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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[4] 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.
A True Colors commemorative album was released on June 12, 2007 through Tommy Boy Records.[14] 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.[15]
