Cyndi Lauper Live In Budokan 1986

July 18, 2023 2:55 PM

After releasing her second album and before officially launching the True Colors tour, Cyndi Lauper played eight dates in Japan, five of them at the famed Budokan. Four nights there, three nights in other cities, she then returned for a fifth night, which was filmed for Japanese television. Cyndi Lauper Live In Budokan 1986 [1h9m] is everything you want -- jangly late Eighties synths, classic songs, and Cyndi's undeniable vocal prowess.
posted by hippybear (18 comments total)

Does anyone else from the late 70s early 80s see Budokan and immediately think Cheap Trick?
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:03 PM on July 18, 2023 [21 favorites]

Do you have a setlist?
posted by panama joe at 3:31 PM on July 18, 2023

The setlist is both in the "more inside" of the video description and is in the first comment under the video.
posted by hippybear at 3:35 PM on July 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

I was so surprised to see her on The Horror Of Delores Roach!
posted by mittens at 3:39 PM on July 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

Cyndi Lauper blew my mind when I first heard her music, probably "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," but maybe also "Time After Time". When I discovered what "She Bop" is on about my crush turned to everlasting love.

Cyndi and Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles, with those eyes on "Walk Like an Egyptian": the 80s.

And yes, Budokan is synecdoche for Cheap Trick.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
posted by chavenet at 4:31 PM on July 18, 2023 [4 favorites]

We saw her live in 2004. Most of her fame, of course, was based on her 80’s hits. She opened the set by covering Ella Fitzgerald’s “At Last” and when she sang those first two words, you could see every jaw in the crowd drop. There are some shows you’re really glad you went to go see and this one is high on the list.
posted by azpenguin at 5:36 PM on July 18, 2023 [7 favorites]

There have been a lot of groups who have released live albums recorded at Budokan, although Cheap Trick may have been the first group to have a big hit with a live record with Budokan in the title. And they're still doing it; Babymetal had a big album recorded there.

Glad to see that "Money Changes Everything" is on the list; it's my favorite song of hers and I've heard some killer live versions.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:37 PM on July 18, 2023

She opened the set by covering Ella Fitzgerald’s “At Last”

Etta James?
posted by clawsoon at 5:54 PM on July 18, 2023 [3 favorites]

Etta James?

Yeah, you’re right… sorry, we’ve been under extreme heat warnings for weeks now so my brain is melted
posted by azpenguin at 6:41 PM on July 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

one short of an EGOT (missing the O)!
posted by dismas at 7:00 PM on July 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

Maybe this should go somewhere else, but I'm going to go ahead and tell you here, hippybear, that you have enriched my life many times over, thank you so very much!
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:23 PM on July 18, 2023 [7 favorites]

Slightly disappointed that she is not covering Cheap Trick.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:29 PM on July 18, 2023 [2 favorites]

Slightly disappointed that she is not covering Cheap Trick.

"Surrender" seems like an obvious choice.
posted by briank at 5:04 AM on July 19, 2023 [1 favorite]

Glad to see that "Money Changes Everything" is on the list; it's my favorite song of hers and I've heard some killer live versions.

The official video was, of course, a live version, and that's always been my favorite take. She clobbered the original.
posted by mykescipark at 7:01 AM on July 19, 2023 [1 favorite]

Probably the second best singer to come out of the 80s, right behind Whitney Houston.
posted by grog at 8:18 AM on July 19, 2023

Such mullets. All the keyboards. Wanted more shots of screaming Japanese schoolgirls. Talk about someone whose talent has been overshadowed by frilly presentation.

Iron & Wine’s version of Time After Time great. It’s become a bit of a modern standard.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:24 AM on July 19, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yeah, Time After Time and True Colors have both become modern standards. She's done a lot of really amazing work, but getting two songs into the canon is a Pretty Big Deal, IMO.
posted by hippybear at 11:04 AM on July 20, 2023

It's gotten to the point that I start reading a music post that I'm very interested in, and I already know it's by hippybear without looking further. Thanks for your consistently excellent posts!
posted by nixxon at 1:34 PM on July 22, 2023