# True Colors (concert tour)

True Colors was an annual music event created by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The concerts were headlined by Lauper and featured various music and comedy acts. Beginning in 2007, the trek supported the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Other local and private LGBT charities and foundations were supported as the event grew. The tour began with 16 shows in 2007 expanding to 25 shows in 2008. Lauper's set during the 2008 tour was basically the North American leg of her worldwide Bring Ya to the Brink Tour that year. An outing in 2009 was planned and later cancelled. In lieu of the tour, Lauper partnered with Broadway Impact to create the True Colors Cabaret. The show began September 28, 2009 and ran once a month at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. It featured performances from Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Karen Olivo, Melinda Doolittle and Broadway Inspirational Voices. The shows ran until February 2010.

## Background

Logo TV was one of the partnering sponsors for the music festival. 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:
   Friends, family, plus the community is a lot of people and together, we make a very loud sound; and I believe that people don't know the facts. They don't know that you can be fired from your job in 33 states if you're gay and lesbian and transgender and bisexual. They don't know that the hate crime bill does not extend to everyone...Education is so important. So that's what we are trying to do – in a fun, loving way.
The HRC received $1 from each ticket sold throughout the tour. The theme of the tour was about eliminating hate, specifically about getting the Matthew Shepard Act passed by the U.S. Senate. In October 2007, the US Congress approved the Matthew Shepard Act, accomplishing one of the goals of the tour. In 2008 True Colors tour visited 23 cities across North America with a cast of acts that was even more impressive than the previous year. The shows featured up to eight marquee names per night with several collaborations and an encore featuring every act on stage together.

## Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| 2007 North American leg ||||
| June 8, 2007 | Las Vegas | United States | MGM Grand Garden Arena |
| June 9, 2007 | West Valley City | United States | USANA Amphitheatre |
| June 10, 2007 | Morrison | United States | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| June 12, 2007 | Chicago | United States | Auditorium Theatre |
| June 13, 2007 | Columbus | United States | Value City Arena |
| June 15, 2007 | Atlantic City | United States | Borgata Event Center |
| June 16, 2007 | Boston | United States | Bank of America Pavilion |
| June 17, 2007 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| June 18, 2007 | New York City | United States | Radio City Music Hall |
| June 19, 2007 | Toronto | Canada | Molson Amphitheatre |
| June 21, 2007 | Atlanta | United States | Chastain Park Amphitheater |
| June 23, 2007 | Dallas | United States | Smirnoff Music Centre |
| June 24, 2007 | The Woodlands | United States | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion |
| June 27, 2007 | San Diego | United States | SDSU Open Air Theatre |
| June 29, 2007 | Berkeley | United States | Hearst Greek Theatre |
| June 30, 2007 | Los Angeles | United States | Greek Theatre |
| 2008 North American leg ||||
| May 31, 2008 | Boston | United States | Bank of America Pavilion |
| June 1, 2008 | Wantagh | United States | Nikon at Jones Beach Theater |
| June 3, 2008 | New York City | United States | Radio City Music Hall |
| June 4, 2008 | Toronto | Canada | Molson Amphitheatre |
| June 6, 2008 | Ledyard | United States | MGM Grand Theater |
| June 7, 2008 | Washington, D.C. | United States | DAR Constitution Hall |
| June 9, 2008 | Minneapolis | United States | U.S. Bank Theater |
| June 10, 2008 | Chicago | United States | Chicago Theatre |
| June 11, 2008 | Clarkston | United States | DTE Energy Music Theatre |
| June 13, 2008 | Atlantic City | United States | Borgata Event Center |
| June 14, 2008 | Bethel | United States | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts |
| June 16, 2008 | Atlanta | United States | Chastain Park Amphitheater |
| June 17, 2008 | Atlanta | United States | Chastain Park Amphitheater |
| June 18, 2008 | Clearwater | United States | Ruth Eckerd Hall |
| June 19, 2008 | Sunrise | United States | Frank Sinatra Theatre |
| June 21, 2008 | The Woodlands | United States | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion |
| June 22, 2008 | Dallas | United States | Superpages.com Center |
| June 25, 2008 | Phoenix | United States | Dodge Theatre |
| June 27, 2008 | Alpine | United States | The Park at Viejas Outlets |
| June 28, 2008 | Los Angeles | United States | Greek Theatre |
| June 29, 2008 | Berkeley | United States | Hearst Greek Theatre |
| July 1, 2008 | Seattle | United States | WaMu Theater |
| July 2, 2008 | Burnaby | Canada | Deer Lake Park |
| July 4, 2008 | West Valley City | United States | USANA Amphitheatre |
| July 5, 2008 | Morrison | United States | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |

### Box office score data

| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
| Auditorium Theatre | Chicago | 2,684 / 3,448 (78%) | $325,261 |
| Radio City Music Hall | New York City | 5,959 / 5,959 (100%) | $590,113 |
| Hearst Greek Theatre | Berkeley | 7,418 / 7,418 (100%) | $498,325 |
| Bank of America Pavilion | Boston | 3,584 / 5,166 (69%) | $219,576 |
| Nikon at Jones Beach Theater | Wantagh | 6,663 / 13,514 (49%) | $245,295 |
| Molson Amphitheatre | Toronto | 7,775 / 8,500 (91%) | $198,200 |
| Chicago Theatre | Chicago | 2,072 / 3,136 (66%) | $226,985 |
| Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | The Woodlands | 6,077 / 15,685 (39%) | $258,711 |
| Superpages.com Center | Dallas | 7,589 / 19,878 (38%) | $179,639 |
| Dodge Theatre | Phoenix | 3,044 / 4,861 (63%) | $201,147 |
| TOTAL | TOTAL | 55,865 / 87,565 (60%) | $2,943,252 |

## Broadcasts and recordings

A True Colors commemorative album was released on June 12, 2007 through Tommy Boy Records. Physical copies were for sale at the concerts and the album was also available online from the iTunes Store. A reissue commemorative album was again released through the iTunes Store and was available for free download by concert attendees.