Live Review: Cyndi Lauper – 11th February 2025 – O2 Arena, London, UK
6 min read
When it comes to icons, you don’t get my more iconic than Cyndi Lauper. The very name conjures images of torn dresses, electric coloured punk hairstyles and bangles – not to mention the impressive vocal range that can only be challenged by Mariah.
The 80’s superstars’ career might have relished mostly in the eighties, but the longevity of her career is matched by few, as well as the number of timeless hits that the pint sized hitmaker is responsible for during her impressive 40+ year career.
At 71 years old, Lauper has decided to hang up her touring boots and while it’s been several decades since she leapt onto out MTV screens with debut single Girls Just Want To Have Fun, the quintessential retro-era’s pop ear worm, her age showed no limitations to the personality, the charisma and the stage presence that the Queens superstar displayed last night as she brought her Final Farewell tour to London’s O2 Arena.
Entering the venue we were met with groups of fans wearing nostalgic t-shirts of previous tours, electric coloured wigs which Lauper would explain during the show as being in benefit of her Girls Just Want To Have Fundamental Rights foundation, and the giant screen that sat like a giant folded piece of paper; lyrics slowly appearing for songs stretched across her impressive catalogue as hits from recent female hitmakers like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter played to an increasingly enthusiastic sold out London crowd.
At a little after 9pm the lights dimmed and a nostalgic trip through Lauper’s phenomenal career appeared during a montage of clips from her videos, tours, awards shows and other notable moments of her time as one of music’s few remaining legends. Them with an explosion of rainbow confetti that erupted over the now standing floor area of fans, Lauper emerged from the rear of the stage dressed in figure hugging black leather and a towering blue wig to perform controversial early classic, She Bop.
Most of the quirky Lauper stamped hits were present throughout the singers 2-hour long set. The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough was complimented with visuals overhead of the singer recording the music video for the track with the films then-child cast. Her cover of Prince’s When You Were Mine showed off her effortless vocals over its tame instrumentation, while we were taken back to 1989’s A Night to Remember with hit highlight of the night, I Drove All Night really setting the night alight. With a quick change into a flowing white dress, the singer had images of headlights projected onto herself as she tore through the Roy Orbison penning with more power and conviction than we have ever heard from the megastar over the years (or from her female ppop peers 50 years her junior) – that note (you know the note I’m talking about) in the closing chorus being hit with pure perfection with the crowd roaring with excitement.
“The gays want glamour”, Lauper explained to the crowd when drawing attention to the numerous costume changes, looks and Christian Siriano ensembles she draped or button herself into during the show. This additional fashion element allowed her to add even more detail to the already heavily detailed stories or anecdotes that she offered the crowd between songs; often branching out into the most random of topics but adding further quirk and humanity to a show being delivered by someone so iconic that she has become almost mythical in pop music.
After a more subdued set of lesser commercial Hat Full of Stars hits like Who Let in the Rain and Sally’s Pigeons, fans got a glimpse into the chaotic behind the scenes of a megastar getting dressed by her entourage of hairstylists, make-up artists and wardrobe assistants with a live video of her going through a comical change of looks before she had a guitar strapped to her and emerged to offer up gritty performance of Sisters of Avalon and Change of Heart.
From here on out it was nothing but the biggest of hits from the star as we were offered breathtaking performances of signature power ballad Time After Time, complete with the venue llit up by the lights on fans phones, a steely, full throttle offering of Money Changes Everything and Shine.
With a quick costume change, Lauper emerged back on stage and wearing a black and white suit with a shoulder length blonde wig, took to a makeshift square stage in the middle of the enormous O2 crowd. With a dozen metallic fans blowing inward towards the singer who held a long, bellowing piece of rainbow fabric that twisted around her and elevated high in the air, a symbol of her lifelong dedication to LGBT rights and tribute to art piece Air Fountain by Daniel Wurtzel’s, the She’s So Unusual megastar delivered a goosebump inducing rendition of True Colors.
As the enormous screens that served as one of the most visually stunning and colourful backdrops that we have ever seen at a show in our many gig-going years lit up with white and red polka dots and an image of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama nestled into the bottom left corner, Lauper welcomed on stage fellow 80’s icon and friend, Boy George of Culture Club to perform encore number, Girls Just Want To Have Fun. While the Karma Chameleon singer didn’t really provide the up-tempo classic with anything by way of impressive vocals, its was a nice touch to the closing of the show as the singer, who was dressed in animal print and an eye-catching hat, doted over his pop peer and the pair guided us through to the end of the show with a bow and an explosion of paper streamers being let out over the crowd.
I will admit, as a lifelong fan of Lauper, there was a tear or two in my eyes at various moments during the show. It was a bittersweet moment of seeing an idol and knowing it would likely be the last ever time you laid eyes on her. But it was two hours of feeling absolute joy and adoration for a singer that, like many in the crowd, has magnified my love and appreciation for pop music since childhood.
Even with the absence of my personal favourite Cyndi hit, All Through the Night, last night’s final farewell to London stages was a truly phenomenal evening of some of the most cherished hits in pop music and by one of the most celebrated, talented, warm and musically gifted artists in the industry.
Set list:
She Bop
The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough
When You Were Mine
I Drove All Night
Who Let in the Rain
Iko Iko
Sally’s Pigeons
Fearless
Sisters of Avalon
Change of Heart
Time After Time
Money Changes Everything
Shine
True Colors
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
