1980s icon Cyndi Lauper sang the praises of Canada Tuesday night in Toronto, the only Canadian stop for her True Colors gay-rights concert tour.

Singer Cyndi Lauper performs during the True Colors tour at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
(Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

The sprightly singer told concertgoers she wished U.S. politicians would learn something from their Canadian counterparts.

"You can get married legally, you have insurance for your spouses," she said. "I wish that Americans could be more like Canadians."

The energetic, five-hour concert saw Lauper as well as Erasure, Debbie Harry, The Dresden Dolls, The Gossip and local group The Cliks take the stage for an exuberant show that kept the audience on its feet and dancing throughout.

Headliner Lauper offered up a slew of her best-known hits from the 1980s, including Time After Time, She Bop, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and, of course, the show's namesake True Colors.

Harry, who avoided her best known Blondie songs, received a less-enthusiastic reception, but British dance music favourites Erasure delivered a strong set bolstered by new material and old hits, including Respect and Chains of Love.

All the performers also assembled onstage to sing the ABBA hit Take a Chance on Me.

Comedian and host Margaret Cho rounded out the show by offering up her familiar brand of raunchy, no-holds-barred commentary.

Lauper's tour is raising funds for the Human Rights Campaign, which shines a light on issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. The concerts are also a forum to raise awareness about the Matthew Shepard Act, a hate-crime bill awaiting U.S. Senate approval.

A portion of the proceeds from Tuesday night's show was also earmarked for local group Pride Toronto.

The tour, which began earlier this month in Las Vegas, is being held in conjunction with Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in the U.S. and will round out June with dates in Georgia, Texas and California.

With files from the Canadian Press