Member Review: Lady Gaga

BPD member Chelsea Born had this to say:

Lady Gaga's show last night was mixed.  Fans expecting to hear a good portion of her new album were surely disappointed. Aside from her newest hit, last night's show was no different from the one I saw 8 month's ago.

She did announce on stage that she'll be back on the road next year with her new tour, "Born This Way Ball."

She took a two-month break from her tour to work on her new album, which comes out on May 23.

I will admit that the show is tighter and runs more smoothly than before. However there was still too many dead periods in between songs.

She sang all her most popular songs but spent less time playing piano. She was more at ease and in better shape than when I saw her at Madison Square Garden last summer. Her body is more sculpted than ever; she really gives everything she's got on stage and holds nothing back.

Gaga has an incredible control over her audience, enough to make you forget she's only 24. The 13,000+ crowd knew every word to her music.

The strongest visuals of the show were the video interludes, which looked a lot like the art in fashion magazines. The videos included black and white images, sado-masochistic themes and dynamic editing.

During the first encore she warned the crowd: "You better not leave when this song is done. There may be a surprise." A few seconds later, she came back on stage with her skin-coloured latex-clad dancers and sang Born This Way, her newest single which just broke an iTunes download record.

Surprise? Not really, considering most people saw her perform the song at the Grammys. The choreography was the same -- however the infamous egg was absent.

However the setting (the giant mechanical monster, trees, neon lights and cars) was way too Disney.

Backstage, another BPD member gave her a Barbie doll; Gaga ripped its head off.

"She was the source of all my insecurities; she has no ass," Gaga told us.

I would say that at this point in her career, her (popish) music is too out of step with the avant-garde image she tries to project.  That is not to take anything away from her as a performer. She's tops there.

Lady Gaga is one of our top show requests, Chelsea Born. You're the envy of a whole bunch of people. Wanna get in on all the action and meet your faves? Join BackstagePassDirect today.

Attention All Gagaholics

Lady Gaga wraps up her 2010 US tour on October 2nd, appearing with Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band in L.A. Then, she's off to dazzle Europe for the better part of 5 months.

But don't despair. BackstagePassDirect can now confirm we'll have passes for a whole buncha early 2011 US dates for the she-devil.

Here goes:

Sat 02/19/11 Atlantic City, NJ Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall

Mon 02/21/11 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Tue 02/22/11 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Thu 02/24/11 Washington, DC Verizon Center

Sat 02/26/11 Pittsburgh, PA CONSOL Energy Center

Mon 02/28/11 Chicago, IL United Center

Tue 03/01/11 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena

Fri 03/04/11 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena

Tue 03/08/11 Boston, MA TD Garden

Thu 03/10/11 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center

Sat 03/12/11 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center

Mon 03/14/11 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center

Tue 03/15/11 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center

Thu 03/17/11 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha

Sat 03/19/11 Salt Lake City, UT EnergySolutions Arena

Tue 03/22/11 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena

Wed 03/23/11 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena

Fri 03/25/11 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

Mon 03/28/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

Tue 03/29/11 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena

Thu 03/31/11 Anaheim, CA Honda Center

Wed 04/06/11 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center

Fri 04/08/11 Houston, TX Toyota Center

Sat 04/09/11 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

Tue 04/12/11 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center

Wed 04/13/11 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena

Fri 04/15/11 Orlando, FL Amway Center

Sat 04/16/11 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum

Mon 04/18/11 Duluth, GA The Arena At Gwinnett Center

Tue 04/19/11 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena

Fri 04/22/11 Newark, NJ Prudential Center

Sat 04/23/11 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Wed 04/27/11 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena

Many members were disappointed that they missed out for the Fall. Here's another chance; if you wait, it'll be too late. Go to BackstagePassDirect and request'em now.

Member Review: Agog Over Gaga

BPD Member SallyMight writes:

Lady Gaga lived up to the title of her song 'Glitter and Grease', last night.

A muted if dramatic opening featured the 24-year-old pop-dance diva perched on the top of a staircase, projected in silhouette onto a curved video screen in front of her, for 'Dance In The Dark.'

She was later revealed to be wearing a purple leather jacket with oversized shoulder pads, sunglasses, a leopard print body suit and black leather boots for the follow-up song, 'Glitter And Grease.'

But it wasn’t until a fluorescent yellow car (matching her current hair colour) was revealed on the stage floor below - along with a dozen dancers and a band, and neon signs lit up all over the stage scaffolding - that the show finally sprang to life during her mega-hit 'Just Dance.'

Gaga even opened the car roof to reveal a synthesizer inside for her to play and ventured out onto her catwalk leading to a circular stage in the middle of the crowd on the floor.

“What is The Monster Ball really about?” asked one of her male dancers named Posh, who was cross between Grace Jones and Dolph Lundgren in appearance.
   
“Well, Posh, The Monster Ball will set you free!” she said defiantly.

“Tonight we’re going to be super freaky monsters,” she added while holding up a white bra thrown on stage. “I created it so that fans would have a place to go. All you gotta do is follow the glitter. May tonight be your liberation!”

