Like pizza, unexpected tax refunds, and sunny days in winter, its impossible to not like Cyndi Lauper. In the 80s she came off like Madonnas wacky, kinda dorky, and completely adorable cousin; she symbolized girl power long before the Spice Girls ever thought of it, and sang her heart out on Time After Time and True Colors two of the best songs ever recorded during the Reagan era. In the 90s and 00s she branched out into critically acclaimed soul, roots, and adult-contemporary sounds and became a hero in the LGBT community for her tireless activism. Refusing to be categorized as some sort of 80s throwback artist, Laupers most recent album, Memphis Blues, is a legit blues platter full of sweat and passion. See girls wanna have fun, but they also wanna go down to the crossroads! With Charlie Musselwhite. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG
Thu., Sept. 2, 5 p.m., 2010
