Singer Cyndi Lauper, the “mistress of unusual,” is no stranger to some exciting times; after all, she rose to fame in the ’80s, a time where she taught the preppy kids about blue boy magazines, longed for a love time after time, and chased Goonies. It was a time when that girl just wanted to have fun and she did. We all did.
This past year has been one of her most exciting since the heady ’80s. She composed music for the 
musical Kinky Boots, which debuted on Broadway in April. In June, she won the Tony Award for Best Original Score, the first woman to ever win the award solo. In addition, this year is the 30th anniversary of her debut album, She’s So Unusual.
To celebrate the milestone and to thank her fans who have stood by her for three decades, she launched the “She’s So Unusual: 30th Anniversary Tour” this year. Originally meant to be a short, 22-city affair in the United States, she expanded to add 33 more concert dates in the U.S., as well as in Japan and Australia. November is the final month of her tour, and before the tour ends she will be bringing her tour to eager crowds in three locations across Florida.
Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual: 30th Anniversary Tour” comes to the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Friday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Hard Rock Live Hollywood on Saturday, November 9 at 8 p.m.; and the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, near Orlando, on Sunday, November 10 at 7 p.m.
Cyndi Lauper shot to fame in 1983 with the album She’s So Unusual. With a quirky style and a one of a kind voice, Lauper became one of the best-known recording artists of the “early MTV era.” Not only did she win over millions of fans, she was a critical favorite as well, earning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist as a result of her successful debut album. North of the border in Canada, she was the second-highest selling solo female artist of the entire 1980s. Back in the U.S. she didn’t do too badly either; She’s So Unusual sold six million copies. Rolling Stone even named the album one of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and one the Top 50 Best Albums of All Time from “Women Who Rock.”
For her “30th Anniversary Tour,” the set list consists of her entire debut album, from start to finish. This of course includes her #1 smash hit “Time After Time,” which was a Top 10 hit in fifteen countries. Despite having a multitude of hits, many people equate Lauper’s spunky and fun-loving attitude with her song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” which was her debut single back in 1983. It went to #2 on the U.S. charts and remained on the Hot 100 for nearly a year. Other fun songs such as “She Bop” and “All Through the Night” reached the Top 5 while “Money Changes Everything” peaked in the Top 30. They will all be performed at her three Florida concert dates, in addition to the album’s other songs: “When You Were Mine” (written by Prince); “Witness”; “I’ll Kiss You” (both co-written by Lauper); “Yeah Yeah”; and of course “He’s So Unusual.”
If you’re interested in buying tickets, they are still available. For the November 8 showing at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, tickets are on sale from $49.50, $60, and $75. You can buy tickets at rutheckerdhall.com, or you can call the box office at (727) 791-7400. For the November 9 showing at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood, tickets are available at ticketmaster.com from $54.10 and $64.85; you can also call for tickets at (954) 797-5555. For the November 10 showing at the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, you can buy tickets online at livenation.com or over the telephone at (407) 934-2583. General admission tickets cost $46.50.
Lauper also co-founded The True Colors Fund, aimed at raising awareness and inspiring everyone to become active participants in ending gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth homelessness. Discover several ways to support the cause at http://truecolorsfund.org/support.
