Wearing a white and black corseted shirt dress with sheer sleeves, over-the-knees socks held up by garters, rocking purple-tinged hair, and mere days shy of her 72nd birthday — legendary singer and songwriter, Cyndi Lauper, who is known for her distinctive image, bopped onto the stage in the Imperial Ballroom at Atlantis and left an indelible impression.
From opening with her controversial song “She Bop,” which was released in the early 1980s and speaks to the taboo topic of sexual liberation, which is something I recently learned, Lauper delivered beloved hits spanning decades, including “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “True Colors,” and “When You Were Mine”—during her 13-song set.
The artist who does things her way lived up to her persona, including an a capella moment, as she displayed her powerful range. And just to mix things up a little, Lauper included a little rap session to cap it all off during her “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour” stop at Atlantis.
For Lauper, who lives her life boldly, there were some colorful moments that saw the show go off the rails — in a good way. It all began with Lauper acknowledging she was having a wardrobe malfunction early on in her almost-two-hour set. All I saw was her bend over, and her team took to the stage to sort out whatever that malfunction was. Again, this was Cyndi Lauper; she could do whatever she wanted, however she wanted, whenever she wanted.
And then there was the moment she tried to locate her phone; she was like, “One second,” as she looked around. When she laid eyes and hands on the equipment, Lauper roped the audience into lighting up the room with their flashlights, which she referred to as a “community of light.”
It was hilarious to say the least when she introduced her band members but couldn’t remember all their names. Lauper could literally be heard asking members of her all-female band what their name was, including her six-month pregnant drummer. Again, Lauper can get away with it all, because she is, of course, Cyndi Lauper.
And in honor of the singer, who has been known for her eccentric clothing through the years, many fans sported colorful 80s-inspired looks in homage to Lauper’s unmistakable style.
While Lauper brought the fun for fans, the artist, who is known for her advocacy and activism brought her social commentary to the Atlantis stage.
She interspersed her performance with chats about the importance of arts and science. She spoke of Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979), a French artist, who was the first living female artist to have a retrospective exhibition at the Louvre in 1964 and who co-founded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colors and geometric shapes, with her husband Robert Delaunay and others. Her work in modern design included the concepts of geometric abstraction and the integration of furniture, fabrics, wall coverings, and clothing into her art practice.
As she gave her spiel, a male in the audience yelled out, “I love you, Cyndi.” Lauper responded, “I love you too. Settle down. This is a little education for you.”
Lauper spoke about an artist, who she said “stuffed stuff” and did soft sculptures and tried to commit suicide twice; the last time the artist tried it, Lauper said she fell on a bicycle and wound up going to the hospital and the rehabilitation program at the facility, which ends up having art therapy.
“So anytime people say the arts and sciences aren’t important, it is,” said Lauper.
She spoke about the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund, which was launched as a donor advised fund at the Tides Foundation to support efforts that advance women’s rights and health.
During her set, costume changes reflected Lauper’s signature flair and fearless fashion sense — a black sequined two-piece pantsuit with colorful strips hanging from the arms—before she and her crew donned white outfits with red polka dots for her final song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and the crowd lost its mind, singing word for word in lockstep with Lauper, before she segued into The Staple Singers single, “I’ll Take You There,” to conclude her performance.
Lauper thanked the thousands that attended her Saturday, June 20, concert, part of Atlantis LIVE’s concert series, which benefits the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, which supports marine conservation efforts throughout The Bahamas and the Caribbean.
