Wednesday, 5/14/97 Don’t Call It A Comeback… MUSIC: They’ve
been around for years, but longtime divas Tina Turner and Cyndi
Lauper captivated the sold-out crowd at the Greek Theater with
their ageless, boundless energy and charisma.
By Mike Prevatt Daily Bruin Staff There’s an argument to be made
for aging rock stars who simply have gone beyond their prime and go
through the motions on stage. There’s also something to be said for
enduring artists who can still blow a crowd away with sheer
enthusiasm and an extraordinary performance. Monday’s show at the
Greek Theater with Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper proved just that.
Aside from Madonna, these two ladies are all that’s left of the
rock queens of the early ’80s, women who helped pave the way for
the divas of the mid and late ’80s (such as Whitney Houston and
Mariah Carey). Lauper successfully proved that rock ‘n’ roll was
not just a man’s world, and Turner came out and rose above of the
shadows of the ’60s when she sang with her husband, Ike Turner.
Now, both ladies have new albums out and are on an extremely
successful tour, billed as Tina Turner’s Wildest Dreams tour (with
Lauper opening). In Los Angeles alone, the duo has sold out four of
five shows at the Greek and the Saturday show at the Arrowhead
Pond. This proves that album sales (neither artist has had a
multi-platinum selling album since the ’80s) do not always dictate
concert ticket sales. The capacity crowd, a diverse yet
predominantly over-30 set, was treated to two great performances on
Monday. Often the hardest thing for a performer to do on stage is
to introduce new material and not bore an audience hungry for old
favorites and big hits. Yet, Tina Turner’s two-hour performance and
Cyndi Lauper’s all-too-brief 45-minute set impressed the crowd with
their new songs and wowed them with fantastic renditions of what
made them popular in the first place. The almost 60-year-old Turner
has not slowed down one bit since the ’60s. She amazed the crowd by
building up momentum all throughout the show, rather than gently
winding it down or just keeping it at the same level. Turner and
her band performed the material virtually flawlessly, with
consistent vocal and musical excellence. What’s even more
impressive is how exhausting it is to watch her dynamic physical
performance, where she joined in with the stage dancers and
strutted about until the last song. She’s easily as physical
onstage as younger artists like Zach de la Rocha (Rage Against the
Machine), Bono (U2) or Damon Albarn (Blur). Turner gave the
audience samplings of her new album, "Wildest Dreams" (Virgin),
from the opening rock spectacle of "Whatever You Want" to the
calm-but-pleasant closing number, "On Silent Wings." Much to the
crowd’s delight, she performed her new, softer remake of John
Waite’s highly popular "Missing You" and also the sultry title
track to the James Bond movie, "Goldeneye" (written by Bono and the
Edge). But it was the old faves that lit the crowd up the most. She
enthusiastically performed the three hits from her comeback album,
"Private Dancer," which included an extended, jazzy version of the
title track, a crowd-accompanied version of "What’s Love Got to Do
With It" and an even more energized version of "Better Be Good To
Me." Old album favorites included exciting performances of "Steamy
Windows" and "I Can’t Stand the Rain." "We Don’t Need Another
Hero," her contribution to the movie "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome"
(in which she co-starred) got the crowd even more pumped up. But
the climax and big highlight of the show was her uplifting pop gem,
"The Best," where almost the entire crowd was up and dancing. At
one point in the show, she told the crowd, "I’m gonna do something
I don’t normally do on stage – I’m gonna sit down and sing for
you!" And even then she twirled and bounced about her stool with
versions of "Give It Up For Your Love" and Al Green’s "Let’s Stay
Together" (which received some of the loudest applause all night).
Her cover of Robert Palmer’s "Addicted to Love" also wowed the
crowd. The rock-show-type audience reactions came with her material
from the ’60s. Turner gave us an updated version of "Nutbush City
Limits," as well as Vegas-like showstopping performances of "River
Deep Mountain High" and the especially rousing "Proud Mary." Cyndi
Lauper opened the show to loud cheers herself, performing songs
from her new album, "Sisters of Avalon" (Epic), including the title
track, "Love To Hate," and the beautiful new single, "You Don’t
Know." But, like Turner, it was the old favorites that really got
the audience stirring. Besides the newly remade show highlight,
"Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun)," she also performed "I
Drove All Night" and "True Colors." The 40-something Lauper stuck
to her more mature works, leaving out such teenage faves as "All
Through the Night" and the autoerotic "She Bop." Despite the
fantastic maturity in her voice and the great musicianship, she
still had her trademark dyed hair (purple) and her knack of getting
the crowd to smile. On a few occasions, she went into the crowd,
even dancing with a few people and playing around with the Greek
Theater’s event staff. In response to audience questions about her
just-announced pregnancy, she quipped, "When am I due?! You make it
sound like something out of a catalog!" Following the same theme,
she ended her show with, "I’d like to thank Oprah for dropping by
… hopefully my (new) daughter won’t be on her show 10 years from
now ’cause she has a problem with me!" It would be interesting to
see Lauper with her own show and more time to perform both more new
songs and some of her other, older works which are showcased on her
1996 greatest hits album, "Twelve Deadly Cyns." There were no
expectations of Lauper to match Turner’s breathless physicality,
but Lauper had a vocal energy reminiscent of that from her "She’s
So Unusual" days, now with vocals that soared dramatically. In the
end, Monday’s show displayed a defiance of age stereotypes. While
neither artist is selling the number of albums they used to, that
was insignificant to an audience who was looking for an exciting
show. With Lauper’s ever-present youthfulness and Turner’s
boundless energy, vitality and a crowd-friendly vibe helped prove
the women to be exceptions to the rule. SHAWN LAKSMI/Daily Bruin
Tina Turner’s explosive performance delighted fans at the Greek
Theater on Monday. SHAWN LAKSMI/Daily Bruin Tina Turner pauses
between sets to take a breath and a well-deserved bow during her
show at the Greek Theater. Related Links: Mr. Showbiz Star Bios
Cyndi Lauper Resources