Gaga’s followers, who she calls her Little Monsters, in turn chanted her name, screamed at the smallest and largest gestures, and generally sang, clapped, and danced along in a fierce demonstration of their connection to her.

She followed up the car-as-a-sythesizer prop with the arrival of a subway car that heralded the beginning of another show highlight, 'LoveGame,' which saw her change into a white nun’s habit and clear rubber dress.

More unique looking costumes (and synthesizers for that matter) would follow, including a red cloak with pointy shoulder pads, a black slicker with a studded black bikini beneath, an avant-garde bridal gown with butterfly wings and a long train, and a white fringe outfit that was a cross between Cousin It and something you’d find on a curtain rod.

The House Of Gaga - her equivalent of Andy Warhol’s Factory art, fashion, film and music scene - are sure keeping busy.

Lady Gaga even called my sister before her hit, 'Telephone,' and brought her out from the back and down to the front to see the show closer.

She finally took a break to play on a regular piano - even if it was on fire - for 'Speechless,' which she wrote about taking care of her father, who underwent heart surgery last year, and previewed a new rockier ballad about love called 'You And I.'

Other highlights included 'So Happy I Could Die,' which saw her in the spectacular bridal outfit on a rising platform at the end of her catwalk, the Michael Jackson-inspired dance moves and bloody ending of 'Monster' which ended with her saying: “Do you think I’m sexy?” and her current hit, 'Alejandro,' that included a gold statue of Jesus above a cande-lit fountain with flaming wings on stage in which she bathed herself.

She's kind of a cross between Madonna, Alice Cooper and Judy Garland.

Also strong were the show-ending final trio of 'Pokerface,' 'Paparazzi' (featuring the “flaming boobies” bra she wore at last year’s MuchMusic Video Awards and the actual Fame Monster on stage) and 'Bad Romance,' with her enclosed in a silver sphere and pointy silver dress and headpiece.


Great, great show!

SET LIST:

Dance in the Dark

Glitter and Grease

Just Dance

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich

Vanity

The Fame

LoveGame

Boys Boys Boys

Money Honey

Telephone

Speechless

You and I

So Happy I Could Die

Monster

Teeth

Alejandro

Poker Face

Paparazzi

Bad Romance

Thanks SallyMight. Sounds like your sis had even more fun than you.

There's fun to be had by all. Join now and make your requests for the greatest in upcoming shows.

Member Review: Lady Gaga

BPD member Catbrain just sent this to us:

Shit, where do I begin?

It's hard to believe it was just a short six months ago, that the 23-year-old New Yorker was playing a club show at Kool Haus. At the time, she didn't even have a band and the biggest prop on stage was a scooter.

Since then, she's released a follow-up to her 2008 blockbuster debut, The Fame, which has spawned such hits as Just Dance, Love Game, Poker Face, and Paparazzi, with The Fame Monster which features eight new songs including the breakout single, Bad Romance.

Opening with Dance in the Dark, Lady Gaga launched into a raucous and racy set that featured almost as many costume changes as songs.

At first blush, it might seem the real driving force behind Gaga's meteoric rise to fame is her hand-picked cadre of costume and set designers -- dubbed Haus of Gaga -- who seemingly know no bounds when it comes to pushing the envelope of haute couture and the theatre of the absurd.

But what really sets Gaga apart from the middling masses of lip-synching Britney clones and Idol wannabes is her pure, unadulterated musical talent.

The Lady can sing.

After an understated opening, the stage vacated of dancers following the hit single Just Dance to facilitate the first of many wardrobe changes, and the show really heated up.

Wearing a glittering ribbed blouse and matching headpiece, Gaga stormed back on stage with Love Game, featuring the cheeky lyric "I wanna ride your disco stick."

Lady Gaga oozed sexuality, channelling her obvious hero Madonna as dancers grooved and groped alongside the bleached blonde diva.

"I'm about to be very wicked," she promised.

Then, lying prone at centre stage, her legs splayed in the air, she cooed, "I'm kinda like Tinkerbell."

Toying with the crowd, she added "Don't you all look amazing? Has anybody passed out yet? Don't pass out. It distracts me. It makes me nervous. Are you drunk? Are you with your mom?"

Of course, lots of costume changes in the form of a black feathered jacket for the new song Monster, with dance moves reminscent of Michael Jackson, and, and a gold Cleopatra-like crown and matching body suit for Fashion and The Fame.

She also wore bondage-inspired black leather gear for Boys Boys Boys and donned multiple blond braid extensions, a la Rapunzel, for Paparazzi.

When I commented to her backstage about all the costumes, she just laughed and gave me "Gaga is just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time."

Great show and what a treat to be backstage.

SET LIST

Dance In The Dark

Just Dance

Love Game

Alejandro

Monster

So Happy I Could Die

Teeth

Speechless

Poker Face (on piano)

Fashion

The Fame

Money Honey

Beautiful Dirty Rich

Boys Boys Boys

Paper Gangsta

Poker Face (with band)

Paparazzi

Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)

Bad Romance

Great shows are coming in 2010. Don't miss out on meeting your faves. Join BPD now.