True Colors - Deer Lake Park, July 2, 2008

Hello Bloggers, my old friends. I have been out of touch for a while, but I think about blogging, so that has to count for something. I meant to return to the blog earlier in the month, but life just got in the way. Oh yeah, and that darned facebook thing. I definitely will have to find a 12-step program soon. It'll probably be virtual and I will likely become addicted to that too.

So July started off with bang for me. While my fellow Canadians may have celebrated our nation's founding (or appropriating, depending on your perspective), I waited until July 2 to celebrate. My sister and I went to see True Colors, Cyndi Lauper's palooza supporting equality for all, particularly the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual communities. We bought the expensive tickets that would allow us to meet Ms. Cyndi and gave us some great seats. The show featured Carson Kressley, Nona Hendryx, Joan Armatrading, Rosie O'Donnell, Sarah Mclachlan, The B52s, and Cyndi Lauper. The venue was Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. It was simply amazing.

While I was excited about meeting Cyndi Lauper, I was really hoping to meet Rosie. You see I have loved Rosie for a very long time. I am an avid reader of her blog and agree with a lot of what she has to stay on the American political situation. I started emailing her asking if she'd meet my sister and me whilst we were visiting with Cyndi. At the time, I didn't realized that our "meeting" with Cyndi was only to take one photo and virtually no chit chat. I know, I am naive. I tried to use the fact that I was turning 40 and my sister just turned 50 and that this would be a great present for both of us to elicit a response, but Rosie never replied. She gets thousands of emails and probably feared me as a stalker.

While waiting to enter the venue, my bodacious friend saw Rosie getting out of her tour bus. My friend yelled "hello Rosie" and Rosie waved back. When I was told this, I admitted my jealousy.

Joan Armatrading was playing as we waited to go backstage for our pix with Cyndi. My sister loves Joan, so I offered to go up close and get a picture. On my way back, I saw her. I did a double-take. Could it really be? Among us mere mortals? Indeed it was: ROSIE! Okay, brain engage. If you don't take the chance, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I walked over, half-expecting some nearby bodyguard to tackle me. I shook her hand and said something I am certain was goofy. I shook her hand again, to make sure that I had done it. I asked if she'd sign my copy of her book. She said she had to go on in a bit, but perhaps later. I thanked her, told her that I was among her bloggers, all the while fearing a 300 lb security guard. I could tell that I was bothering her because I know she loves Joan Armatrading, but she was still very polite to me. And for that I was so grateful! After snapping a few pix, I did my happy dance back to my sister. Famous people are known for disappointing their fans because expectations are so high.
Meeting Cyndi Lauper was cool and I have a picture of it, but the real highlight is that I got to meet Rosie and I was not disappointed.

Rosie's set was also very good. I managed to snag a place right at the stage and took way too many pictures. Her humour was filled with pathos. Rosie's pain was palpable even through all of the laughter. Perhaps because I am on her blog quite frequently, that I was familiar with what she had to say. Nevertheless, sitting there, listening to her talk, was like being with an old friend.

The whole show was amazing. Carson Kressly was a good emcee. I enjoyed his humour, although he may want to expand his repertoire a little. Although I didn't know Nona Hendryx's music, I loved her performance and energy. Joan Armatrading voice was so rich and soothing. Sarah McLachlan just fed off the hometown energy and gave back as much as she received. She was clearly happy to be on stage again. Her voice has become even more beautiful with time. The B52s really cranked up the audience's energy to insane party levels. That band is tight and boy (or girl, if that's your preference) did they sound good!

And Cyndi, well, what can I say? That girl can sing. It's really hard to reconcile her speaking voice which is uneven, squeaky-pitched with a distinct Brooklyn accent, with her singing voice which is simultaneously robust and ethereal. She more than held her own with Mclachlan's powerhouse voice when two did a haunting duet of Time After Time. You can feel the passion she has for her music, her cause and most of all, her audience. Because I was seated in an exclusive area, I got to watch all the professional photographers desperately try to capture Cyndi as she moved closer and closer to her audience and out of their clear lens view. I was happy to see that her priorities were clearly in order.

When Cyndi broke into Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, the audience, including me, went nuts. This was the theme song of my teen years. It was the song with which we won our air band competition. I told Cyndi this backstage. I am sure she just thought I was a weirdo. Rosie played the timbales and Margaret Cho appeared on stage out of nowhere. Wish she had performed.

The light was fading into darkness. Fireflies came out to enjoy the show, all sparkling and popping. You could tell that even they were having a great time. Cyndi and the rest of the performers, minus Joan Armatrading, closed the show singing Sly and the Family Stone's Everyday People and Cyndi's own True Colors. Big Giant coloured balls were released into the audience. The fireflies swayed to the music. A warm summer breeze shimmered through the weeping willows. And for those moments, the message of True Colors was our lived reality. Hope existed. It was possible to live united, without prejudice.


Thank you Cyndi Lauper for letting your true colours shine through.