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Written by Harry Cherkinian, Contributing writer
Sep 8, 2010
Lady Gaga – Photo: Courtesy
“The Monster Ball” made its way to Milwaukee Sept. 2 courtesy of its merry mistress of ceremonies, the unstoppable Lady Gaga. And for all who attended the more than two-hour dance party, “the ball” had everything one could ask for: amazing production values, visuals that simply dazzled, state-of-the-art technology (read: excellent sound system) and non-stop energy coupled with a creative vision spotlighting the Ball’s superstar attraction – Gaga herself.
At 24, the former Stephanie Germanotta stands high atop the music biz heap today (and helps to support it as well). Amid all her over-the-top theatricality and eccentric fashion, she’s the true heir apparent to Madonna and Michael Jackson (his music played continuously before the ball kicked off). Clearly influenced by glam rockers like David Bowie and Queen’s Freddie Mercury (remember “Radio Gaga?” – hence the name), G2 took the near-capacity audience on her journey to the ball, along with 10 dancers, six musicians and set designs that show her to be a performer ahead of her time. She’s just stopping off in the “now” to entertain us in her own futuristic manner.
“I’m here to tell you, you can be whoever you want to be,” proclaimed Her Royal Ladyness, in one of the show’s many invocations to authenticity and tolerance. A fiercely outspoken supporter of the LGBT community, Gaga peppered her performance with pro-gay remarks, reminding the appreciative audience that “God makes no mistakes.” The audience included conspicuously high numbers of lesbians and gays, many of the latter adorned in Gaga-inspired drag for the occasion Each night of her tour, Virgin, the tour sponsor, donates $20,000 to organizations serving homeless LGBT youth.
Gaga is living proof of the wisdom of being true to oneself. Her meteoric rise to the top is already strewn with many Top 10 hits, all of which she performed, from her debut “The Fame” as well as “The Fame Monster,” making the show a true fan’s fantasy come true.
Rather than take the easy way out in live performance, G2 works hard for the money – and so does the audience. Straining for the first glimpse of the superstar, the crowd saw her shadow projected through a scrim, a simple movement eliciting zealous screams as she sang “Dance in the Dark.”
Once face to face with her fans (and heartbeats returned to near normal), it was a no-holds-barred, plenty-of-skin-bared extravaganza, starting with her breakthrough hit “Let’s Dance.” The costume changes were many and eye-popping, the sexual gyrations in full force amid an atmosphere of gender bending androgyny.
Show stoppers? Where to begin? There’s the faux nun outfit complete with white tape over her nipples during “Love Game.” The fake blood along with the black leather in “Monster.”
There’s a spontaneous method to Gaga’s creative madness. Despite the precision of the sets, music and choreography, she seems remarkably down-to-earth, unrehearsed. G2 is at times tough, other times, vulnerable – the child woman whose dreams are made real onstage.
And how those dreams materialize! In “Paparazzi, she sang fearlessly to an enormous “Fame Monster” while intertwined within the creature’s writhing, squid-like appendages. For the show’s encore, “Bad Romance,” she emerged onstage tucked in a full-body gyroscope, stepping out in shiny metallic, reminiscent of the ‘80s glam rock era.
The future is here. And her name is Lady Gaga. Remember it. Because she won’t let you forget it. Not ever.
