All Through The Night: A Night To Remember...

Cyndi Lauper played her first ever concert in Iceland last night - the first of her summer tour all over Europe to promote her latest album, Memphis Blues.

She arrived in Iceland on Saturday night at around 02.00 AM in a great mood. She was very interested in the landscape (the drive from the airport was around 30 minutes - it is located outside of Reykjavik), and she was fascinated by the fact that in the middle of the night it was so bright outside. The press yesterday was saying that Cyndi had brought the summer with her to Iceland, since the weather hasnt been much fun in the last few weeks. Yesterday however it was very hot, the sun was shining and it finally felt like summer. Sadly though, Cyndi must be on her way to Norway already because today it is back to being cold and cloudy...





Cyndi is the first major international artist to play in a brand new (not even finished yet) state of the art music house called Harpa. And the hall she was playing in truly excellent.



Sadly, the only merhcandise on offer was from the organizers, with various CDs and DVD's (all of which I own of course!), but no T-shirts or anything.



This was our first time at Harpa, and we had a bit of a shock when we saw our seats. We were front row, and so close to the stage that we could rest our feet against it! Which was not bad when Miss Lauper arrived on stage!



She came on at 08:15, said hallo and dripped the front row in "spirits" from a glass (I wasnt sure it was water or boose). She then launched the show with "Just Your Fool", followed by another track from the new album. She then did a blues version of "She-Bop" ("for all of those people who think I'm just a wanker") , where she went into the audience. More tracks from the new album followed, and then came the highlight of the evening for me: a fantastic version of "All Through The Night". Absolutely beautiful!







Then there were some more tracks from the new album - she did about half of the Memphis Blues album, including "Shattered Dreams", "Early In The Mornin'", "Mother Earth", "Down Don't Bother Me" and "Don't Cry No More". They were very well received by the audience, and incredibly well performed!







She and the band left the stage for a couple of minutes half way through, but quickly returned for "What's Going On" - a great version, very close to the album version. What followed was a mix of new and old songs - she did a long version of "Change Of Heart", where she again went all the way into the audience (so far in fact that the stage spotlights couldnt reach her and some of the house lights had to be turned on). She also did (much to my surprise) perform "Lyfe". Sadly it is my least favourite song from Bring Ya To The Brink, but it did work pretty well in the set.



She talked quite a bit to the audience - she told a long and hilarious story about a grasshopper (I think), talked a lot about the many blues artists that had influenced her (many of whom she worked with on the album), and she asked the audience if Iceland had any animals at all - she seemed very surprised that for example there are no frogs here. She asked if we had any bees for all those flowers, and if we had any birds? And no crocodiles ("eh, who needs them"). Someone tried to give her Icelandic candy, to which she said no thanks - she was on a diet.

She told us that she had gone to the Blue Lagoon (a very popular place for tourists) with her face covered because she didnt want any of those People magazine photos. She was hilarious!





Then it was time for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". People were standing, clapping and singing to a long version of the song, which included parts of the 1994 remake. I guess that for most of the people in the audience it was the highlight of the evening. She tried to get the audience to sing parts of the song with her, but mixed up a few times, leaving the audience a bit confused over what to do - which led to some unexpected and even impressive results! Sadly, Cyndi felt that taking us all with her on the next shows to try and recrate it would be a bit too much ;)





This was followed by another highlight, and probably my favourite Cyndi song ever: the truly timeless "Time After Time".









She took a long time introducing the band (which included Will Wittman, who has been working with her since the very beginning). The band was amazing - and she mentioned that her drummer had been with her on the "Hat Full Of Stars" tour.









The band then left the stage, leaving just Cyndi to perform the last song of the night: "True Colors". It was a beautiful way to end the evening, which passed way too quickly. She left the stage around 22:00.



I have been a huge fan of Cyndi ever since 1983, buying every single one of her releases and followed her career for almost 30 years. So she was very high on my list of people I really wanted to see live. Now I have - and she did not dissapoint! She is very small, very beautiful and despite being close to 60, she still has great energy and moves - not to mention the voice! I think people were very happy in general with the show (I havent seen any reviews yeat - but I will post them here when I do) and the hall itself is great - I look forward to more concerts there in the future.

