Last night, I went with my friends Scott (the same one who sent me the Conchords vid) and Jaylen to HRC’s True Colors Concert at San Diego State’s Open Air Theatre. The tour, organized by Cyndi Lauper, featured Erasure, Debbie Harry, and Lauper, of course. We were mainly drawn to the show by Erasure (though Jaylen, being a fan of Lauper’s, was there for her as well).
Erasure featuring Andy Bell and his soulful backup divas.The first stop was Urban Mo’s (formerly Hamburger Mary’s) in Hillcrest for a pre-show dinner. If you have fond memories of Hamburger Mary’s, don’t fret. The menu’s had some changes, but for the better, and the food is still great. Plus, Andy Bell stopped by Mo’s on Monday and plugged the restaurant with a story in the middle of Erasure’s set.
Scott and Jaylen at Urban Mo’s.
Though they weren’t going to the show, our friends Kerry, Kay, and Gary joined us for dinner.
Scott, Jaylen, and me at SDSU Open Air Theatre.We managed to get to the show around 7pm. We missed the first act, but the Dresden Dolls were playing. I’ve heard their music from time to time on 94/9 (a local independent radio station). My closest basis of comparison would be the White Stripes, both in that the Dresden Dolls are a duo and have a quirky experimental rock style. They’re definitely worth checking out again.
The Dresden Dolls.Between sets, Margaret Cho served up raunchy comedy interludes and acted as emcee. Before the fifteen minute intermission before Erasure’s set, Cho (being a good faghag), encouraged her audience to go cruising and get some dick.
Ass-Master, faghag extraordinaire, and all around raunchy comedian Margaret Cho.Before we get to Erasure, there was Debby Harry’s lackluster set. Scott’s take on it was Debby Harry didn’t believe her set was great, so how would the audience get into it. Plus, much of her solo material was obscure. After performing “French Kissing in the USA,” the energy of her set went downhill, despite the power pop presentation of her songs. Perhaps if she performed some Blondie songs, the crowd would have gone crazy, but there are most likely reasons why she doesn’t play them in her solo shows.
A “Heart of Glass?”I suspect that, like my friends and I, much of the crowd came here to see Erasure. They showed that they don’t need their fancy sets and many costume changes (very standard operating procedures for Erasure) to keep their audience’s attention. An anti-Pet Shop Boys of sorts, this prolific duo has managed in recent years to balance their sets with new material with old. The crowd went wild when they performed 1980’s hits such as “A Little Respect,” “Drama,” and and the set closing “O L’Amour,” all of which sounded as fresh as the recent “I Could Fall In Love With You.”
A not so ephemeral performance from Erasure.Cyndi Lauper closed the show with a high energy set that included a couple of Erasure covers, her old hits, and some more recent material. Perhaps the most outgoing of the acts, she went into the audience once during a song and interacted with front row audience members and security from time to time. She closed the show with everyone involved performing “True Colors” with her,” complete with a gigantic balloon toss, a sweet but emotional ending to a busy musical evening.
Tags: concerts, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Dresden Dolls, Erasure, gay rights, Human Rights Campaign, Margaret Cho, True Colors Tour, Urban Mo's
