Lady Gaga knows that she makes fun, cathartic pop music that allows her "little monsters" to sweat and dance the night away, leaving their worries behind. It's a role that she takes as seriously as President Obama does his job as leader of the free world. But even Gaga recognizes that she has to be more than just a pop singer "dancing around in a bra and underwear." And so intermingled with the spacey disco beats of her chart-topping hits such as "Poker Face," "LoveGame" and "Bad Romance," are raucous, shrill protests against social injustice. Her main target? Don't Ask, Don't Tell. She admitted in concert to alternating between wanting and not wanting to be a political figure, but ultimately decided she needs to stand for something or risk standing for nothing.
During the ballad portion of her show, Lady Gaga shared with the audience that she'd spent time with military men and women and was heartbroken over the disruption and rejection DADT was wreaking on their lives. She spoke of two female soldiers who were booted from the military for being lesbians. One had 12 years of service behind her in the military, the other a young student at West Point. As Gaga recounted their personal tales, the frustration came out in her voice. She was pissed about the ridiculous waste of it all. But sensing that perhaps her outrage was spoiling the party atmosphere a bit, Gaga said, "I don't mean to be a political asshole, but it's [DADT] f**ked up, isn't it?" The crowd roared in agreement.
After opening her show in silhouette to "Dance In the Dark," a song from The Fame Monster that pays homage to Princess Diana, Gaga began weaving a play of sorts about her and her friends embarking on a journey to find an elusive "monster ball." The narrative gets picked up and dropped abruptly throughout the show, making it hit or miss as a story. It's part Wizard of Oz and part Stephen King, with its mixture of innocence, discovery, violence and corruption, but really, the "plot" of the concert is a sideshow to the big kahuna that is Lady Gaga herself.
As a performer, Gaga is exhaustive. She does detailed choreography, belts high notes, does daring stunts and wears trunkfuls of costumes. The show went on for two hours and unlike other pop stars, Gaga makes sure to spend time bantering and engaging with the audience in between songs. To be sure, there is a script here. But Gaga is smart enough to engage it and disengage it so that her fans know she's not just some robot. In fact, at one point, after she finished performing "Monster," Gaga stopped the show to break up a fight she saw going on in the crowd shouting, "STOP FIGHTING! That's not what this is about." "Mother monster" is a title given to her by fans and in that moment, her maternal instincts seemingly kicked in as she scolded her little monsters for their bad behavior.
Other newsworthy highlights: The VMAs. Lady Gaga shared with the audience that she was particularly excited about the 13 nominations she had received at the VMAs. She acknowledged that many fans might be disappointed that she wouldn't be performing at the awards show this year, but she explained that she needed to rest up for to prepare herself for "what's to come." You can take it as a promise or a threat, but it sounds like Gaga is preparing for even more explosive antics on her next album. She doesn't call herself a "free bitch" for no reason.
For most of the show, Gaga had the audience in the palm of her hand. Fans donning colored wigs and Gaga-inspired costumes shouted, squealed and drunkenly hugged each other through much of the show. But Gaga lost the Verizon Center for a moment when she plunged into her relatively unknown new song, "You And I." It's an old style rock ballad, which was painfully out of place at an otherwise dance pop extravaganza. "Speechless" gets away with it only because fans have at least become uber familiar with the tune, but "You And I" left many fans in the crowd puzzled and looking somewhat bored. Once the song was over though, the little monsters snapped right back into it.
Lady Gaga is intent on creating her own world. In fact, during the show she says she abhors the truth, preferring to surround herself with "bullshit." Though she was being crude (she swears quite a bit in the show, as a matter of fact), what she's getting at is her adoration for imagination and fantasy. In a world where reality can often bite, it's great to have a Never Never Land where glitter lightning bolts and illuminated disco sticks wield magical powers. Escapism hasn't been this fun in ages.
