Honestly, if you saw Cyndi Lauper scaling a set of percussive body armor at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow or belting out "I Drove All Night" with more grit than most singers half her age, you’d probably ask yourself: Wait, why is this a farewell? It’s a fair question. At 72, Cyndi is still hitting those glass-shattering high notes. She's still dancing like a "mofo," as one fan put it after a Vancouver show. But the Cyndi Lauper farewell tour, officially dubbed the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour," isn't about her losing her voice.
It’s about control.
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Lauper has been very blunt about the logistics of being a global pop icon in your eighth decade. She told People that she simply doesn’t want to be 80 years old, hobbling onto a stage with a walker, shouting "Come on, girls!" She wants to go out while she can still run across the stage, roll on the floor with her guest stars, and maintain that "She’s So Unusual" energy that made her a household name in 1983.
The tour, which kicked off in late 2024 and wrapped its massive arena run at the Hollywood Bowl in August 2025, was more than just a greatest hits parade. It was a massive, neon-soaked piece of performance art.
What the Setlist Revealed About the Icon
Most people go to a Cyndi Lauper show expecting the radio hits. You want "Time After Time." You need "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." But this farewell run was deeper. It was a narrative of her life, and she treated it that way, often stopping to give rambling, hilarious, and deeply personal monologues between songs.
One night she’s talking about a breakup and the movie Poltergeist; the next, she's accidentally hitting a crew member with a recorder during a solo. It’s chaotic. It’s authentic. It’s Cyndi.
The setlist generally looked like this for the major arena dates:
- She Bop: Usually the high-energy opener.
- The Goonies 'R' Good Enough: A nostalgic trip that she used to hate but has clearly embraced for the fans.
- When You Were Mine: Her classic Prince cover.
- I Drove All Night: This one usually brought the house down.
- Sally's Pigeons: A tender moment that highlights her activism and storytelling.
- Money Changes Everything: The high-octane closer of the main set.
- True Colors and Girls Just Want to Have Fun: The inevitable, emotional encore.
The Hollywood Bowl Finale: A Star-Studded Goodbye
The tour officially "ended" (we'll get to that in a second) with two nights at the Hollywood Bowl on August 29 and 30, 2025. This wasn't just a concert; it was a coronation. Cyndi invited a literal army of legends and newcomers to join her.
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Joni Mitchell, who is 81 and Lauper's self-described hero, sat beside her for a version of "Carey." Seeing the two of them together, Cyndi playing a washboard, was one of those "I was there" moments for music history. Then John Legend came out for "Time After Time," and SZA—yes, the modern R&B powerhouse—joined her for "True Colors."
But the real kicker? Cher.
Lauper’s longtime friend and tour-mate from years past showed up to close out "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." It was a sea of rainbow lights, glitter, and literal tears in the audience.
Why the "Farewell" Isn't Quite a Retirement
Here is the part most people get wrong. Cyndi isn't retiring from music. She’s just retiring from "the trains, planes, and automobiles." Touring is a grind. It’s exhausting.
Instead of living out of a suitcase, she’s shifting gears. Almost immediately after the "farewell" ended, she announced a 2026 residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It makes sense. You stay in one place, the fans come to you, and you get to keep the production value high without the logistics of moving a 20-truck show every 24 hours.
She’s also neck-deep in Broadway. She’s been working on the score for the Working Girl musical for a decade, and that’s where her creative heart is right now.
A Legacy of More Than Just Pop
The Cyndi Lauper farewell tour served as a reminder of her impact on the LGBTQ+ community and women's rights. At almost every show, fans wore bright red wigs sold to raise money for her Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights fund.
The visuals, designed with creative director Brian Burke, were intentionally "art-forward." She worked with artists like Daniel Wurtzel, who created a massive "Air Fountain" installation for the performance of "True Colors." It was a far cry from the simple 80s nostalgia acts that populate the county fair circuit. This was a statement.
If You Missed the Tour: What Now?
If you weren't one of the lucky ones to catch the 2024–2025 arena dates, don't panic. You have a few options to catch the magic.
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- The TV Special: CBS filmed the Hollywood Bowl finale for a special titled A GRAMMY Salute to Cyndi Lauper. It’s currently streaming on Paramount+, and honestly, the SZA and Joni Mitchell duets are worth the subscription alone.
- The Las Vegas Residency: In April and May 2026, she’ll be at Caesars Palace. These are likely to be her last high-production "career-spanning" shows for the foreseeable future.
- The Documentary: If you want the backstory on how she got here, look for Let the Canary Sing. It’s the definitive documentary on her rise from a Queens rockabilly singer to a global icon.
Cyndi Lauper has always been a "one-off." Whether she’s playing a tuneless recorder solo or advocating for homeless youth, she does it with a New York drawl and zero apologies. This tour was a victory lap for a woman who was once told she’d be a one-hit wonder. Forty years later, it’s clear she’s anything but.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check the secondary market for remaining 2026 Vegas residency tickets if you missed the initial October 2025 sale; they are moving fast.
- Watch the Paramount+ special to see the unique stage design and guest appearances that defined the tour's final nights.
- Support the "Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights" fund through her official website to carry on the tour's primary charitable mission.