Showing posts with label Cyndi Lauper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cyndi Lauper. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Rock to Win Press Conference Video

Margaret Cho, Rufus Wainwright, Thelma Houston, Melissa Etheridge and Cyndi Lauper meet the press on Tuesday night for HRC's DNC concert Rock to Win.

Rock to Win was awesome


Just got home from the Rock to Win Concert and it was awesome. I got to attend the press conference beforehand and Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Rufus Wainwright and Thelma Houston were very high-energy and fired up about the concert and the DNC. I'll be posting video of the press event shortly.

The concert itself was very well-attended by locals and visitors alike.

Thelma Houston kicked things off and looked and sounded fantastic. She did a Motown medley and thrilled the crowd with an amped up version of 'Don't Leave Me This Way'.

Margaret Cho was her usual hilarious self and introduced Rufus Wainwright who dedicated his set to his boyfriend.

The highlight of the night for me was Cyndi Lauper's performance. She sang her new song "Set Your Heart" and gave a rousing political speech before launching into "What's Going On" and "True Colors". She finished up with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and even brought her son, Declan, out to dance onstage.

Melissa Etheridge ended the show and absolutely everybody in the place had a fantastic time.

Stay tuned for more pics and video.

The line for the concert was HUGE!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Rock to Win tonight


"Rock To Win" is a DNC concert event presented by The Human Rights Campaign. The event includes special performances by Oscar/Grammy winning artist Melissa Etheridge as well as Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright. Margaret Cho was also recently added to the bill so, in addition to some amazing music, you can also plan to laugh your butt off. Get your tickets here. I've got mine!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Rock to Win at The Fillmore for DNC

Celebrate GLBT equality at the Democratic National Committee Convention! The Human Rights Campaign is sponsoring a DNCC premiere event, "Rock To Win," on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson Street, Denver, featuring long-time friend and Oscar and Grammy-award winning artist Melissa Etheridge.

"Rock to Win" will also feature performances by Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright. This summer, Cyndi hit the road for the second annual True Colors Tour in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign. This year's tour emphasized the importance of voting and participating in 2008's historic elections. The concept of the tour was conceived by Cyndi stemming from her desire to give back to the GLBT community for the love and support they have given her throughout her career. Wainwright, who is openly gay, previously performed at HRC's landmark concert series and tour, "Equality Rocks." Other artists and special guests who will be in attendance at "Rock to Win" will be announced in the days to come.

"Rock To Win" is sure to be an incredible evening of celebration. Get your tickets early - we expect this to be one of the hottest tickets in town that week!



General Admission tickets are $98 per person, and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. To purchase very limited VIP tickets and VIP Boxes with open bar and reception access, please visit boxofficetickets.com.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Melissa Etheridge will Rock to Win in Denver

Cyndi Lauper: All Through the Night


Rufus Wainwright: What a World


Melissa Etheridge: Come to my Window


Thanks to the addition of Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright, the upcoming Rock to Win concert at The Fillmore Auditorium is sure to be one of the most amazing concerts in Denver this year. Oh, yeah, along with Madonna. Mustn't forget Madonna.

Madonna: Give it to Me

Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright to join Melissa Etheridge in Denver for 'Rock to Win'


The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, announced today that musicians Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright have been added to the line-up of an event called “Rock to Win” in Denver, Colorado, during the Democratic National Convention. They will join previously-announced performer, Oscar and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Etheridge, on stage.

“I am thrilled that Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright will join HRC in celebrating equality at Rock to Win,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “In 2004, GLBT issues were used by the right wing in an attempt to distract and manipulate voters. ‘Rock to Win’ is a celebration of the progress our community has made in the intervening four years, and a grand kickoff to hard work ahead in the general to elect a new president of our nation.”

This summer, Lauper hit the road for the second annual True Colors Tour in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign. This year’s tour emphasized the importance of voting and participating in 2008’s historic elections. The concept of the tour was conceived by Lauper stemming from her desire to give back to the GLBT community for the love and support they have given her throughout her career. Wainwright, who is openly gay, previously performed at HRC’s landmark concert series and tour, “Equality Rocks.”

