[CONCERT RECAP] Lady Gaga – artRave: The ARTPOP Ball
With a rainbow-rave-esque stage design, in-sync dancers and impressive choreography, nearly a dozen costume and wig changes, a band of tight musicians, and her powerful and flawless vocal performance, and a costume change ON STAGE, Lady Gaga put on one of the best productions I have ever attended in my life. And if you guys haven’t already caught on by now, I have been to TONS of shows in my lifetime.
The Seattle stop of artRave: The ARTPOP Ball was originally scheduled for May, but was cancelled a few hours before showtime when Lady Gaga herself tweeted she had Bronchitis and was unable to perform for her fans that night. Fast-forward to August 8th, Lady Gaga is back in town ready to put on a show, her last USA show of the entire tour (Gaga won’t perform in the states until she tours with Tony Bennett for their jazz album collaboration – which will be legendary and epic, to say the least). If you have ever been to a last show of any tour, you know that it is going to be something special. The artists just seem to pull all the stops and perform the best they have ever performed. Throughout the entire show, Lady Gaga was just so appreciative of her fans, she continually apologized for missing her first show and that she only decided to cancel in the first place because she could never sell her fans and herself short by lip-syncing. And I am sure every single person in the Key Arena appreciated this because Lady Gaga delivered some of the best live pop vocals I have ever witnessed. The studio versions of Gaga’s biggest radio hits do not do her justice. The amount of power and range that a tiny person can deliver is unbelievable, not to mention adding her choreography and unparalleled stage charisma.
Lady Gaga’s set was a great balance between highlight tracks off her latest, ARTPOP, and her greatest hits such as “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Judas,” “Bad Romance,” and a beautiful stripped down piano version of “Dope” and “The Edge of Glory.” After one of her songs, fans started throwing gifts on stage (homemade jackets, stuffed animals, flowers, and notes), and she read a couple of the notes on stage. It was such a beautiful moment when she read a fan letter that described how her music saved his life after his family shunned him for being gay. You could tell how sincere Lady Gaga really is when she invited those fans backstage to hang with her after the show. After her fantastical artRave production, Lady Gaga came back out for an encore and performed a stripped down version of her brand new song entitled, “Gypsy,” alongside a gleaming 7 year old fan she picked out from the audience that was decked out in her Lady Gaga costume. It was such a precious moment to have experienced.
Lady Gaga is truly one of the most creative, talented, and sincere pop stars of our time.
Peace, Love, & Rock n’ Roll,
A-Tran.
