B-52’s unveiled two songs from their new CD Funplex, the guitar driven, “Juliet Of The Spirits,” and the bizarre shopping mall ballad, title track. During “Funplex,” Pierson, Wilson and Schneider alternated on lead vocals.

No B-52’s concert would be complete, without the new wave dance tune, “Roam Around The World,” which prompted their fans to move their hips, shake their butts, and shuffle their feet.  Kate Pierson who took the vocal lead for “Roam Around The World,” creates the same stage magic that turned her contemporaries Deborah Harry (Blondie) and Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), into music icons.

As B-52’s set was winding down, Schneider addressed the crowd, “Thank you. You are an awesome audience.” They rewarded their fans adoration, with, “Love Shack,” their 1989 million selling hit, which peaked at # 3 on the Billboard Top Forty. The song, from the band’s Cosmic Thing record is the ultimate party song, and unless you are handicapped, if you were still sitting on the grass while this song was being played, then you were alone. Schneider led B-52’s fans is raising their hands high above their heads, as they knocked on the imaginary door to the “Love Shack.” 

Cyndi Lauper, who in similar fashion to Elton John and Ellen Degeneres, makes you just want to hug her, took to the stage as this evening drew to a close. It would be difficult to imagine someone not loving this lady, who grew up in Brooklyn and Queens New York. Cyndi Lauper has long been a voice for human rights and that is what this tour is all about. She is a Grammy Award and Emmy Award winner, whose little girl voice and New York City accent, have retained an air of humility despite the tens of millions of records that she has sold. The audience grooved to Nona and Joan, had a love-in with Sarah, partied with the B-52’s, and they adored Cyndi Lauper.

Dressed in black leather slacks and wearing a black derby hat, Lauper opened her set with the rocking tune, “Change Of Heart,” a missive to a now departed lover. She followed “Change Of Heart,” with two tunes, “Rocking Chair,” and “Set Your Heart, Where Are All My Friends,” from her new album, Bring Ya To The Brink. “Set Your Heart, Where Are All My Friends,” captures the spirit of Cyndi Lauper’s most successful music, it is upbeat, a good dance tune and fun.  Throughout her performance, as she did, during “Set Your Heart, Where Are All My Friends,” Lauper left the stage and made her way to the railing where she greeted her fans.

Lauper strapped on her guitar for “When You Were Mine,” from her She’s So Unusual CD, and she was on her knees at the edge of the stage while singing the rock song with pseudo rap elements, “Lyfe,” from her new album.

Lauper delighted her fans with the rocking love ballad, “I Drove All Night,” and the 1980’s anthem, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” There have been times during Lauper’s career, such as her ill advised foray into the world of WWF, during the 1980’s, that she has not been taken serious enough as a performer, but as she has done throughout her career Cyndi Lauper quickly dispelled those notions, with a fabulous performance.

Sarah McLachlan reappeared on stage and performed a duet with Lauper, as they sang Lauper’s hit, “Time After Time.” This was a very pretty, and stripped down version of the song, that allowed the audience to fully appreciate the gentle lyrics and the two singers’ emotive phrasings.

The evening’s finale came as Lauper invited all of the day’s performers to join her on stage, for the singing of Sly & The Family Stone’s, “Everyday People,” a performance that gave you goose bumps. 

With all of her friends still on stage with her, Cyndi Lauper introduced the evening’s final song, by saying, “This started out as my song, but then it became your song,” and they began to sing, the epic, “True Colors.”

If you live on the east coast or the deep south, we know you have great concerts and great music, where you live, but you really ought to visit Vancouver Canada, Seattle Washington and Portland Oregon, because in the Pacific Northwest, we really do know how to throw a party!

Reviewed by Joe Montague

All photos by Joe Montague ©

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Reviewed July 2nd, 2008

Riveting Riffs wishes to thank Live Nation  for making it possible for us to review this Concert