Cyndi Lauper closes out her farewell tour with star-studded guests Joni Mitchell, Cher, John Legend, and SZA

Cyndi Lauper bid an emotional farewell to the road on Aug. 30, with a little help from some of music’s most iconic names: Joni Mitchell, John Legend, SZA, and Cher.

The 71-year-old pop legend had already announced that her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell tour would close with two final shows at the legendary Los Angeles venue Hollywood Bowl.

While other supporters had anticipated that she might bring something special to the closing affair, few expected a bill that was more of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction than an act of farewell.

Joni Mitchell, making only her second public appearance in 2025, performed Carey alongside Cyndi Lauper.

Then, the evening’s tempo softened when John Legend took the stage, lending his voice to the icon’s timeless ballad Time After Time.

SZA appeared during the encore for a heartfelt version of Lauper's hit, True Colors, while the finale belonged to Cher, who joined the icon for a raucous rendition of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

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Even the opening acts carried surprises: Trombone Shorty appeared earlier for Iko Iko, while Jake Wesley Rogers, Lauper’s tour support, helped her deliver a fiery cover of The Brains’ Money Changes Everything.

The setlist for Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell tour leaned heavily on fan favorites — from She Bop to I Drove All Night, as well as deeper cuts like Sally’s Pigeons and Sisters of Avalon. Each performance spotlighted the reason Cyndi Lauper’s career has stretched across decades.

Cyndi Lauper says music isn't over yet: "I want to do an arena tour"

Though the tour has been framed as a goodbye to the severities of traveling — “the trains, planes and automobiles,” as Cyndi Lauper recently put it on Jimmy Kimmel Live — she emphasized she is not retiring from music altogether. She explained during her appearance:

“I want to do an arena tour… I’m strong now, but I don’t know what I’m going to be like in four years."

Then, with her trademark humor, she mimed shuffling across the stage with a walker:

“For me, I wanted to have a chance to do this when I’m feeling strong. I want to celebrate with people. Really celebrate with people, and make it fun.”

Meanwhile, the pop icon was recently inducted into the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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In her exclusive tell-all with Rolling Stone in May, she shared that the experience was "humbling" and expressed appreciation to the women who voted for her. She added:

"If you keep knocking, eventually that door opens. I think if you persist, you prevail."

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