I apologise for the photos and the videos. She was so close that we could have gotten some amazing footage. However, we were so into the show that we didnt really think think about anything else most of the time. The camera on my phone obviously leaves a lot to be desired - she seems so much farther away then she was, not to mention the bad quality. But hey, it is at least a little something that is fun for us to have, until the DVD from this tour comes out in a few months time. I just hope I will be able to see Cyndi live in concert sometime again...

Interviews...

Cyndi Lauper starts her tour in Europe tomorrow night with a show here in Iceland. She did a couple of interviews to the Icelandic press - and in one of them (to Morgunblaðið) she revelead that her next muscial output will be a christmas EP! And if it will sound anything liker her fabulous 1997 christmas album, we are in for a treat!!!



Morgunblaðið: You have issued a total of 11 albums, do you think you will release more albums in her lifetime?

Cyndi Lauper: "Yes, without a doubt, I will do it. But for now I'm enjoying the new album and dedicate my time to other projects. I will also release a live DVD in September and a Christmas EP during the holidays."

Here is a summary from the interviews:



*When asked about why she was coming to Iceland: "I dont know much about Iceland, but I have always wanted to go there. So when my manager informed me that it was a possibility, I was very happy since it is one of the few countries in the world where I have never played. I know the country is very beautiful, and I am a big fan of Bjork and the Sugarcubes. I became a massive fan of them when they first came around, and I still think that Bjork is a genious. Also, I love electronic music and there has been loads of great electronic music coming from Iceland. And my fans have been asking me  throughout the years to come to Iceland, so here I finally am. Also I have heard that this is a very friendly nation, so overall I couldnt think of a better place to start the tour - it will be fabulous, an adventure!"



*When asked about her long career, and if she ever gets tired of music: "Music keeps changing, so I dont think I will ever get tired of it. I love what I do and I couldnt imagine doing anything else. I follow the goddess of song wherever it leads me. And I dont like to do just one or two types of music. The new album ("Memphis Blues") has been in the works for 8 years. I have been passionate about blues ever since I was a little girl, so to finally make an album like this was a dream come true for me.



Cyndi will of course perform many songs from her new album at the concert in Iceland tomorrow. But will fans also be able to hear some of her classics? "Yes, of course. I still love to perform those songs - and I want to make the audience happy as well. We can all have a party together".



Despite the fact that you have been releasing music for 30 years now, including pop, dance and blues music, do you feel that there are people out there that think of you mainly as an 80s artist? "Yes, sadly sometimes I feel that there are people who think my image is still stuck in the 80s. But I do understand it too - my first album was a huge success and after starting out on the top - it is hard to compete with that. But I am proud of the start of my career anv very happy with it overall".



When asked about Lady Gaga: "We have a lot in common and we have become good friends. She works very hard and she puts everything into it. I adore her". She also mentioned that there were no plans to record with Gaga at the moment.



About her future plans: "I have loads of upcoming projects. My biography and a live DVD comes out late this year, a reality show that starts this autumn - and I am writing songs for a Brodway production of the english movie "Kinky Boots". But for now, I am just focusing on the new album":



Do girls still just wanna have fun? "Totally! But we also want respect and equality!"

Morgunblaðið article (in Icelandic)

Fréttablaðið article (in Icelandic)

Trailers...

A new  documentary about the life of John Waters legendary muse and cult icon Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as Divine, is in the works.

Divine, who was mostly known for his acting, released four albums and thirteen singles over his music career. On the evening of March 7, 1988, the night before he was to film a part on the television series Married… with Children, Divine died in his sleep of an enlarged heart at age of 42.

I Am Divine  is still in production and isn’t due for release until next year - but here is a teaser:



And speaking of trailers:

Tracks...

Here is a batch of tracks I adore these days - although not for the usual reasons. Hilarious, weird, tacky - (and even beautiful), this is a batch I suspect the gods made just for little old me (and then there are the videos to go with them!). So, sit back, watch in HD and prepere for the good times ;)

The True Colors...

Here is the fourth (and final) blog where the Galaxy takes a look back at the career (so far) of the wonderful Cyndi Lauper. (For the three previous posts, scroll down to the bottom of this post for the links).



