When Lady Gaga emerges on stage at The O2, towering above the crowd atop the bulky skirt of a scarlet crinoline dress, it’s clear that tonight is not going to be your average Tuesday night. Never one to hold back, the theatrical pop auteur is in world-building mode, creating a fantastical, camp horror universe within the arena that sees her do battle with another version of herself, at times flanked by skeletons, witches and plague doctors.
“I must sing and build the walls to cradle my own space, and my own sound will grow the fortress of a home erased,” the two versions of Gaga explain in unison before her grand entrance, and what follows feels like a tribute to the stronghold and sanctuary she’s created with her music since making her breakthrough with ‘Just Dance’ in 2008.
Aside from latest album ‘Mayhem’, it’s her first two records – ‘The Fame’ (and its ‘The Fame Monster’ reissue) and ‘Born This Way’ – that are given the most significant representation. While Gaga has shape-shifted and evolved with great success in the years since, it’s those albums and eras that laid the foundation for where she’s at now, and allowed her the room to grow and experiment in whichever way she liked.
Her capacity for ideas and invention comes to life on the stage tonight, whether she’s descending into the ruffles of her big dress (its layers opening to reveal her bursting out of a cage as ‘Abracadabra’ rings around the arena) or facing off against the other version of herself – the white queen from a chessboard – during a confrontational ‘Poker Face’. ‘Perfect Celebrity’ finds Gaga taking up residence in a sandpit, illustrating the fickle fight between love and hate as she caresses then throttles the skeleton lying next to her.
A visually stunning ‘Paparazzi’ continues this ambivalent throughline, the star staggering down the runway with her white lace outfit half covered by metallic plates and crutches, like a knight who’s been stripped of its most protective armour. Throughout tonight’s show, there’s a lot going on and layers of meaning to be decoded, but Gaga never lets that get in the way of a good time.
Nor does she miss an opportunity to pay tribute to those who have helped her get to this position, and stay there. A jubilant ‘Born This Way’, too, is dedicated to the queer community, whom Gaga gives a sincere shout-out for “inspiring me for my whole career” and sends a message of love: “You are so precious to me and to the world.” During the acoustic portion of the night, she sits at the piano, clearly moved by the audience’s ferociously loving response, and shares her feelings.
“I feel very, very lucky to be here tonight,” she begins, reflecting on her first time performing in the UK two decades earlier. “I feel so humbled that, almost 20 years later, I’m still here.” After piano-led versions of ‘Dance In The Dark’ and ‘The Edge Of Glory’, she has a question for the crowd: “If I come back 20 years from now – I’ll come back sooner – but will you come and see the show?”
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who says no, especially when the shows are as creative and flawlessly delivered as this. Back in theatrical mode, Gaga dials up the surrealness for ‘Bad Romance’, telling the crowd to “put your paws up” and then revealing her hands with comically long, sausage-like fingers – like a gothic version of a scene from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Then, flames begin to flicker on top of the opera house behind her and she leaves the stage for the encore, returning make-up free, in a simple black outfit and beanie over the hair that’s been covered by countless wigs tonight. It’s a nod to the real person behind this artful masterpiece, but also another performance. Like every other that has come before it, though, it’s just perfect.