Cyndi Lauper, Southampton Guildhall :: Wessex Scene Online

Cyndi Lauper, Southampton Guildhall

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

8th November 2008
Emmeline Curtis Editor

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When Southampton Guildhall opened its doors to Cyndi Lauper I had no idea what to expect; I have always liked her craziness.

Despite not knowing that many of her songs, and the offer of a ticket was one I just could not turn down. The crowd was not the usual that I was used to, being a lot older and more sedate - the Guildhall even brought in extra seating to accommodate them - but there was still a good atmosphere to the night.

It started off with the support act Jessie: she has a good voice, but spent a little too much time screeching loudly for it to be a completely pleasant listening experience. Her set was not a complete waste though, a couple of good songs and an energetic performance made up for it, and her banter with the crowd was entertaining while we waited for the lady we had all come to see.

As soon as Cyndi appeared on stage (without keeping us waiting at all!) she had the crowd under her spell. Cyndi had barely launched into her first song when she ran down from the stage to get right in with the crowd; surrounded by waving arms, she danced with her delighted fans and hugged as many as she could, all while still singing perfectly.

Cyndi Lauper's voice sounds no different, and her performance is just as energetic and upbeat as it was likely to have been in her 80s heydey. She ran around the stage like a child playing in the park, and showed of her amazing voice with an accapella start to her song 'True Colours' that was truly beautiful, and had every single member of the audience singing along softly with her.

The night was not without a few glitches - there seemed to be some technical problems with the instruments, and at one point Cyndi just walked off stage for a minute to check herself out. Her motto of the night was, "Fuck it!". She ran through the set at a leisurely pace, stopping every so often to have a chat with the audience. She did not seem to care what anyone thought, and was just having fun with everyone. The crowd were more than happy though, and cheerfully joining in with the regular chanting of "fuck it!" when anything happened.

Despite being here in England Cyndi could not let the night go by without mention of the upcoming American election either, and commented that she hoped more people would vote for the next American President than for the next American Idol. One of the most popular songs of the night was also aimed at Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as a reminder that not all 'Hockey Moms' are pit bulls with lipstick, some just want to have fun! 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' came towards the end of the set and had been remixed into a duet with her support act Jessie, but it was what everyone had been waiting for and had the whole crowd dancing along, even those sitting in the balcony.

The high point of the night came at the very end of the show - Cyndi had already done one encore, and the crowd were leaving, when she suddenly appeared again. By herself on the stage and sitting in a single spotlight, she unveiled a new song accompanied only by her playing on the Appalachian dulcimer. The song was moving and heartfelt, and had the audience enthralled and swaying along with her. There could have been no better end to the night; the audience departed on a high, and despite any problems there might have been with instruments it was highly enjoyable. As the lady herself said, "Hey, I kept my shoes on for the whole show, that's gotta be good right?!"