Cyndi started the new decade by recording a new album, titled Shine. Unfortuneatly, just weeks before the album's scheduled release on September 11, 2001, her label Edel America Records folded, and the tracks were leaked to the public. Although a five track EP of the same name was made available in June 2002 through her website (and through Tower Records, where it became a big hit), the full-length album was scrapped. The complete album was finally released on April 21, 2004, exclusively in Japan.





In 2003 Cyndi signed a new contract with her old record company Sony (which she had left after her 1997 christmas album). The first album released under this new contract was the covers album At Last (orignal title of the album was Naked City). The album was a success - it took Cyndi back into the US top 40 albums chart, received good reviews and was nominated for a Grammy. The track "Walk On By" from the album was remixed and became a top 20 club hit in the States.







A wonderful DVD from the concert tour that followed the album was released in 2004, becoming the first (and so far only) widely available live DVD from Cyndi.





The same year Sony released a new compilation album as a part of their successful Essential series, and Cyndi teamed up with Cher for a concert tour.
During these years Cyndi started to make a lot of high profile TV apperances in the States again, including several apperances at VH1 Divas.



Her next album release was Body Acoustic, released on November 8th 2005 - an album that featured acoustic reinterpretations of tracks from her back catalog, along with two new tracks - and a lot of musical guests. Personally I always felt that this would have been the perfect time to release a full on commercial album with new material. But then again, this is Cyndi!





A new version of "Time After Time" (with Sarah McLachlan) was sent to US radio to promote the album. "Body Acoustic" peaked at #112 in the US and #55 in the UK.



Cyndi remained very busy throughout the following years. For example, she made appearances on the US TV show Queer As Folk in 2005.





In 2006 she made her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera in 2006 (with Alan Cumming and Carlos Leon).











In 2007 and 2008 Lauper headlined the True Colors Tour for Human Rights through the United States and Canada. The tour included many guest stars, such as Erasure, Debbie Harry, The Puppini Sisters, Sarah McLachlan, The B-52s, The Gossip, Amanda Lepore, Rufus Wainwright and comedian Margaret Cho.

The tour (sponsored by Logo, the MTV Networks channel targeting gay audiences) provided information to fans who attended, as well as purple wristbands with the slogan "Erase Hate" from The Matthew Shepard Foundation.  A CD was also released, which included a remix of "True Colors" as well as a remix of the track "Early Bird" by Erasure and Cyndi.



Logo aired a half-hour TV special in 2007 titled Shining Through: Behind the Scenes of True Colors. During the special, Cyndi explained the purpose of the True Colors Tour:

Friends, family, plus the community is a lot of people and together, we make a very loud sound; and I believe that people don't know the facts. They don't know that you can be fired from your job in 33 states if you're gay and lesbian and transgender and bisexual. They don't know that the hate crime bill does not extend to everyone...Education is so important. So that's what we are trying to do - in a fun, loving way.

Cyndi recorded an album of all new material during 2007 - her first in 10 years. The working title given to the project was Savoir-faire, but she announced in February 2008 that the name of the album was Bring Ya To The Brink and that it would be released in the spring. In preparation for the album, Lauper visited England and France during summer 2007 to write for the album and wrote songs with dance artists like Axwell, The Scumfrog, Basement Jaxx, Dragonette, Kleerup, Digital Dog and others. She described it as a mainly dance album with good rhythm. Most of the album was recorded in Sweden. The album was released on May 27, 2008 in the United States - it charted at #41 in the US and at #11 in Japan and received generally good reviews. The album is listed at #7 on the Attitude Magazine's top ten albums of 2008 and also came in at #8 on Amazon's Best Pop albums of 2008 - and it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. IMO it is one of her best albums to date.



The first single released from the album was the Japan promo single "Set Your Heart" which gained significant airplay there and was used in the advertising campaign for 2008 Toyota Car Model. It peaked at #11 on the Japanese singles chart.





The first official single from the album was "Same Ol´Story", which became a number 1 club hit in the US.



