A full field of fans jumped to their feet as soon as Cyndi Lauper strutted on stage for the final set of the True Colors concert in Deer Lake Park Wednesday evening.

A crowd of about 8,000 music lovers greeted the '80s punk-pop princess with cheers and applause. And the iconic performer didn't disappoint.

The petite platinum blonde bopped her way through new tunes plus the well-loved hits that made her famous 25 years ago—Change of Heart, She Bop and, of course, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, featuring comedian Rosie O'Donnell on drums.

Launched last year by Lauper, who just turned 55, the True Colors tour gives voice to a cause close to her heart.

The goal of the tour—which only had two Canadian stops this year in Toronto and Burnaby—is to promote awareness and acceptance for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community.

Over the past few years, Lauper said she sensed an apathy within the GLBT community which may stem from discriminatory laws. To counter this apathy, she felt inspired to create an atmosphere where people could come together to sing, dance and share information.

"We wanted to bring everybody together," said Lauper, whose sister Elen is a lesbian.

"I think discrimination is wrong all the way across the board no matter who you are. If it affects one group of people, it affects all of us. We're all interconnected anyway."

Rosie O'Donnell, who delivered a 20-minute stand-up routine, echoed Lauper's message.

"Everybody's the same—gay, straight, black, white, Republican, Democrat, able-bodied or not. Same, same, same. It took me 46 years to figure that out," said O'Donnell, who joked that being a lesbian helped her Hollywood career because she was the only actress who could throw a baseball from third base to first.

In addition to Lauper and O'Donnell, the five-hour festival—hosted by Carson Kressley of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy—featured performances by Nona Hendryx and U.K. artist Joan Armatrading.

Sarah McLachlan also took the stage following a long show biz absence after giving birth last year. The crowd went silent as she sang well-known favourites like Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Adia and Ice Cream.

Next up were the B-52s, who played upbeat and eclectic tunes from their new album, Funplex, plus old party faves Love Shack, Roam and Rock Lobster.

Lauper wrapped up the concert with her high-energy show, followed by an encore duet with McLachlan of Time After Time.

For the grande finale, all the performers returned to the stage, threw giant colourful balloons into the audience, and sang en masse Everyday People and True Colors.

At the end of the show, Lauper left the crowd with some parting thoughts:

"Remember to talk to each other. Remember to communicate and support each other."

jmcfee@burnabynewsleader.com

Source: Bowen Island Undercurrent