On Monday night, thousands of Canberrans flocked to AIS Arena for what was promised to be a production of New York proportions, Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball.
The foyer was packed with 15-year-olds wearing too little and 30-somethings who hadn’t been out in a while.
Lady Gaga’s long time friends Semi Precious Weapon were given the challenging task of supporting the iconic pop queen.
The four piece pulled out all the stops, setting the arena alive with their modern take on dirty glam rock. The mentality was, ‘act like a rock star, get treated like one,’ catching the audience off guard and encouraging their chants for Gaga as a back-beat to their songs.
Lead singer Justin Tranter showed-off his trashy show style, completing a full outfit change on stage, on his back, stripping down to merely a g-string and nude fishnets.
Semi Precious Weapons eventually had Gaga’s fans screaming for them and singing along to songs never before heard in Canberra. Lyrics like their infectious self-titled track, ‘I can’t pay my rent but I’m fucking gorgeous,’ could be heard echoing through the arena.
Tranter announced that the band were long-time friends of Gaga and have performed with her since 2003, earning them instant cred amongst punters.
The crowd was soon left to stir with Gaga anticipation. The Monster Ball is a four act concert where Gaga and her ‘dearest friends’ follow the glitter path in pursuit of the ultimate party.
The first act, ‘City,’ lit up the stage with deconstructed sky-rises that looked more like fetish cages, and flashing vegas-esque signs lighting up the words, ‘Sedation, implants and dentistry.’
Gaga appeared with her underwear clad bottom hanging out of the bonnet of a broken down car, and it soon became evident that she was in fact playing a keyboard that sat in place of the car’s engine.
Within the first 25 minutes of the show, punters were treated to a sensory carnival of debauchery, drag, filth, glitz and a total of four costume changes. Act one truly set the scene for what other surprises were to come down the glitter path, and had punters out of their seats with delight.
Between acts, Gaga themed video instillations were projected onto screens, with mash-up of fetish masks, latex, vomit and ‘those’ McQueen heels. The videos maintained punter’s engagement, shock, intrigue and disgust while Gaga’s crew changed sets in record time, leaving no time for breath to be caught.
Songs like Telephone were sung with conviction and proved Gaga’s vocal ability, amidst the ‘hype’ of it all.
Having celebrated her 24th birthday the previous day, Gaga told the audience of her emotional morning in bed watching ‘happy birthday’ videos from her fans, ‘I sat in bed and fucking cried’ Gaga announced before proclaiming her ‘true’ love for everyone in the room.
Gaga’s trashy blend of queer-pop and electro-trash leaned heavily on her band, with each and every performer a talented musician in their own right. Despite this, the focus (as it should be) was on Gaga, who in seven inch heels, managed to keep up with her swarm of energetic dancers.
Not one second of the two hour show was wasted, with 16 costume changes and impressive sets which included the broken down car, a subway carriage and a burning piano, alongside a list of impressive props including her ‘disco stick’ and an elaborate Perspex keytar.
Love her or loath her, Lady Gaga is an important part of pop culture. Not traditionally pretty, and not bumping and grinding like her pop counterpart Beyonce, Gaga embraces the ugly, abstract and what she calls ‘her freaks.’ Her undying commitment to her fans and apparent hatred for money can be questioned, but her showmanship and talent simply cannot.
This was one show that Canberrans can thank their lucky stars they were able to see at our AIS Arena. It was also nice to see that no aspect of the show was compromised or ‘skipped over’ for the comparatively smaller audience.