It was followed by one of the best songs of Miss Lauper's career - the fabulous "Into The Nightlife". A song with massive commercial appeal, it didnt have the push behind it which could have made it Cyndi's biggest hit since "Hey Now" back in 1994. It did become a big underground hit however, with various radio stations all over the world playing it and it sold well over time on digital downloads - not to mention becoming another #1 at the US club chart!

The video was directed by Cyndi and features Colton Ford and Ari Gold, as well as many of Cyndi's fans.





In November 2008 Cyndi released a duet with Swedish rock band The Hives. It was a christmas song called "A Christmas Duel", which peaked at number #3 in Sweden.



A remix album, Floor Remixes, was released February 2009 as a limited edition CD/DVD set and a regular edition in Japan.



A single called "Girls Just Wanna Set Your Heart" was released to promote the album. It is a mashup of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Set Your Heart".



Cyndi continued to make high profile TV apperances in 2009 including the American soap opera As The World Turns, supporting gay rights, and promoting her True Colors tour and album, Bring Ya to the Brink.



She appeared on the live finale of the eighth season of Idol, performing "Time After Time".



She also appeared on the 2009 TV Land Awards dressed as the Emperess of Evil to perform the theme song for Electra Woman and Dyna Girl.



Lauper performed a duet with Leona Lewis  on VH1 Divas 2009 singing "True Colors" and also appeared with Eminem for a comedy skit at the MTV VMA's in September 2009. In addition, Lauper played herself on 30 Rock's third season finale. She also played a psychic on the Season 5 premiere of the hit show Bones. She also appeared once again on Letterman, this time around with Wyclef Jean, performing a track called "Slumdog Millionaire".
Lauper also signed a book deal for an autobiography, which should be out soon.





In January 2010, American toy company Mattel released a Cyndi Lauper Barbie doll as part of their "Ladies of the 80s" series. Very cute, eh?

On March 2010, NBC began airing season 9 of "The Celebrity Apprentice",featuring Cyndi and other celebs. Lauper donated her winnings to her own True Colors Fund and said that the only reason she had done the show was to promote her message of equality.



On April 1, 2010, Lauper launched the Give A Damn campaign to bring a wider awareness of discrimination of the GLBT community. The campaign is to bring straight people to stand up with the gay community and stop the discrimination.



Two new Cyndi songs were released in April 2010 on the compilation album Here Lies Love. The album featured the Cyndi songs "Eleven Days" and a duet with Tori Amos called "Why Don't You Love Me".



On June 22, 2010 Cyndi released her 11th album - the blues record Memphis Blues. It debuted on the Billboard Blues Album Chart at #1, and it debuted on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart at #26, becoming the third-highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 of her career. Memphis Blues was ranked Billboard's #1 Blues Album of The Year, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.









The track "Just Your Fool" was released as a promo single for the album. In March of this year Cyndi made the international news. While waiting for a delayed flight at an airport in Buenos Aires she gave an impromptu performance of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, as other passengers joined in and sang along with her.





Which brings us up to today. Cyndi has been touring to support the album, and on June 12th she will start the Euro leg of the tour with a concert in Reykjavik, Iceland. I have front row tickets to see the woman that made such a big impact on me when I was just 5 years old, and whom I have continued to follow ever since. It will be wonderful to finally see her live in person - and in concert, no less. She has had a fascinating and unique career so far, whcih I hope I have done justice in these series of blogs. In the near future we can expect a live DVD from Cyndi, a biography and no doubt more music. This girl is still having her fun!

I will of course post a review here after the concert - I'm sure it will be amazing!



The previous parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Let's Get Physical...

YES! Kylie fans will get a physical CD single release of "Put Your Hands Up" after all! It will only be released in Australia though, and it will be very limited - so better get it right away!

Here is the tracklist:

01. Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)
02. Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) (Pete Hammond Remix - Radio Edit)
03. Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) (Pete Hammond Remix)
04. Cupid Boy ‘Live from London'
05. Cupid Boy (Stereogamous Vocal Mix)

The single (along with the new tour editions of "Aphrodite") can be ordered here - I just placed my order and the single is expected to be in stock with them around June 7th.

Thanks a lot to the wonderful Marky Mark for the heads up and the pre-order link!

Happy Birthday...

She would have turned 85 years old today...