Cyndi Lauper knows how to say goodbye — let's hope she's a dirty liar and does not stick to the categorization of her latest tour as a farewell.
My friend Danny Echi, a superfan of many artists with broad musical taste, peeped her big MSG show, saying she decided to perform her hits (and some beloved misses) with lots of stories and banter in-between. From photos and video, it's clear this was right up the crowd's alley.
Danny referred to it as more of a Broadway-style show due to the pacing.
slut summer (Images by Matthew Rettenmund)
On July 30, I was invited to catch Tammy Faymous at Joe's Pub — and I'm glad I made the effort.
Tammy, the creation of journalist and performer Alexander Kacala, was a queen of whom I was aware, but inaccurately. I thought, due to her cultivated messiness, she was going to be sort of Jayne County or a shock act. That's not up my alley, but when Kacala invited me, I knew that the venue was a dream of his, and hers, so I simply could not miss it.
@boyculturedotcom Tammy Faymous is a rock ‘n’ roll drag queen making drag FUN again. At her Joe’s Pub debut in NYC on July 30, 2024, she made a play for Gen Z with a heartfelt Chappell Roan cover. #chappellroan #drag #queer #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #casual #music #cabaret@chappell roan @Faymeproblems ♬ original sound - Matthew Rettenmund/BoyCulture
Turns out that Tammy is messy, but in a deeply relatable way. More a rocker with pop tendencies than a provocateuse, her cabaret act plays as a way of finding herself in songs as she goes along. Instead of a polished act, Tammy is an act in progress, and all heart.
More proof I was wrong in my assumptions, her set included Sabrina Carpenter, Melissa Etheridge and even Chappell Roan. Most surprisingly, she can sing! Some drag acts rely on lip-synching (no shame in that game), but Tammy is a singer first, and a rocker in need of a stylist (purposefully so) second.
For me, the show's highlight came when Tammy explained that her mom had been devastated to realize her husband liked dressing in women's clothing. That, Tammy opined, might be why her own looks are less than chic — a desire to do it, a fear of doing it too well.
In this way, Tammy's both performance and performance art.
And don't sleep on her banter. Her crowd work is presented as mostly casual, and some is ad-libbed, but it's her face that does most of the heavy lifting. For example, when she asked where her lesbians were and NOBODY MADE A PEEP — not one lesbian to be found — she didn't have to say a word to capitalize on the unexpected development. There's a reason her motto is MAKE DRAG FUN AGAIN.
Check Tammy out the next time she invites you into her world, especially if you're a lesbian.
The girl with something extra (GIF by Matthew Rettenmund)
(All images & videos by Matthew Rettenmund)
On Sunday, I was excited to be invited to a special pop-up show by Corina, a name I had not heard in a long time.
Corina was a freestyle queen in the late '80s and early '90s, most famous for the dance classic “Temptation” as well as several other hits. Now, all these years later, she is finally realizing her dream of a deeply personal album called Spanglish that draws from her life and presents her work in an entirely new way — while still delivering her signature beats.
The show was actually a contest won by Angel Love and Frank Orlik — by entering, they were entitled to a small show by Corina for them and their friends. Instead, they secured Red Eye NY (W. 41st St., NYC) and produced, with the help of Michele Ruiz, a full show that found Corina offering old hits, tracks from Spanglish and plenty of charismatic stories about how she overcame a near-fatal condition to achieve a creation she felt was her calling in life.
Ravishing Corina with event producers Angel Love and Frank Orlik, Love's husband Gerard Mawn, and Michele Ruiz
The show kicked off with a deeply moving intro by Corina's sister, who held back tears while talking about their troubled childhood and Corina's example as a hard-working female artist of color back in the day.
By the time Corina emerged, she, too, was in her feelings, which only added to the depth and artistry of her two-hour performance.
It also bears mentioning that while she must be north of 50 since she has been around since the '80s, she is an ageless beauty with a body-ody-ody. The statuesque artist has the looks of an Old Hollywood film siren and surprising vocal chops. All that, plus she wrote her new stuff.
Some of the highlights: “Temptation,” “Whispers,” “Don't Take My Love,” “Give Me Back My Heart” and her spicy new diss track “Not Like You.”
Also worth noting, she was reunited after a long estrangement with producer Carlos “After Dark” Berrios — right onstage.
