Review: True Colors tour a five-hours dance party for a worthy cause
By Dan Nailen
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune


WEST VALLEY CITY - When Cyndi Lauper decides to get political, she does a lot more than sign a petition or make a public-service announcement.

She throws a five-hour music festival based on diversity, both in its music and the fans it attracts. That festival, the "True Colors" tour, is hitting 15 cities on its inaugural run, including a stop in Utah Saturday.

Since Lauper's commercial heyday in the '80s, her own music has matured, reflecting her serious vocal prowess and her interest in genres ranging from pop to rock, jazz to soul. At the same time, she's become an icon within the gay, lesbian and transgender communities thanks to her activism for their equal rights.

The "True Colors" tour is raising money for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest non-profit lobbying group for gay rights, and is packed with gay and gay-friendly acts. At Saturday's show, Utah's gay and lesbian communities were out in full force, along with fans more interested in the tasty pop confections created on stage than any political agenda.
With comic Margaret Cho in fine, raunchy form in her role as emcee between the acts, each artist did their best to get the ready-to-party crowd on its feet. Lauper and Erasure were most successful on that score, aided by darkness falling and the most elaborate stage set-ups of the night.

Erasure took the stage in typically flashy fashion, with singer Andy Bell in a shiny silver jacket and musical mastermind Vince Clarke wearing a black, gray and white camouflage suit and silver Andy Warhol wig. Backed by three female backup singers, the duo offered a slew of tracks that have made them long-time Utah favorite: "Oh L'amour," "Sometimes," "Chains of Love" and "Love to Hate You" all had the crowd moving. The new "Sucker for Love" came with a booming disco beat, and mega-hit "A Little Respect" turned into a massive singalong, and could have served as the theme song for the night.

Taking the stage after the high-energy Erasure is not an enviable task, but Lauper managed to bring as much flash, and as many hits, to her closing set. Appearing on stage in an umbrella-sized and -shaped rainbow hat and long red wig, Lauper led her five-piece backing band through "There's a Hole in My Heart that Goes All the Way to China." Before the set proceeded too far, though, she paused to talk about the purpose of the "True Colors" tour.

"Maybe in our lifetime, we can actually do this," Lauper said after encouraging fans to write their congressional representatives in support of federal hate-crimes legislation. "We can actually erase hate."

After that brief dive into politics, Lauper stuck to putting on a satisfying set that included "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough," a totally rearranged version of "She Bop" and raucous "Money Changes Everything." She took off her wig and strapped on a guitar for a cover of Prince's "When You Were Mine," and brought all the other artists on the bill to the stage for ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" and the closing "True Colors."

Who: The "True Colors" Tour, featuring Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Debbie Harry, Dresden Dolls, The Cliks and Margaret Cho When: Saturday Where: Usana Amphitheater, West Valley City The Bottom Line: Lauper and friends threw a five-hour dance party for a worthy cause.