“Rock to Win” will be held at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver—a venue modeled on the historic San Francisco Fillmore rock club—on Tuesday, August 26, the second night of the Democratic National Convention, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale through Ticketmaster. To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Monday, July 7, 2008

True Colors Tour pics

My good friends Brian and David not only had some sweet seats for the True Colors Tour on Saturday but they got to attend a special Meet 'n Greet with none other than Cyndi Lauper herself before the concert began. Lucky dogs!

Below are some of the pics they took and here is a link to the rest.

Cyndi Lauper





B-52s

Friday, July 4, 2008

True Colors Tour: Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night


Thanks to everybody who entered to win two free tickets to Cyndi's True Colors Tour tomorrow at Red Rocks. I'll print out all the emails everybody sent at the end of business today (around 5 p.m.) and pick the winner out of a hat. I wish you all could win because it's sure to be a really awesome event!

Here's a clip of Rosie O'Donnell playing drums to Cyndi's 'Sisters of Avalon' at the recent Dallas stop:

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Cyndi Lauper's on As The World Turns today

Cyndi Lauper turns up on As The World Turns to help save Luke and Noah's troubled love affair. Where was she when I needed her?

And don't forget that she'll be at Red Rocks on Saturday with her True Colors Tour.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The True Colors Tour: Cyndi Lauper - True Colors

Here's a clip of Cyndi Lauper performing the title song from her True Colors Tour (before there was a True Colors Tour) in Paris back in 1987. Dont' miss the True Colors Tour at Red Rocks this Saturday.


Wikipedia says: The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after an 80's hit song, named an episode after this song.

If there's two things every gay man loves, it's Cyndi Lauper and Degrassi: TNG. And maybe a couple of other things.

Four days until True Colors


MySpace Countdowns

Monday, June 30, 2008

Win two free tickets to the True Colors Tour on Saturday

I've got two tickets to Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour on Saturday at Red Rocks to give away. Also performing will be none other than The B-52s, Tegan & Sara, The Cliks, Rosie O'Donnell and Carson Kressley.

For a shot at the free tickets I need you to comment this post and then email your contact information to drewdenver@aol.com. Those emails will be printed out on Friday and a winner will be chosen at random on that day. Comment as often as you like to increase your chances of being selected but be sure to send an email to DrewDenver@aol.com every time you comment. Winner must be available to pick up tickets in Denver sometime either Friday evening or Saturday morning or else an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck and here's a message from Cyndi Lauper herself:

Friday, May 30, 2008

Cyndi Lauper's Bringing ya to the Brink!


Lucky me just got the new Cyndi Lauper CD, 'Bring Ya to the Brink', in my hot little hands yesterday. I've only been able to listen to a few bits and pieces so far but I'm loving it already.

She's always been one of my favorite artists (She's So Unusual was the first cassette tape I ever bought) and, with the establishment of her annual True Colors mega-tour to benefit HRC, there are more reasons than ever to love Cyndi Lauper.

I was lucky enough to interview her a few times over the years (and even hang out backstage at a couple of her concerts) and she's every bit as spunky and sassy as you'd imagine her to be. Read one of my interviews with Cyndi after the jump.


At Last: an interview with Cyndi Lauper
By Drew Wilson


Cyndi Lauper made an indelible mark on the 1980s when she burst onto the scene in an explosion of crinoline, rubber bracelets and Kool-Aid colored hair with her debut album She’s So Unusual. The record spawned four Top Five singles, the first debut album from a female artist to ever do so, and catapulted Lauper to the forefront of American pop culture and the cover of Newsweek as “Rock’s New Woman”.





Over the past two decades, Lauper has continued to make music, earning a handful of additional Top Ten singles while expanding her horizons to TV with her Emmy-award winning turn on Mad About You and movies like Vibes, Life With Mikey, The Opportunists. Her latest musical offering, At Last, is a collection of cover songs that hold a special place in her heart.
“They’re all love songs,” she has said, “They’re all from the period when I was growing up, all different kinds of girls and women. I’ve been collecting these love songs since I was five.”

Although Lauper has been touring steadily over the past several years as opening act for such luminaries as Tina Turner and Cher, her next Denver appearance is special because it marks her return as a headliner.