It was an enthralling show from beginning to end, when Love handed out free vintage records that had been used as stage dressing and Corina took time out to meet every fan.
This event, which could have been an informal gig for 20 people in someone's living room, became a full-fledged concert and release party — only in New York!
Check Corina out at her official site.
She came out after the show all kinds of excited — mission: accomplished!
Artist Scooter LaForge
Joey Rican & Ray Pabon's meet-and-greet was very well-documented!
Once the m & g moved to the merch table, there was a never-ending line.
Corina with her bestie since 1984!
Did the '80s ever end?
This fan's emotional reaction to meeting Corina was so sweet to see.
Keep reading for all kinds of video:
The Voice (Images by Matthew Rettenmund)
On Friday, I sprang for a VIP ticket to see An Intimate Evening with Jennifer Holliday, presented by Daniel Nardicio, Adam Klesh, Samuel Benedict and Taylor Shubert. She was making her first of two NYC-area appearances in two days at the Red Eye on W. 41st. It was an unusual choice for me, as I'm not a big-voice fan, but I decided I should see and hear for myself a woman who is considered one of the 20th century's great voices.
I'm so glad I went, because it turns out she is also one of the 21st century's greats — she's still got it.
Red Eye is a great little club for intimate performances. With no more than, say, 75 in the room, it felt like I was at a private party, and I was front row. A man next to me brought his 17-and-a-half-year-old Chihuahua, adding to the informality.
Holliday emerged looking glamorous as ever, clad in rainbow sequins. She later discussed aging, noting that at 63 she has been dating younger men. “I'm not a cougar,” she noted, before — with expert timing — admitting, “Kinda real close, though.”
Her first number was a satiny “Feeling Good” that immediately demonstrated the colors in her voice, and I never lost interest for a second for the next hour-plus. She moved from A+ tune to A+ tune, and her banter was sincere, warm, self-deprecating and often hilarious, as when she covered Broadway's race hang-ups or mentioned Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross, only to warn that she wasn't trying to pretend she was a close friend of either great lady.
Love her forever
An example of how personal her set was — she transformed “I'm Still Here” with Holliday-specific lyrics that were heartbreaking and yet triumphant.
She sang “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” in tribute to her mentor-from-afar Streisand, telling us that Michael Bennett of Dreamgirls, when offering her the part that changed her life — that of Effie — had urged her to study Streisand's films in order to learn how to act, and not just sing. Though Holliday had initially reacted with resentment, questioning who this Streisand was, she fell in love with the films and songs, and said a wonderful memory she has was when Streisand asked her to represent the boycotting icon at the Oscars she year Streisand was frozen out of a Best Director nod for Yentl.
Of course the highlights of the night were Holliday's signature Dreamgirls numbers “I Am Changing,” “One Night Only” (she did the ballad AND disco versions in a mash-up) and, of course, “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.”
I was blown away.
After, she popped right out for the meet-and-greet, graciously posing with everyone and chatting. She'd said during the show how grateful she is to the LGBTQ+ community, and that warmth continued.
Just an unforgettable evening. See her if ever you get a chance.
Keep reading for “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going” ...
Monday's third and final Celebration Tour appearance by Madonna at Madison Square Garden in NYC was a mood!
I wasn't going to go, then got the urge ... only to find it was almost totally sold out. Like, for real. I let a floor seat slip away due to the expense, saw some nice lower bowl but always like to be close and finally wound up lucking into buying my poor friend's ticket when he got sick.
Stuart Price is among the show's openers in North America, and unlike the other DJs, he played Madonna jams!
It was fun hitting up the merch stand (I replaced my Who's That Girl? satin jacket with a better size for me, so if anyone wants that in size L, tell me and I'll sell it off-eBay) and chatting with fellow longtime fans, strategizing, reminiscing and anticipating.
Demi & Madonna were once attached to star in a female buddy cop movie, Leda & Swan. Now, Demi is on Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. Coincidence? Yes.
Inside, Uma Thurman was in the Sound Factory pit, and the celebrity section at the end of the main catwalk boasted Demi Moore, Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos, Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, Jessica Seinfeld, Madonna's first stylist Maripol with Joey Arias, Luigi & Iango and her famed backup singers Donna De Lory and Niki Haris.
