BornSimon 4,740 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Lady Gaga arrives through a trap door in a cloud of dry ice wearing a glitter swimsuit and golden feathery spider wings surrounded by goosestepping cyber strippers while a live band pump out throbbing electro rock. Is this a pop concert, fashion parade or performance art happening? Gaga has long aimed at a combination of all three, and her current tour comes closer to pulling that off than ever before. Styled an artRAVE, after her 2013 album ARTPOP, she has been touring this show around the world since May. You would expect it to be slick by now and it sort of is, even if she hasn't so much integrated all the disparate elements as smashed them together so that it lurches from set piece to set piece with sudden changes of emphasis and mood. Dancers outnumber musicians about three to one, which tells you something about her priorities. The five piece band replicate the electronic thrust of the recordings augmented by all the usual supportive pre recorded technology but only really come to life during heavy rock flourishes and wig outs to cover costume changes. There are plenty of these, although some of her g-strings, bikinis and skin suits barely count as costumes at all. At one point she performs in a polka dot inflatable squid, and briefly wraps herself in a Union Jack thrown onstage by a fan. At times during her more energetic routines her vocals have the immaculate but overly treated air of prerecording, so different in tone to her shouty interjections of "Put your hands up Birmingham!!!" But when she's really singing she lets you know, throwing in all kind of rock, soul and jazz inflections on an outstanding version of Do What You Want With My Body. For me, the most compelling moments are when she accompanies herself solo on piano but perhaps such musically (as opposed to physically) stripped back and exposed moments gain added power in contrast to the excesses of the rest of her show. The sense of liveness and jeopardy in a Lady Gaga show comes less from the preprogrammed and tightly choreographed production than her emotional interaction with the audience. She is visibly moved reading a long letter thrown onstage by a young gay fan then invites him and his boyfriend on stage for a hug and extemporised performance of Born This Way. If the bombastic and grandiose staging has elements of a political rally, this is not exactly UKIP style populism. She screams a speech about her right to creativity and individuality like an art fascist, a little pop Hitler in a glitter bikini and a big heart. You might think it would be hard to maintain a sense of artistic persecution if you are one of the most successful pop stars on the planet but one thing you could never accuse Lady Gaga of is a sense of proportion. The sense of absolute commitment, sensual bombardment and imaginative bravado in Gaga's artRAVE represent her very own triumph of the will. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/11165157/Lady-Gaga-Birmingham-NIA-review-the-one-thing-you-could-never-accuse-her-of-is-a-sense-of-proportion.html Is it a rave? Is it a ball? This is both! I have made it to pop mega star Lady Gaga’s ArtRave: The ARTPOP Ball. One of the biggest shows in the world. Fans (aka Little Monsters) have been queueing through the night to greet the 5ft 1ins 28 year-old New Yorker. Be-decked in Gaga-esque outrage, including bikini-style mermaid garb – despite the chilly climes – they were an eye-catching sight ahead of the NIA gig. The kooky performer has taken the world by storm with her hits Poker Face, Bad Romance, Telephone and Born This Way. But her latest offering – ARTPOP – has not received the rave reviews of earlier albums. Yet you would never know it from the reception that the chart star received from her Brummie followers. And is Gaga sporting a special spring in her step tonight? News reports claimed she had held a ‘commitment’ ceremony to her boyfriend Taylor Kinney earlier. Or maybe she is just excited about her new album Cheek to Cheek with 88 year-old crooner Tony Bennett, from which she sings Bang Bang I Shot You Down. Thankfully Gaga, renowned for her risqué outfits, didn’t sport the more controversial among her costumes – the meat dress. But the singer did wow with a selection of wigs, giant furry wings and a fluorescent green ensemble that wouldn’t have looked out of place on Sesame Street. There’s no denying that Gaga has got an impressive pair of pipes on her, which she showed off in style with Do What U Want. She can play the piano too and proved this by tinkling the ivories as she sang Dope and Gypsy. And her adoration for her fans was clear during the show, telling them this was a "mutual celebration of their art and talents". She also read a heartfelt fan letter from Jason who was inspired to come out as gay thanks to Gaga. She then surprised the superfan by inviting him on stage with her for a special rendition of Born This Way. I have never seen Gaga live before, but after hearing about the set design featuring two caves and connecting transluscent catwalks I was intrigued. It was a spectacular spectacle. And if you missed her this time round Gaga is back at the NIA on November 13. I’m off to the Prince of Wales to see if she is getting the drinks in – like she did last time she was in Birmingham in 2010. It’s true. No P-P-P-Poker Face here. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/review-lady-gaga-artrave-birmingham-7943497 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arturo 40,746 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Queen of Acclaim And if you missed her this time round Gaga is back at the NIA on November 13. Queen of High Demand Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry 2,374 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Yay! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathanholland 5,108 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Before there was love, there was silence Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Lovely read, get dat praise Gags! :Applause: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornSimon 4,740 Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 I have to say I'm surprised the UK press were nice about tonight's gig, they are the worst press in the world. But that's what happens when you shut them up with pure talent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBNLM 1,640 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 :legend: :worship2: queen of everything Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laceface 2,964 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 UK monsters Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClapDown 0 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 If the bombastic and grandiose staging has elements of a political rally, this is not exactly UKIP style populism. She screams a speech about her right to creativity and individuality like an art fascist, a little pop Hitler in a glitter bikini and a big heart. He literally compares her to HITLER. :ghostney: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupid 760 Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 a little pop Hitler in a glitter bikini :lmao: the mental pictures help Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornSimon 4,740 Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 The Hitler comparison made me cringe too. I totally understand what he means with the comparison though, I always thought the way Gaga screams her speeches is somewhat reminiscent of the way certain political figures used to speak to the crowds and still do to this day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CannaeDrive 3,388 Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 The Hitler comparison made me cringe too. I totally understand what he means with the comparison though, I always thought the way Gaga screams her speeches is somewhat reminiscent of the way certain political figures used to speak to the crowds and still do to this day. They should have said Mussolini instead, she's Italian after all "Fame Is A Boomerang" - Maria Callas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornSimon 4,740 Posted October 16, 2014 Author Share Posted October 16, 2014 They should have said Mussolini instead, she's Italian after all I was gonna say she reminds me of Mussolini in fact Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emvee 7,073 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Awesome! :applause: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lona Delery 7,177 Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 He literally compares her to HITLER. :ghostney: tbh in this context it is a compliment, Hitler was the best talker the world has ever seen. Sometimes it feels like I've got a war in my mind, I wanna get off but I keep riding the ride Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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