Drew: Cyndi, hi. I’m so glad to hear you’re coming back to Denver!
Cyndi: Hey, how are ya? Yeah, the last time I was there I played in a parking lot, which was good because at least there was a lot of parking.

The first time I saw you in concert was here at the Gothic Theater in 1993.
I remember that, that was an amazing group of people at that concert. And an amazing band. That was the band I always wished to have. Even at the height of my career I never had a band like that. It was a great sound and it was high art for me.

And it was a benefit concert to help defeat Amendment 2.
Yeah, first of all I’m a PFLAG member and my sister and I did a campaign where we took pictures for them. That year was also the first year that my sister and my mom and me were actually on a float for Pride and it was so much fun.

What do you think about all the hoopla about gay marriage and the recently defeated anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment?
I grew up in the civil right movement and to me civil rights are very precious. We all just have to stand up. Power to the people! Civil rights is civil rights and civil liberties are civil liberties and everyone should have them, no matter who you are, Blanche, as long as you’re an American!

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but I always tell straight people, ‘do you know anybody who doesn’t have a gay or lesbian person somewhere in their family?’ We’re all family and everyone needs to get out and vote!

Are you very active politically?
No, I’m just a working mom, a musician. I’m a regular punter just like everybody else but I still believe in things and I still vote and I hope that my vote makes a difference because I’m very concerned. I think our country is in a very sad time right now. Do you remember when they lost the ballot box? I thought that was so bizarre! I don’t know how the people in power let that go down unless they had a plan. Scary.

And then Whoopi makes a comment about Bush and they fire her? That’s crazy. I used to take Slimfast to lose weight but it hurt my stomach so bad I felt like I swallowed a plastic product. I just can’t eat that stuff but the fact that they would do it shows you the power of the corporations and how everything is linked to politics. Talk about blacklisting!

As outspoken as you are, do you have any worries about getting fired as a spokesperson for Dr. Pepper?
No, I did one commercial with Dr. Pepper. Big deal! I’m not their spokesperson. I drank the stuff so I figured, why not? I tasted it for the first time on vacation when we went into a Piggly Wiggly and I had never had it but then my kid was drinking it so I figured ‘ok, I’ll drink it’. It tastes really good. It smells funny but it tastes kind of good. I think it’s kind of a southern thing, not that I’m southern.

Not with that New York accent!
Yeah, I know. I always try to lose it but then I hear myself and it’s like ‘oh, my gawd!’ It used to be that every time I did a TV appearance I would get a postcard from the guy who trained Julia Roberts how not to have an accent and it was just like ‘oh, my gawd! Enough already!’

I hope I don’t sound unprofessional, but you are my absolute favorite celebrity. She’s so Unusual was the first record I ever bought.
Oh, honey, I’m not really a celebrity. I’m just a singer/songwriter and I don’t think of myself as anything else although when I’m on the road they always tell me to say I’m an entertainer but then I always think of Billy Joel, (sings) ‘Oh, I am the entertainer!’

You seem very mellow and down to earth…
You weren’t the poor bastard I talked to first thing this morning before I had my coffee! That poor guy, I was killing him!

So where are you right now?
This is our first day of touring on the bus and we’re heading to Eugene, Oregon. My son is up there already and the lady at the front desk is telling him all about some game where you shoot each other but it’s not real bullets but they pop open and hurt you and cover you in paint and he wants to do it but I told him, ‘listen, pal, you’re too young, you’re only six!’ I don’t like guns. But he plays with them, what are ya gonna do?

Do you enjoy touring?
I don’t know-it’s not been an easy trip. This is the first night but it’s just been a bunch of shit. It’s like ten elephants crammed into a Volkswagen. Touring is a pain in the ass. It’s always a pain in the ass and it never goes good but the actual shows and the playing is great.

What do you like about doing the shows and performances?
It’s all about music. It’s not about the brouhaha for me. I don’t have the undulating dancers and all that-they undulate too much and they break my concentration. The brouhaha for me is just the work. It’s just us guys and that should be moving enough and that should mean enough and a lot of times it is. I always figure that once they close the doors you guys are mine. And that’s it. We’re together for the evening and nobody’s leaving until those doors open back up!