There had been some question as to whether Donna and Niki might join Madonna onstage, but while it didn't happen, they were given some love by the fans, were front-row and could be seen singing along. (That some have turned this into a major diss and reason to feed negative stories to The New York Post is ... unhinged. Can't we have a world were Donna and Niki are great, it would've been sweet to see Madonna bring them onstage or to have said hello from the stage, but where Madonna isn't a bad person for not doing so? The drama.)
My seat was pretty perfect, with a great view of everything. I even had a decent side-view of her later spot at the mic at the end of the main catwalk, instead of getting her back, as I had at every other show.
The show is a miracle, and as Madonna would remind us in one of her speeches, so is the fact that Madonna is with us to perform it. She nearly died last year of a bacterial infection, and she choked back sobs as she called out a special guest — Maria, the nurse who came home with her after she regained consciousness following an induced coma. The Queen of Pop self-IDed as a crybaby, thanking Maria for her angelic good work, referring to her acting like a mother to her. Of course, Madonna's mom died when she was 5, and this speech was paired with a heartfelt performance of her American Life track “Mother & Father,” on which she duets with her 18-year-old son David.
She was on fire the whole show, I thought, and the crowd ate it up, from her ethereal “Nothing Really Matters” to her bonkers “Bitch I'm Madonna” conclusion, and all across her catalogue in-between.
Madonna's Celebration is not just a narcissistic celebration of Madonna's achievements (which double as life markers for many of us ... I remember where I was when “Like a Prayer” hit radio, I know who I was in love with when Ray of Light hit Tower Records), but a clarion call for all of us to celebrate life itself, the ridiculous and the profound.
Back in business
Nothing really matters in the end, so you might as well lead with love. And I loved this show. All six times I saw it.
I've been too busy to go into the tour in-depth and felt like it had been covered by everyone in Europe first, but now that I have so many shows under my belt, some more thoughts about last night and about the show in general:
Michael Jackson's music and Madonna's disembodied voice from “Deeper and Deeper” — “I'm gonna be there!” — herald her arrival, but not before MVP emcee Bob the Drag Queen wades through the sea of humanity in a replica of his boss's 1990 “Vogue” MTV Video Music Awards gown. Hype person Bob's banter and a segment in which he reminds us of Madonna's many triumphs whets our appetite further, and extends the promise that he'll reappear throughout the show.
Niki & Donna forever (Images by Matthew Rettenmund)
The Niki Haris & Donna De Lory show at the Green Room 42 here in NYC was smashing!
The ladies, who are Madonna's former backup singers — and let's be real, backup dancers, too! — have a unique vocal chemistry they continually refer to in their act, but that you'd recognize even if they ignored it. Their voices blend so perfectly, making anything they sing powerful and uplifting.
Accentuating the positive is second nature to them, as is honoring their musical legacy. Along with their own songs (solo and as a duo), the women offered powerful renditions of “Open Your Heart,” “Rain” and “Nothing Really Matters,” and promised a future Q&A to further appease their Madonna-loving fanbase.
I was delighted when Donna impulsively sang a bit of her fabulous single “Just a Dream,” having already fully aired Praying for Love with Niki's backing and Niki's a true comedy queen. The women emphasize spirituality, yet not of the square kind — Niki was pulling a Moms Mabley from time to time. I LOLed when she pondered whether, in her 60s, It's just me and these labradoodles.
This show — produced by Jess Rothschild — follows one several years ago that came to the East Coast via a small club in Brooklyn, but it's far more polished, more of a rock show and more fully formed.
They just get better, a good sign for whatever comes next.
P.S. At the meet-and-greet Niki said she'd see me Monday at Madonna's Celebration Tour at Madison Square Garden. So whether they wind up merely attending or taking the stage, simply having the dream team share air once more will be a treat long in the making.
ABOVE: Some of my best Madonna Celebration Tour shots from night 3 of Brooklyn. Catch this tour if you're a fan or casual fan. Follow my Madonna Instagram if you're a fan-fan.
BELOW: Andrew Scott, Matthew Perry, Robin Cousins and more ...
Bar none — a queer space where prying eyes can do no harm (Image via Netflix)
ABOVE: Rustin's trailer is down below.
BELOW: Keep reading for shirtless lovebird, RIP Dwight Twilley, apprehend the Kraken and more ...
