During what one attendee called “the best night of the year,” a packed crowd was treated to a spectacular show from award-winning artist Cyndi Lauper during Alumni Weekend’s All Alumni Concert on Sept. 27.
GW’s Charles E. Smith Center hosted alumni of all ages at the sold-out Kickoff Party, where guests enjoyed food, drinks and a spate of desserts before the concert began.
Just after 8:00pm, the lights dimmed, and GWAA President Steven Frenkil greeted the crowd before President Knapp took to the stage. Knapp energized the already buzzing crowd by sharing that more than 2000 people had registered for Alumni Weekend 2013, noting that many events were already sold out.
Then, it was time for the show to begin.
President Knapp welcomed the grammy-award winning artist–who was clad in leather and sporting long pink locks–to a roaring crowd. Lauper wasted no time and launched into a nearly two-hour set that included a mix of new songs and classics, including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” and “She Bop.”
Throughout the evening, Lauper checked in on the crowd, asking “How are ya?”, and shared stories about her life and career–including how some of her songs were recorded, and the time she mispronounced Bruce Springsteen’s name when she bumped into him at the studio. Lauper also encouraged the crowd to become involved in issues that matter to them, and let their voices be heard. For her part, she noted that “rock n’ roll can still save the world.”
Before closing the show during the encore with a beautiful rendition of her hit song, “True Colors,” Lauper told the crowd she was excited to play at GW because she believes in the importance of education. “Knowledge is power,” she said, “remember that!”
Check out what some of the crowd had to say throughout the concert, and stay tuned for more #GWAW13 updates!
