wed 04/12/2024

Lady Gaga, O2 Arena | reviews, news & interviews

Lady Gaga, O2 Arena

Lady Gaga, O2 Arena

She's like Madonna - but a much better singer

Lady Gaga: genuinely a bit oddImages by Michael Spencer

If the power-generating companies in the London area noticed a sudden surge in electricity consumption late on Sunday afternoon, I think I can explain why: many thousands of hair-straighteners and other beautifying devices were doubtless being put to use in the run-up to Lady Gaga’s show at the O2 Arena, the first of two nights in London.

This was one of those shows that people got dressed up for, made themselves glamorous for; it was a big night out, and the result, as the O2 Arena filled up, was a sea of very straight and very shiny hair, often decorated with bows and flowers (though I also noticed a couple of platinum-blonde wigs), plus sparkly tops and babydoll dresses, lots of cleavage, and, occasionally, strange make-up.

In a very short space of time, Stefani Germanotta, the New York recording artist now known as Lady Gaga, has stamped her distinctive musical and visual identity on the world of popular music: a blend of 1980s synth-pop with 21st-century dancefloor grooves coupled with an approach to fashion and make-up that’s genuinely idiosyncratic. For this show, for instance, her outfits included: a spangly jacket with Blade-Runner shoulders and a leotard underneath; a swimsuit; a PVC bikini; a Cubist tinfoil dress and an extraordinary feathery winged creation with oscillating headdresses.

The upside of all this was that when Lady Gaga was on stage there was always something to look at, not to mention some terrific pounding music. The downside, as it always is in shows of this magnitude and complexity and ambition, was that she spent long periods of it off stage, preparing for the next set-piece performance or just getting her breath back. The result, predictably, was a show that suffered from a lack of momentum; indeed, there were periods when I got a bit bored, waiting around for Stuff to Happen. Several minutes would go by, during which there was nothing more to observe than a big white screen with a bit of nondescript video footage (though these interludes did once deliver an arresting scenario, in which Lady Gaga was vomited on by a companion).

483px-Gaga_front_profileBut when it worked, this was an extraordinary event. The arena pop show has been a developing form of entertainment for more than 20 years now, and new arrivals on the scene such as Lady Gaga are pushing it further into newer and more spectacular realms: the hydraulics, the lights, the costumes, the sets, the secondary stages, the dancers, the gut-rumbling sound, the video screens – when it all works, when it all comes together, as it did on many occasions in this show, most notably on her 2008 debut single, “Just Dance”, and on “Teeth” and “Bad Romance” (both from last year’s The Fame Monster album), it was sensational. All this, and a piano that caught fire during “Brown Eyes”. As for my favourite costume: it had to be the transparent plastic dress teamed with nude-coloured underwear and a wimple.

Of course, all of this was at times strikingly reminiscent of a similarly bleached-blonde Italian-American pop star by the name of Madonna, especially the preoccupation with vaguely transgressive sex, and the messing-around with religious iconography (a statue of an angel standing on a fountain that spouted blood, and whose wings gushed forth flames, was the visual interest in “Alejandro”). But here’s the thing: of the two, Lady Gaga is easily the better singer, and indeed has more musical talent – she plays a mean guitar and keyboard, and writes all her own stuff. And, actually, because she seems to be genuinely a bit odd – this whole show was themed around the notion of “outsiders” and “monsters” having the courage to affirm their individuality – she’s more interesting, too. I just wish she could change costumes a bit more quickly. 

Comments

meh i don't agree with you when you say there was a lack of momentum when she went off stage for too long. i think it got most people excited cos they werent sure what outfit/set to expect. also i enjoyed watching the stuff on the screen that came up, it was so odd...

you failed to mention that whilst draped over a piano, she played the piano with her stiletto heel which captured all in the stadium and if that wasn't enough, she proceeded to play the piano with her butt cheeks...and set the piano on fire, A brilliant and captivating performance.

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters