True Colors was an annual music event created by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The concerts were headlined by Lauper and featured various music and comedy acts. Beginning in 2007, the trek supported the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Other local and private LGBT charities and foundations were supported as the event grew. The tour began with 16 shows in 2007 expanding to 25 shows in 2008. Lauper's set during the 2008 tour was basically the North American leg of her worldwide Bring Ya to the Brink Tour that year. An outing in 2009 was planned and later cancelled. In lieu of the tour, Lauper partnered with Broadway Impact to create the True Colors Cabaret.[1] The show began September 28, 2009 and ran once a month at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. It featured performances from Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Karen Olivo, Melinda Doolittle and Broadway Inspirational Voices. The shows ran until February 2010.[2]
| Continental tour by Various | |||||||
 Promotional poster for 2007 leg | |||||||
| Location | North America | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associated album | Bring Ya to the Brink (2008 leg) | ||||||
| Start date | June 8, 2007 | ||||||
| End date | July 5, 2008 | ||||||
| Legs | 2 | ||||||
| No. of shows | 41 in North America | ||||||
| |||||||
Background
Logo TV was one of the partnering sponsors for the music festival. The channel aired a half-hour special on June 21, 2007 titled Shining Through: Behind the Scenes of True Colors. The special was hosted by Cho at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the special, Lauper explained the purpose of the True Colors Tour:
Friends, family, plus the community is a lot of people and together, we make a very loud sound; and I believe that people don't know the facts. They don't know that you can be fired from your job in 33 states if you're gay and lesbian and transgender and bisexual. They don't know that the hate crime bill does not extend to everyone...Education is so important. So that's what we are trying to do – in a fun, loving way.
— Cyndi Lauper[3]
The HRC received $1 from each ticket sold throughout the tour.[4] The theme of the tour was about eliminating hate, specifically about getting the Matthew Shepard Act passed by the U.S. Senate. In October 2007, the US Congress approved the Matthew Shepard Act, accomplishing one of the goals of the tour. In 2008 True Colors tour visited 23 cities across North America with a cast of acts that was even more impressive than the previous year. The shows featured up to eight marquee names per night with several collaborations and an encore featuring every act on stage together.
Line up
2007
Hosted by Margaret Cho |
2008
Hosted by Carson Kressley[6] |
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 North American leg[8] | |||
| June 8, 2007 | Las Vegas | United States | MGM Grand Garden Arena |
| June 9, 2007 | West Valley City | USANA Amphitheatre | |
| June 10, 2007 | Morrison | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | |
| June 12, 2007 | Chicago | Auditorium Theatre | |
| June 13, 2007 | Columbus | Value City Arena | |
| June 15, 2007 | Atlantic City | Borgata Event Center | |
| June 16, 2007 | Boston | Bank of America Pavilion | |
| June 17, 2007 | Columbia | Merriweather Post Pavilion | |
| June 18, 2007 | New York City | Radio City Music Hall | |
| June 19, 2007 | Toronto | Canada | Molson Amphitheatre |
| June 21, 2007 | Atlanta | United States | Chastain Park Amphitheater |
| June 23, 2007 | Dallas | Smirnoff Music Centre | |
| June 24, 2007 | The Woodlands | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | |
| June 27, 2007 | San Diego | SDSU Open Air Theatre | |
| June 29, 2007 | Berkeley | Hearst Greek Theatre | |
| June 30, 2007 | Los Angeles | Greek Theatre | |
| 2008 North American leg[9] | |||
| May 31, 2008 | Boston | United States | Bank of America Pavilion |
| June 1, 2008 | Wantagh | Nikon at Jones Beach Theater | |
| June 3, 2008 | New York City | Radio City Music Hall | |
| June 4, 2008 | Toronto | Canada | Molson Amphitheatre |
| June 6, 2008 | Ledyard | United States | MGM Grand Theater |
