I love Lady Gaga and, even though I was able to see her Jazz & Piano show a few years ago, I have always wanted to see her in concert performing her own music. I didn't think I would ever have an opportunity because she mostly does big stadium tours so I was beyond excited when she announced an arena tour in support of her latest album MAYHEM (which, in my opinion, is her best album since The Fame). I was able to get a ticket to the opening show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last night and took a fun road trip to cross another item off my bucket list! The concert was absolutely amazing and I am still on a high from it! Every performance was very theatrical (the stage was even configured as an opulent opera house) with elaborate costumes, lighting, visuals, and choreography for each song. The show was structured into four acts and a finale during which Lady Gaga confronted a character called the Mistress of Mayhem (this represents the duality between her true self and her inner chaos created by trauma and fame which she revealed in the opening manifesto, "The Art of Personal Chaos"). Act 1, Of Velvet and Vice, began with Lady Gaga inside a towering red Tudor gown singing an operatic version of "Bloody Mary" before the skirt opened to reveal a steel cage filled with her backup dancers. She emerged to perform "Abracadabra," with shortened versions of "Judas" and "Scheiße" as an outro, and "Garden of Eden.” This set concluded with "Poker Face" as Lady Gaga and the Mistress of Mayhem played a game of chess with dancers as pieces on a chessboard of lights on the runway jutting into the audience. During Act II, And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream, Lady Gaga was located in a burial ground while performing dramatic renditions of "Perfect Celebrity" and "Disease" with skeletons all around her. She then climbed out for "Paparazzi" (so symbolic) and "LoveGame." This set ended with atmospheric versions of "Alejandro" and "The Beast." Act III, The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name, featured Lady Gaga dressed as a jester singing "Killah," "Zombieboy," and "LoveDrug" with a giant skull on stage and concluded with a burlesque performance of "Just Dance" with "Applause" as an intro. Act IV, Every Chessboard Has Two Queens, included "Shadow of a Man," "Kill for Love," "Summerboy," and a very emotional performance of "Born This Way." The Mistress of Mayhem pursued her during "Million Reasons" (also very symbolic) and then rowed her in a gondola down the runway for a solo version of "Shallow" (my favorite moment in the show because it was so cool). She stayed on the secondary stage at the end of the runway to perform a solo version of "Die With a Smile" on piano and then gave a heartfelt thanks to her fans for supporting her throughout her career before going out into the crowd for "Vanish Into You." For the Finale, Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart, Lady Gaga had her backup dancers simulate a medieval version of surgery on her (her costume had bloody incisions that looked like they were stapled together) while she sang "Bad Romance" and this was followed by a recorded speech called "Monsters Never Die" which signified her victory over the Mistress of Mayhem. For the encore, Lady Gaga wore a casual outfit (I interpreted this as her true self, rather than her stage persona, to further emphasize her defeat of the Mistress of Mayhem) to sing an a cappella version of "How Bad Do U Want Me," which is my favorite song from MAYHEM, from her dressing room. I loved both the storytelling and the theatricality of this show and I was beyond impressed by Lady Gaga's incredible performance (she is the ultimate performer). I also liked her selection of songs because she sang almost everything from MAYHEM but also performed the hits and a few deeper cuts that haven't been performed in a long time. This is one of the best concerts I've seen and I am so glad that I was able to go!
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