Review and Photos by Terry Mayer
She's so-so unusual, as Cyndi Lauper came onto the stage, limping while resting on her cane, as a result of an accident some weeks back. Then a miracle happened, she did away with the cane and was able to move about, swinging her hips, moved up the stairway throughout the cheap seats and climbed the barrier in front of the stage. What a miraculous recovery! While singing hits like "Change of Heart," fans relived their past and rushed to the 80s icon, who was more then willing to reach out and shake their hands. "Madonna Whore" and "Still With Me" were some crowd favorites along with an emotional version of "True Colors." On "All Through The Night" she displayed an amazing vocal range and proved that she is very gifted and indeed has a beautiful voice. After a little intermission where she joked about Anna Nicole Smith and told of how she came up with the idea of "It's Hard To Be Me." She ended the night wearing a traditional Wisconsin cheese hat and belted the fun loving "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." It was refreshing to see the singer, writer and actress (who could forget Vibes) grow and become a quality performer that has gotten better time after time.
In contrast, Cher has been losing ground for some time know. My fellow colleague Max Jensen reviewed Cher a few months ago (he didn't like the show), but I still went hoping to find something positive that he may have overlooked. Foolish me, from the gaudy set design to the poorly planned set list. Opening with U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" What was that all about? "Songs For the Lonely" was lifeless and empty as was "All of Nothing." The talent has been sucked dry years ago with not a drop of anything left to produce something worth while. "We All Sleep Alone" and "I Found Someone" was void of emotion or conviction. Older songs like "Take Me Home" and "The Way of Love" had Cher just going through the motions. Who could forget past hits like "After All" and "Just Like Jesse James?" Apparently everyone because they weren't that memorable. Cher's voice sounded strained and tired. Like it was a routine that she has done sooo many times before and was simply bored with it. It is kinda sad really because she does have talent, but chooses to ignore it.
With this being her final tour (supposedly) I wanted to see her at her best, a high quality performance where she would give it her all, that would leave me thinking I saw something incredible that I wouldn't forget. Instead I got nothing.
Farewell
Good-bye
Cher has left the building.
