Following an interesting opening performance by glam rock band Semi-Precious Weapons, I could sum up the Lady Gaga concert in Edmonton this past August in a two word phrase: fucking fabulous!
Perhaps I’m easily impressed as a not-so-avid concert goer, but I found the subtle differences in the songs from their album versions helped make the live performance truly unique, and the accompanying performances, though a little abstract at times, were totally mesmerizing. Even the enthusiasm from the audience was epic, with so many people in costume, both men and women.
The concert kicked off with a video presentation leading into Dance in the Dark. Lady Gaga made her first appearance as the large curved screen raised up to reveal the stage. She descended to ground level from a raised platform, along a staircase with banisters made of large syringes filled with red fluid. Sexy male and female dancers joined her as she went through some of her classics like Just Dance, Dirty Rich, and The Fame.
As the stage changed to a subway-car setting, Lady Gaga frames the concert as a narrative about the journey to the Monster Ball, where she (Mama Monster) wants to take all of her fans (the Little Monsters). My eyes popped when she talked about enlisting the help of her trusted friends – “the Edmonton Gays”!
Her messages to her fans in general were very positive and encouraging. “You’re all rock stars, and you were fucking born that way!” But she had special things to say to her fans and supporters from the LGBT community: thanking us for helping to make her music so popular; asking everyone to be themselves and not let anyone put them down; openly talking about the needless oppression of the LGBT community; and bringing attention to her charity of choice that helps get LGBT youth off the streets.
Another aspect that was bound to appeal to her gay male audience were the lean backup dancers. After singing about the infamous “disco stick” in she said, “Guys, get your dicks out. I hear they have some pretty big cock here in Canada.” They launched into Boys Boys Boys during which the male dancers bounced their junk around suggestively.
Of course the costumes, particularly Gaga’s, were over the top fashion statements with asymmetric curves and vivid colours. One dress had motorized spines on her head and shoulders that undulated and spread as she sung “So Happy I Could Die”.
At the midpoint of the show, a piano rose up from the stage for a minimalistic but poignant performance of Speechless. She revealed how the song was inspired by her drunken deadbeat dad, and that fact made me see the song in a whole different (teary-eyed) light. She followed this up with a special performance of “You and I”, a song yet to be released as part of her next album.
The final number really got me to sit up in my seat. The curtains rose on a dark stage, and as Gaga and several other dancers cautiously sidled to the centre walkway, something large started to move in the darkness. A set of giant eyes and a toothy mouth lit up, revealing a giant monster with tentacles! The sense of horror this creature inspired added a whole new dimension to Paparazzi.
After the beast was slain, the curtains closed and the house lights came up. Some people began leaving, but most of the crowd stayed put, looking on anxiously and cheering for more. Indeed, it felt like something was still missing. And then, quite abruptly the curtain rose again to reveal the Monster Ball, and an encore performance of Bad Romance. Despite the power of the sound system in Rexall Stadium, I could clearly hear the audience singing along at the top of their lungs – I was one of them.
The show came to an end but I was left feeling pumped, with a sense of wonder at all that I had seen. Fucking fabulous, as I said!
