of time as the Puppini Sisters. I had a great time and would highly recommend catching her stand-up act if she is in your town.
Now, any show with multiple artists will have a down period. It is simply the law of percentages. Well, that came next, at least for me. I was never a fan of U.K synthpop sensation Erasure, so I was not pumped about a solo show from singer Andy Bell. Sorry, the set did nothing, nada, nunca for me. No offense Mr. Bell, just not the Dust Devil’s cup of tea.
Well, after a set like that I personally needed some in your face rock and roll, and not many do it better than the legendary Joan Jett and the Blackhearts! She started things off with a smoking version of Bad Reputation, the Dust Devil’s personal fave from her. In fact, she went complete old school on the first four tracks, following up with Cherry Bomb from her days in the Runaways, Light of Day, then Do You Wanna Touch Me? Holy cow, I felt like I was in junior high again. Well, she never let up, tossing in a great cover of Love Is All Around from the Mary Tyler Moore show and of course, shredding versions of I Love Rock and Roll and Crimson and Clover. I Hate Myself For Loving You ended a great set. The Dust Devil can finally say he saw Joan Jett live. She plays hard, interacts well with her fans and still looks great. Plus, I bet she could still take half the guys in the audience … Check out her new disc Sinner, vintage Joan Jett. The newer songs sounded fantastic live. This set was the highlight of the evening for me.
One of music’s all-time great party bands, the legendary B-52’s, were up next. I have had the fortune of seeing this band twice before and it is a guarantee to have a good time. They are so much fun, they could probably bring a smile to the face of a corpse. They also have a new disc out by the name of Funplex and since I do own it, I can tell you it is typical B-52’s, which means it is a disc full of goof-ball antics set to lively, joyful music. They led off with Pump from the new disc, then launched into two oldies, Mesopotamia from the EP of the same name which was produced by David Byrne, then Private Idaho, still a roaring tune today. They balanced the new tunes well with classics from the hit disc Cosmic Thing. I was a little bummed at the lack of early, early material, but maybe this generation wouldn’t understand the magnificence of Legal Tender or Planet Claire. Love Shack had the crowd amped up, which set up the close of the show with their first hit and club staple Rock Lobster. What a great show, and the fact that four of the original five are still together is absolutely fabulous. I would go see them again in a heartbeat.
Now, for the grand finale, the hostess herself Cyndi Lauper. Musically, I had never really cared for her. I thought Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was horrible and the fact that the father of one of my best friends in high school liked that album just solidified my dislike for her.
Times change, musicians change and listeners get a little older and more open-minded. I still am not a fan of that song and was one of the few people sitting down when she played it live, but personally, and this surprises me, that was the only down part of her set. She was fabulous!
Cyndi Lauper still possesses an incredible amount of energy, running all over the stage and coming out into the audience to sing many of the songs. I never realized she played any instruments, but picked up a guitar numerous times as well, including on a very unique version of She Bop. She is an engaging personality, often times setting up the next tune with a story behind it and maintaining constant banter with the audience.
The older, more mature Dust Devil does realize she has penned some great tunes, including Time After Time, which she did a beautiful version of and played the Appalachian dulcimer while singing. The highlight of the set was the second encore when she brought out all the musicians from the evening for a group rendition of the tune this tour is named after. True Colors is a beautiful song and sounded all the more meaningful that evening.
A great night folks, thanks for reading!
Cheers!
The Dust Devil
True Colors tickets on Ticketmaster http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1204228�
Premium True Colors tickets on TickCo Premium Seating http://www.tickco.com/Concerts/true-colors-tickets.htm
Cyndi Lauper Official Site http://www.cyndilauper.com/index.php
Joan Jett Official Site http://www.joanjett.com/
Puppini Sisters Official Site http://www.thepuppinisisters.com/
Andy Bell Official Site http://www.andybell.com/
Filed under: Event Reviews
7 Comments Add your own
1. Pinbyte | July 5th, 2008 at 3:08 am
Except for the part regarding “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, I am very much in agreement with Dust Devil and could hardly have given a better review of the concert. Dust Devil does not mention my B-52’s fave “Dance This Mess Around” from the early years. Sadly, the B’s did not perform this one which I would have chosen over “Rock Lobster” if I couldn’t have both. Fortunately, they did “Roam” which often brings me to tears but did not quite do so this time. Maybe it was the venue. Last time I saw the B’s was at AVA in Tucson, the girls were singing to me from maybe 50 feet away instead of 250. This was my 5th time seeing them live.
As for Joan Jett, I wasn’t into ‘hard rock’ back in those days. I don’t know if that is what you call it anymore or what… but Joan is a newly discovered gem for me. She rocked the house like nobody’s business performing what I would call ‘classic’ rock n roll. She’s going to be added to my CD collection of other female dominated rock/pop bands such as Heart, The Pretenders, Blondie, and…
Cyndi Lauper. What can I say. I have never seen her live before and it was a real treat to be sure. My wife and I chose “Time After Time” for our first dance after being wed, and I was pleased to see it performed so beautifully. It was part of the encore set and my wife was skeptical when I said she’ll do it, you’ll see. PHEW!