| June 7, 2008 | Washington, D.C. | DAR Constitution Hall | |
| June 9, 2008 | Minneapolis | U.S. Bank Theater | |
| June 10, 2008 | Chicago | Chicago Theatre | |
| June 11, 2008 | Clarkston | DTE Energy Music Theatre | |
| June 13, 2008 | Atlantic City | Borgata Event Center | |
| June 14, 2008 | Bethel | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts | |
| June 16, 2008 | Atlanta | Chastain Park Amphitheater | |
| June 17, 2008 | |||
| June 18, 2008 | Clearwater | Ruth Eckerd Hall | |
| June 19, 2008 | Sunrise | Frank Sinatra Theatre | |
| June 21, 2008 | The Woodlands | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | |
| June 22, 2008 | Dallas | Superpages.com Center | |
| June 25, 2008 | Phoenix | Dodge Theatre | |
| June 27, 2008 | Alpine | The Park at Viejas Outlets | |
| June 28, 2008 | Los Angeles | Greek Theatre | |
| June 29, 2008 | Berkeley | Hearst Greek Theatre | |
| July 1, 2008 | Seattle | WaMu Theater | |
| July 2, 2008 | Burnaby | Canada | Deer Lake Park |
| July 4, 2008 | West Valley City | United States | USANA Amphitheatre |
| July 5, 2008 | Morrison | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | |
Box office score data
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auditorium Theatre | Chicago | 2,684 / 3,448 (78%) | $325,261[10] |
| Radio City Music Hall | New York City | 5,959 / 5,959 (100%) | $590,113[10] |
| Hearst Greek Theatre | Berkeley | 7,418 / 7,418 (100%) | $498,325[11] |
| Bank of America Pavilion | Boston | 3,584 / 5,166 (69%) | $219,576[12] |
| Nikon at Jones Beach Theater | Wantagh | 6,663 / 13,514 (49%) | $245,295[12] |
| Molson Amphitheatre | Toronto | 7,775 / 8,500 (91%) | $198,200[13] |
| Chicago Theatre | Chicago | 2,072 / 3,136 (66%) | $226,985[12] |
| Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | The Woodlands | 6,077 / 15,685 (39%) | $258,711[13] |
| Superpages.com Center | Dallas | 7,589 / 19,878 (38%) | $179,639[13] |
| Dodge Theatre | Phoenix | 3,044 / 4,861 (63%) | $201,147[13] |
| TOTAL | 55,865 / 87,565 (60%) | $2,943,252 | |
Broadcasts and recordings
| True Colors | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by Various | |
| Released | August 7, 2007 |
| Label | Silver Label |
A True Colors commemorative album was released on June 12, 2007 through Tommy Boy Records.[14] Physical copies were for sale at the concerts and the album was also available online from the iTunes Store. A reissue commemorative album was again released through the iTunes Store and was available for free download by concert attendees.[15]
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "True Colors Morel's Pink Noise Mix" | Cyndi Lauper | 8:10 |
| 2. | "Shores of California" | The Dresden Dolls | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Oh Yeah" | The Cliks | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Rock & Roll Heaven's Gate" | Indigo Girls | 4:33 |
| 5. | "Gay Messiah" | Rufus Wainwright | 3:14 |
| 6. | "What Is Love" | Deborah Harry | 3:14 |
| 7. | "Early Bird [DJ Manolo's True Colors Mix]" | Erasure featuring Cyndi Lauper | 4:29 |
| 8. | "Plastic Surgery Slumber Party" | Jeffree Star | 2:12 |
| 9. | "(Take Back) The Revolution" | The Gossip | 6:47 |
| 10. | "Watch My Mouth" | Cazwell | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 39:11 | ||
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Grab a Hold" | Cyndi Lauper | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Funplex" | The B-52's | 4:12 |
| 3. | "Better" | Regina Spektor | 3:21 |
| 4. | "The Con" | Tegan and Sara | 3:29 |
| 5. | "One-Eyed Dog" | Mary McBride | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Allow Me to Introduce Myself... Mr. Right" | The White Tie Affair | 2:57 |
| 7. | "The Weakness in Me" | Joan Armatrading | 3:35 |
| 8. | "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here [Special Slow to Fast Version]" | Deborah Cox | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Oh Yeah" | The Cliks | 4:36 |
| 10. | "Walk Like an Egyptian" | The Puppini Sisters | 2:42 |
| 11. | "Strawberry Street" | Lili Haydn | 4:35 |
| 12. | "Their Cell" | Girl in a Coma | 5:30 |
| Total length: | 46:48 | ||
References
External links
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