True Colors Tour

The True Colors Tour is an annual music tour created by American pop icon Cyndi Lauper. The tour benefited the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations that provide support to the LGBT community and to the straight friends and family who love them, including PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the Matthew Shepard Foundation, as well as local organizations in cities where the concerts were held.

2007

The True Colors Tour 2007 featured Lauper, Debbie Harry, Erasure, and The Dresden Dolls, with comedian Margaret Cho as MC and stopped at fifteen cities between June 8 and June 30, 2007. Other artists and special guests who appeared for specific tour locations included The Gossip, Rosie O'Donnell, The Cliks, Indigo Girls, Cazwell, Amanda Lepore, Diana Yanez and Rufus Wainwright. The HRC received $1 from each ticket sold throughout the tour.

Logo TV, was one of the partnering sponsors for the tour [http://www.truecolorstour.com/main.html] . 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:

In October 2007, the US Congress approved the Matthew Shepard Act into a law largely due to the great success of the True Colors Tour 2007.Fact|date=April 2008

Album

A True Colors commemorative album was released on June 12, 2007 through Tommy Boy Records. [ [http://shop.tommyboy.com/artists.asp?page=releases&Artist_ID=335&Release_ID=413 TommyBoy Entertainment Album Page] ] Physical copies were for sale at the concerts and the album was also available online from the iTunes Store.

#Cyndi Lauper – "True Colors (Morel's Pink Noise Mix)" (Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg) – 8:10
#The Dresden Dolls – "Shores of California" (Amanda Palmer) – 3:35
#The Cliks – "Oh Yeah" (Lucas Silveira) – 4:34
#Indigo Girls – "Rock & Roll Heaven’s Gate" (Amy Ray) – 3:14
#Rufus Wainwright – "Gay Messiah" (Wainwright) – 3:14
#Debbie Harry – "What Is Love" (Harry, Barb Morrison, Charles Nieland)
#Erasure featuring Cyndi Lauper – "Early Bird (DJ Manolo's True Colors Mix)"
#Jeffree Star – "Plastic Surgery Slumber Party"
#The Gossip – "(Take Back) The Revolution"
#Cazwell – "Watch My Mouth"

2008

The second annual True Colors Tour stopped at 24 cities between May 31 and July 5, 2008 (an increase of nine cities from the 2007 tour.) At many locations, Lauper made a special appeal for attendees to sign a pledge to vote in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.

The True Colors Tour 2008 featured musical performances by Lauper, the Indigo Girls, Andy Bell, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Girl in a Coma, The B-52's, Regina Spektor, Tegan and Sara, Colton Ford, Kat Deluna, The White Tie Affair, DJ Paul V, Joan Armatrading, Deborah Cox, The Cliks, The Puppini Sisters, Nona Hendryx, Sarah McLachlan and Lili Haydn. Comedians Margaret Cho, Carson Kresley, Wanda Sykes, Kate Clinton, Rosie O'Donnell also performed. The musical and comedic lineup varied per local venue.

At the Oklahoma City stop of the tour, Cho made special mention of Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern's controversial speech about the "gay agenda" that made news headlines. The tour added the Oklahoma City date of the tour after Kern's remarks made national headlines. [ [http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=8528271 "A Blessing In Disguise"] Rusty Surette, 19 June 2008; KWTV news9.]

A commemorative album was again released through the iTunes Store and was available for free download by concert attendees. [ [http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMix?id=282621574&s=143441&wm=1] ]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.truecolorstour.com True Colors Tour official site]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/arts/music/20true.html?8dpc The New York Times review of the show] at the Radio City Music Hall on June 18, 2007
* [http://www.gaylinkcontent.com/prdetail.cfm?id=11589 GayLink News interviews] Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls about the Tour
* [http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/Page&c=FlexContent&cid=1181270880469 Blogs] about the Tour by Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls.