A farewell tour for Cyndi Lauper, already? Surely there's still more fun for that girl to have... But a quick glance at her Wikipedia page says she's 71 years old. Never would've guessed. But then what does that make us? Best not to think about it.
Tonight marks the final stop of her European tour, and if this really is the end—at least on this continent—she's going out in style. Or at least, she tries to. Lauper had a cold, and while her voice was mostly great, a lot of energy was lost in the process. There were also plenty of rambling asides, some charming, others draining the momentum just when things needed a push forward.
The show itself is a spectacle, equal parts rock concert and pop cabaret. The setlist leans into the hits, but the constant costume changes and playful theatrics keep things visually entrancing. There’s no self-indulgence here—this is about giving the fans exactly what they came for. And from the very first song "She Bop," Lauper proved that even with a cold, her voice still packed a punch.
For longtime fans, there was plenty to love, though a major disappointment—she didn’t play "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough." Maybe an odd omission for some, but for this reviewer, it stung. She did, however, pull out her fantastic take on Prince’s "When You Were Mine," while "Funnel of Love" and "Iko Iko" offered a slight detour from the high-energy pop into something a little earthier—though "toned down" is relative. This is still Cyndi Lauper we're talking about.
Some of the night's biggest highlights came with the rocking "I Drove All Night," and "Fearless", at then end of which her voice soared despite the rough patches elsewhere. The most recent song in the set was the title song from her EP Shine (2004), a reminder that this tour isn’t about pushing new material but celebrating the past. And when the encore arrived, it was an avalanche of nostalgia: "Time After Time," "True Colors," "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"—all delivered with heart, even if the big, euphoric finish never fully materialized. Maybe a little something extra was missing to truly turn this into a party worthy of a farewell.
Still, Lauper’s sheer likability carried the night. Even with the setbacks, we had a great time, because the songs are great, and she’s still Cyndi Lauper. Next, she heads to Australia and Japan. And unless more dates get added, this is it. Do we believe it? No, we don’t. But if it is, Paris gave her a warm—if not entirely electrifying—sendoff.
