Cyndi Lauper has shown she is not one to be trifled with after a heckler disrupted the opening night of her Las Vegas residency. The 72-year-old singer challenged the audience member mid-show, warning: “If you’re trying to shade me, b****, I’m gonna come for you.”
Lauper, known for hits such as “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and “Time After Time”, began her first-ever residency at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum on Friday 24 April. While introducing her song “Sally’s Pigeons”, she was interrupted by an unintelligible shout from the crowd.
Responding to the heckler, Lauper said: “I don’t know what the f*** you’re saying, hon. But please remember where you are, OK? Because if you’re trying to shade me, bitch, I’m gonna come for you.” The comment drew applause from the audience. She added: “I’m from Brooklyn, and if I wanna f***ing talk, I will do a tap dance if I f***ing want. Sorry, that of course is not part of my people skills.”
Lauper is not the first musician to deal with hecklers recently. In November, singer Halsey hit back at a Boston audience member who told her to “stop talking and play”, replying: “You think you’re tough s*** because you’re from Boston? I’m from Jersey, baby. I’ll whoop your a**.” In December, country star Kelsey Ballerini confronted a heckler in Sydney who shouted “Team Morgan!” during a performance of “Penthouse”, a song about her divorce from Morgan Evans. She responded: “F*** off. Team ‘everyone is happy’ here.”
Lauper’s Las Vegas residency is a limited run of five concerts scheduled until 2 May. Last November, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Chappell Roan introducing her on stage. She joined the class of 2025 alongside the White Stripes, Outkast, Salt-N-Pepa, Joe Cocker and other stars.
