Reading other fans' concert comments is so interesting, but experiencing a live concert yourself is more exhilarating. We have just experienced our very first concert last Friday, July 23rd at the Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Since it was our first, we did not know what to expect. We savored every moment even the long wait we had to endure. It was a summer concert and it was hot hot hot. We only wished the concert staff sold ice cold water instead of ice cold beer. The concert was to start at 9 pm while the gates open at 8 pm. Rain or shine. We arrived at the hotel at 5 pm and there was no line yet. We were told that the beach will be cleared of hotel guests at 7 pm and will be prepared for the concert. We came back at a quarter to 7 pm and there were about 12 people lined up ahead of us. While waiting in line, we could hear Cyndi Lauper and her band warming up and doing the sound checks.

After our tickets were checked and our bags searched, the gates were opened at 8:30 pm. Since there were no assigned seats, there was a mad race to secure a good spot (reminded us of seeing the start of Amazing Race on TV). We were provided with beach towels which we used to claim our spots. We learned that it was hard to run on sand, but we still managed. Fans were going crazy and excited, the security staff was working hard to keep order and the concert staff was working hard to sell ice cold beer.

After we got settled, we realized how high the concert stage was. The stage was surrounded by the famous man-made beach of Mandalay Bay. The water was tempting and people were having fun. Children and some adults alike were in bathing suits swimming and riding the waves.

We were ecstatic that we would be seeing Cyndi Lauper soon. After 18 years when she first danced and sang her way into our lives at age 13, we will be watching her perform live. We decided that we wanted to see her up close even though we brought with us our trusty binoculars. We took off our sandals and started for the water. We left our binoculars with our brother and sister-in-law who were satisfied with their seats.

As we got closer to the stage, we just noticed how huge the speakers were. Will we go deaf? We stood front row, dead center. Never in our wildest dreams that we thought would we see Cyndi in person. Growing up we were satisfied with watching her concerts over and over again, listening to her cassette tapes over and over again and watching her music videos on TV over and over again.

The moment finally came at 9:30 pm when Cyndi sang her first song to thunderous applause from her excited audience. She worked the stage and she totally ROCKED! Her funky, energetic sounds made us shimmy and dance which we seldom do in public. We found ourselves singing along with her, too, like her fans. Cyndi interacted with her audience. She wanted to get closer, but she hesitated at times because she thought the speakers were kind of dangerous to stand on. She was invited to be in the water, but as much as she wanted to, she could not because she might get electrocuted wearing all those electronic equipment. (She usually goes to the audience to sing and dance with them.)

Every time a helicopter flew over the outdoor venue, she would jokingly wave and say, “Remember Linda Ronstadt? Michael Moore, Michael Moore, Michael Moore! What was the name of his film again?” She was so funny. She sang, “She Bop” in a slow beat tempo and warned us that it was a French version to remind us of what happened to PeeWee Herman.

Then she sang, “True Colors” and draped a rainbow flag over her shoulders and raised her arm at the end of the song and stood there for several minutes.

When she sang her last song and said, “Good night. Have a great summer!” we wanted to hear some more songs and could not believe the night ended at 5 minutes to 11 pm. She was whisked away. The time sure went by fast. We did not even notice.

It was a great show and we were so happy. Even our brother and sister-in-law could not believe that she is already 51 years old! They were surprised that she still had the voice and the moves.

It was a summer night to remember.

Cyndi Lauper Concert Pics

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TwinXenas,

lol that's awesome! I remember seeing Cyndi back when i was 19 in 1986 at the Spectrum in Philly! It was her true colors tour. I hid myself amongst all the ppl with backstage passes waiting to go back there, and when the guard asked about my pass, i said, "I had a pass but someone stole it, I dropped it and turned around and looked and it was gone!" So he let me in! whoo hoo! i talked to Cyndi a lil, and she signed my autograph--she's so sweet! Cool lady. lol, that's funny what she said about linda ronstadt! Wish i could have seen that!
Great pictures too!
wp9

Thanks WP9 for sharing your Cyndi Lauper encounter.

no problem! She's an awesome artist. Glad you had fun!