Track listing:

Program Start, At Last, Stay, I Drove All Night, If You Go Away, All Through The Night, Walk On By, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, She Bop, Sisters Of Avalon, Change Of Heart, True Colors, Shine, It's Hard To Be Me, Money Changes Everything, Unchained Melody, Time After Time, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Credits.

One thing that has always been true about Cyndi Lauper is that she will go out of her way to give her fans a great live show, regardless of whether she's performing at a small record store for free or at a sold-out major event concert. The location and number of people attending doesn't matter...Cyndi gives everything she's got when she performs live. And this new DVD "Live At Last," recorded at her March 11, 2004 gig at The Town Hall in New York, is certainly no exception. This DVD will surely satisfy both long-time fans as well as those who have only recently discovered Cyndi's music with her most recent album "At Last," as the track listing (see above) contains songs from both her old-school catalog as well as her renditions of the classics. I certainly appreciate her newer stuff but to me, the best part of this concert is hearing and seeing her perform her trademark songs such as the beautiful "Time After Time" and my personal favorite, "I Drove All Night." These songs may have been written a long time ago, but Cyndi proves with this concert that time certainly has not taken away any of the magic that made them so great.

There are also some great bonus features, a lot more substantial than what most concert DVD's offer:

All in all, a must-have for any Cyndi Lauper fan, even the casual one. And for the price that it's offered here you would be crazy not to buy it.

I have been a casual fan of Cyndi Lauper's since she hit it big with Girls Just Want to have Fun.

I like a few of her songs and even own two albums. After seing this DVD I am now completely converted. She is without a doubt a consummate performer. Her voice seems stronger than ever and what she does with words in her songs is inspired and touching.

I also love how she is unpredictable and one gets the feeling that every night she would do something different onstage and not follow a routine a la Madonna/Britney/Cher etc etc.

She is also very personable and you feel as though she really wants to connect with her audience and take them on a journey.

Well done!

As I watch Bette Midler begin her long (and I hope slow) ride off into the sunset by way of Las Vegas, I have been wondering who could fill her enormous shoes as pop music's premier interpreter. Cindi Lauper, whom I vaguely remembered as a brief phenomenon way back when, had never crossed my mind as a candidate.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was visiting some friends in Vermont who said, "you've got to watch this concert we TiVo'd". For the next two hours I sat spellbound as this little dynamo of a woman overwhelmed the stage and most of the auditorium with one idiosyncratic and gripping interpretation after another of songs we thought we knew. Convinced, I promptly raced to the internet to order the closest thing I could find to that concert, and I somehow wound up with four copies (don't ask) of her 2004 "Live at Last" DVD.

I popped one copy into my player, thinking to do just a quick check to see how similar it was to the concert I heard in Vermont, since some of the songs were carry-overs. Once again, I found myself nailed to the couch for the next two hours, mesmerized by a voice that wailed, soared, pined, and whispered from one piece of quirky material to the next.

And it wasn't just Lauper that wove the spell. Her backup musicians, including a violinist who apparently could nail Paganini's "Caprices" without breaking a sweat, were themselves superb.

The coup de grace came, however, when Lauper hauled out a brass and sax section for her final number, a novel arrangement of her signature tune "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". In delivering this standard as you've never heard it before, after almost two-hours of unbroken singing, coddling, and stage stomping, Lauper engaged in a vocal duel with a solo trumpet. And, for a moment, the voice and the trumpet became indistinguishable.

Ah . . . . . I can sleep again. With a judicious selection of future material, Lauper is poised to take the baton hand-off from the Divine Miss M herself. And -- dare I say it? -- with a considerably more impressive vocal instrument.

Wowza.

Everyone remembers Cyndi as that wild and colorful girl of the 80's, with the huge voice. Since that time, she has changed into a true class act, while not completely abandoning her wild ways. She's all about expressing herself and being true to the people she is singing to. There so are many sides to her that we get to see in her first live DVD formatted concert video. When she is not singing all her greatest hits, she entertains us with a story from time to time, between breaks(from singing). When she reaches back to the classics, it's like reliving that time all over again. It's nostalgic, but also incredible to see how her voice has changed over the years. It's phenomenal and surprisingly rough at times when she is singing Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, and If You Go Away. She sings and plays a dulcimer for a new version of Time After Time, that is gorgeous. She does a manic Money Changes Everything--pulling out all he stops, leaving the audience in awe. We also get to see her off the stage, having dinner with her friends, on a Sunday evening. And even that is fascinating to watch, because it's Cyndi Lauper. It's a look into her more personal life, which I will admit always intrigued me. Cyndi is not your average person. She is bigger than life, and a superstar talent, and a very bright star in our universe.