Along with the other acts (except Andy Bell… sorry), this was a fabulous show and well worth driving in from Tucson for. The Puppini Sisters were an unexpected delight and Carson made a great host. Lauper stole the show as well she should. Consider me signed-up for the next one.
- Pinbyte
2. Dust Devil | July 17th, 2008 at 9:56 am
“Dance This Mess Around” is a great song, very true. But then again, anything from the first three records with the original five would have been stupendous to see live.
There are a lot of other great female dominated bands to check out, some from the wayback machine, some current:
the Go-Go’s; Magnapop; Heartthrobs; Throwing Muses; Belly; PJ Harvey (the first two records). Throwing Muses were unbelievable when Tanya Donnelly was still in the band.
3. Pinbyte | August 17th, 2008 at 4:08 am
Hey Dust Devil, your mention of the Go-Go’s made me realize I was a bit remiss in mentioning the list of acts that I have called favorites over the years where female vocals are a key component.
The Go-Go’s are definitely on my A-list and would make a great option for the next ‘True Colors’ tour if that continues. That also brings to mind, The Bangles, another all-girl fave I have never seen.
Of the others that you mentioned in your comment, I have heard of none of them! I just went on a quick surf over Magnapop’s music and I don’t know how that escaped my attention… I like that sound.
It caused me to recall some more of my own favorites where female vocals are a dominant force or a key component.
Berlin is an 80’s band that only gets airplay on oldies stations now, but you weren’t hearing them on the radio back then. They still tour and I have even seen them live in Tucson relatively recently.
But alas I shall never see one female vocalist that I enjoyed back in the day. That would be Patty Donahue of the ‘Waitresses’ performing “I Know What Boys Like”. A one-hit-wonder to most… I like several of their songs.
Maybe there should be a special category for those who like female vocals especially well. I’ve seen lives changed by Karen Carpenter’s voice. Really.
Regerttably, I won’t be going to Sheryl Crow when she comes to Tucson. I’ll be out of town for Pat Benatar. What’s next?
4. Dust Devil | August 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Hey Pinbyte, I forgot about Berlin, great band! My favorite disc was the Love Life album with No More Words on it. Did you see when they were on that VH1 show Bands Reunited a couple of years ago?
Ani DiFranco comes to the Celebrity Theatre September 24. I am planning on both the Pat Benatar and Sheryl Crow shows.
A great band I forgot is Asobi Seksu out of New York. The lead singer also plays keyboards and has a wonderful, sweet voice. It complements the LOUD, shoegazer inspired music they play. The sound is very reminscient of My Bloody Valentine (jeez, another band I forgot! check out the Loveless album, it will make your ears bleed). I have seen Asobi Seksu twice and they are amazing!
5. The Ticket Guy | August 19th, 2008 at 11:38 am
The Runaways (Joan Jett), Concrete Blonde (Johnette Napolitano) and Pat Benatar are probably my three favorite femal influences. If you give me a girl that can sing like all three, I will produce the greatest female punk group of all time!
6. Dust Devil | August 21st, 2008 at 11:14 am
Punk rock and new wave, which like it or not is a branch off the punk rock tree, are the two genres of music I grew up with. Some of the women I consider punk may not fit anyone else’s definition, but for me punk has always been more about the attitude and philosophy than if the music was “punk” enough.
My favorites would have to be Exene Cervenka from X, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth (wow, what an amazing band!), Joan Jett, the early Go-Go’s (yes, they were punk at one time), Penelope Houston from the Avengers, Patricia Morrsion aka Pat Bag and Alice Armandariz aka Alice Bag from the Bags (later the Alice Bag Band), Siouxsie Sioux from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Poison Ivy from the Cramps, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson from the B-52’s, Debbie Harry from early Blondie before they became trendy disco and reggae kings, Tina Weymouth from the Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club, Pauline Black from the Selecter and Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders (particularly the first two records with the original line-up).
7. The Ticket Guy | August 21st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Wow! If I only had a second existence (one where I could take in all the music and shows that the Dust Devil does) I would check out every show and every artist you mention on this friggin blog.
The very fact that people struggle so hard trying to define the genre speaks volumes about its conception.
Punk is not a sound, a look, an attitude or any shared common belief. Punk is what you are when nothing else fits. It’s what comes out of your mouth when you’re fed up with nobody listening to a word you say. Its zigging because zagging wasn’t working out for you. It’s a nun moving to Vegas and becomming a stripper; an accountant telling his boss to go to hell and starting his own homless hamster shelter; or a long leap off a slippery slope onto the slimest of limbs when your employer tells you to keep your mouth shut while they make a killing off of killing.
This comment is dedicated to the King of Punk, Jeffrey Wigand
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