Apparently many of you smart people already know that Cyndi Lauper is a phenomenal talent. I have always loved her music but, to my detriment, haven't really paid much attention to her career for the past 20 years. A few weeks ago I saw Cyndi's appearance on The View, which I'd also never watched before but now TIVO since Rosie joined the show. I was mesmerized by Cyndi's performance, and I happened to notice that HDNet was airing her concert, "Cyndi Lauper Live... At Last". I was absolutely blown away and immediately went to Amazon the buy this DVD, the "12 Deadly Cyns" DVD and five other CDs (including the latest, "The Body Accoustic," which is just fantastic!).

Let me start with the personal. Who knew that Cyndi was so hot? She's in unbelievable shape and has boundless energy! She's 53 now, I think, but has the body of a 25-year-old. As a 43-year-old woman, I felt so much hope watching her, ha ha. Seriously, seeing someone her age looking and performing the way she does gave me a new attitude. My husband has the hots for her, I think, but I can't blame him. We think she must have a nutritionist and do yoga or some type of breathing exercises because she can dance her hind end off without missing a vocal note. If you think that's easy, just watch American Idol!

Cyndi is a gifted songwriter and her voice has just gotten better over the years. Most impressive to me, however, is her confidence. She's essentially a conductor on stage, and it's clear she is in control of everything from arranging the music to directing the concert. The musicians she's assembled are superb, and they all seem to have a lot of fun.

The show is brilliantly paced, and no one works harder for an audience. I've been to several great concerts, including U2 (twice), REM, Ray Charles, old Elvis, and Paul McCartney, and they were all great shows. But I must say that this is the best concert I've ever seen, and I wasn't even there in person. It's really so entertaining and appeals to a variety of tastes. Everyone we've shown it to wants the DVD.

Cyndi wisely opens the show with "At Last," and immediately establishes her bona fides. I've always thought Etta James gave the definitive vocal performance of that song until I heard Ms. Lauper sing it. She has such a bluesy sound and holds that last note for a good 18 seconds, and her voice just gets stronger the longer she holds it!

Next she entertains the audience with a short soliloquy on her childhood musical influences, setting up "Stay," during which she ventures into the audience for the first time. Another endearing quality is her willingness to mix with the huddled masses. It's a nice dichotomy, actually. When she sings, she's stunning... a star. But when she talks, she's like a neighbor chatting over the back fence. It feels like she's talking to you, her best friend.

"I Drove All Night" is tres sexy and playful, while "If You Go Away" is haunting. I couldn't get either song out of my head for days. "All Through the Night" includes those great high notes at the end, and this song sounds better than ever. I also loved this version of "Walk on By." Keep an eye open for Cyndi's priceless expressions during the song's introduction.

Next is "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," which is very introspective and breathtaking to watch. Cyndi's vocal duet with Kat Dyson's guitar is first rate. And I adore the "French" version of "She Bop"! I thought it was very clever and oh-so-funny. "Sisters of Avalon" seems to be another of her under-rated songs, and it will stay in your head for weeks -- especially the bridge.

"Change of Heart" has great energy and Cyndi impresses with her considerable dancing skills. "True Colors" really needs no description, but I'll admit to crying the first 4-5 times I watched it. Very emotional. The same week I watched this concert, I saw one of the American Idol kids sing "True Colors" and literally had to leave the room. Let's just say it helped me truly appreciate Cyndi's interpretive talents.

"Shine" is one of those songs that should have won several Grammys. Fantastic! I'm not sure why this song was overlooked, but fortunately she includes it on her newest CD, "The Body Accoustic." The song definitely deserves some air play!!

My favorite performance may be "It's Hard to be Me," which Cyndi wrote with bass player Bill Whitman. (He's also the co-writer on Shine; I think these two need to write more songs together!) This song was written while Cyndi was watching the Anna Nicole Smith trial, which obviously was years before Anna's untimely death. While I do feel a little guilty for enjoying it so much, this song is so clever and the choreography is genius. Look for Anna poses everywhere, and don't miss Bill W. sneaking a peek under Cyndi's dress!! Funny.

"Money Changes Everything," with a cool rock-a-billy sound, winds up the show, and everybody jams. Cyndi, the band, the crowd... the energy is palpable. You'll be squirming in your Barca-lounger, for sure.

Encore numbers include "Unchained Melody," a beautiful performance of "Time After Time" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". This time Cyndi does a vocal duet with the trumpet, and it's impressive.

This is Lauper at her very best. She combines the physique and energy of a 25-year-old with the maturity and confidence of someone with 25 years of experience in the business. She leaves it all on the stage, holding nothing back and giving her heart and soul to her adoring fans. She really is beautiful.