MonsterMums review: ArtRave Antwerp 23.09.2014

[MonsterMum 2,532]

Welcome to my review of ArtRave the ARTPOP Ball Antwerp!

 

(click to enlarge images)

 

Before the show, my daughter made a sign that she wanted to bring to the ArtRave, so meet my boyfriend and monster daughter:

 

 

 

When we got there at 17:00 it was already announced on the radio at 16:30 that 2000 people had gathered for the Lady Gaga concert in Antwerp. It was indeed packed at the entrance. Around 18:15 - 18:30 the gates opened and it people sprinted for their lives to get a good spot in the GA.

 

When we got there the whole middle section in the GA, from the stage at the front to back of the middle "horizontal leg" of the catwalk that is in the GA was filled up. We decided to stay on the right side of the catwalk leading towards the piano, it was a decent spot. 

 

The GA and the rest of the venue were filled up pretty quickly, even when Starlight played there were only 2 sections left to fill on both sides of the stage. 

 

Once Starlight was gone (my boyfriend thought I was joking that she only played one beat throughout her set...teehee I didn't lie!) they played some trap and EDM music and everyone was really dancing and generally high spirited.

People started to randomly using their flash light of their phones and waving, such a great sight which I captured, you can tell everyone was feeling it! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONVS0koVP_0

 

She came on 35 minutes late but that was all forgotten when she popped up like an angel from the sea. I started to weep and scream, my daughter was screaming hell even my boyfriend was screaming his lungs out!

Everyone in the GA was singing along and screaming, it was magical!

 

 

 

She swiftly moved on to GUY and was not sloppy or lazy at all, she gave it her all the whole freaking night.

 

 

 

Both my daughter and me were singing all out with Donatella since it is one of our favourite songs on ARTPOP and even Asiel came very close to us

 

 

 

Venus was a true highlight of the evening, maybe cause the big flowers popped up and it just added a bit to futuristic fantasy of love. 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole audience was pumped up when she announced Just Dance and people were freaking out even more then they heard Poker Face. This is a song that will be remembered forever. I saw elderly swaying from left to right with their hands above their heads, young girls on the 2nd ring on top getting their life, signature song definately!
She danced the whole routine like she used to and it was definately not half arsed, please notice also how EVERYONE in the seated sections was also standing:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spOdd18AGE4
 

 

I personally loved DWUW a lot, especially torwards the end when she let her voice shine without any backing track and let everyone in the audience, monster or not appreciate that strenght of her voice.

 

 

 

 

It's a big voice in a small body and everyone was cheering for it. At one point she came really close. I manage to record it:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF8TJYoYulo

 

She looked straight into my camera!

 

 

 

At the piano she performed You & I, Dope and Born this Way, she didn't bring anyone on stage but she did bring her game especially during You & I, she was standing up on her bench, put her leg up, put her leg on the piano, ran across the catwalk, it was awesome!

 

Edge of Glory and Judas were as short as they before so no changes there. You could tell that Aura is a Little Monster song, the rest of the audience didn't sing or dance to it. 

 

Alejandro however was again a song that would bring the whole venue out of their seats.

 

 

(for the doubters I captured it so you can tell it was A: a sold out show, it was packed even tho it didn't seem to be a good date on forhand. B: from GA till upper ring, everyone was waving their hands.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOdMnUjlxl8

 

So did Bad Romance, I was looking around me and everyone was singing to it. Picture this: 2 slightly overweight white men in white washed out t-shirts and jeans, shoulder to shoulder singing the lyrics to eachother with passion...it was hilarious!

 

Next was Applause and Swine. Applause, again, known by everyone but Swine a fan fave. Our feet hurt at that point but it was that one song that managed to get us jumping again. Even my boyfriend liked it and he doesn't like Swine on the album.

 

Then she was gone. Some people started to leave but the GA didn't move and most of the venue seemed to know there was gonna be an encore. 

It only took her a few minutes to come out and sing Gypsy. Fans and non fans were dancing to this song.

 

 

 

She brought 2 people on stage that made 1000 Gaga dolls with outfits and everything.

 

 

 

 

And so the show ended, it was amazing. If I could I would go a second time cause I feel like I must have missed so much, I didn't know where to look and what to feel. It was in such a high speed that before you could grasp what she was doing and where she was it was already over.

However it was definately worth every penny and more!

 

PS: if you have GA tickets please wear something light or something you can take off easily. It was not super hot yesterday but I saw a few girls being carried out cause of the heat. 

[Mr Josh 3]

Glad you had fun

 

 

It's one hell of a show

[Sugarfall 3,723]

Great that you had fun! 

 

All these reviews are getting me so hyped for mine 

6 days away

[MonsterMum 2,532]

Great that you had fun! 

 

All these reviews are getting me so hyped for mine 

6 days away

 

Gurl you are gonna get your LIFE and then some!

[Weasel 12,525]

Great pics and review, what about the backing track. Was it loud or...? 

[MonsterMum 2,532]

Great pics and review, what about the backing track. Was it loud or...? 

 

The backing track is loud but you can hear her on top of it so it kinda has 2 layers . I was actually thinking about it last night it almost seems like our phones cannot detect that and just mash it into 1 layer. 

[lucia4 0]

I can't @ how queeny that black dancer behaves at the end of Telephone.  So annoying.

 

Great review though, thanks!! Sounds like a great concert. :) She's in my country tonight & my friend is going, hope he has as much fun as u did!

[Hecturr 1,921]

u know, that mother and son are so sneaky. He let her mom sleep out in -26 c in norway for SIX days and then he came and took her place an hour before we were let in. >.>

[djBuffoon 12,026]

So glad you had a wonderful time! My artRAVE was some months ago, and I remember all of it so vividly (despite being a little intoxicated).

[MonsterMum 2,532]

I can't @ how queeny that black dancer behaves at the end of Telephone.  So annoying.

 

Great review though, thanks!! Sounds like a great concert. :) She's in my country tonight & my friend is going, hope he has as much fun as u did!

 

Well people next to the catwalk seemed to love haha :)

 

It was indeed, man... if I didn't have to go to work tomorrow I would have gone again. I am from NL but Antwerp is closer to us. I hope your friend has a good time, actually I doubt he won't :)

[MaybeKermit 4,114]

Ugh it was the best night of my life :omg:

[lucia4 0]

Well people next to the catwalk seemed to love haha :)

 

It was indeed, man... if I didn't have to go to work tomorrow I would have gone again. I am from NL but Antwerp is closer to us. I hope your friend has a good time, actually I doubt he won't :)

 

Ahh, cool, so you live south? ^^ I would've gone but last time the crowd was really rude in NL so I decided to sit this one out, haha. Maybe I should've gone to Antwerpen instead. :P

[MonsterMum 2,532]

Ahh, cool, so you live south? ^^ I would've gone but last time the crowd was really rude in NL so I decided to sit this one out, haha. Maybe I should've gone to Antwerpen instead. :P

 

Yes I live in Limburg :)

 

Antwerps crowd was actually pretty decent, I haven't noticed anything that I think would be offensive and my daughter had the time of her life as well.

Northeners are known to be loud and arrogant

I was surprised tho how many people were speaking French. We were in queue outside for 2 hours before the doors opened and everyone around us spoke French.

[lucia4 0]

Yes I live in Limburg :)

 

Antwerps crowd was actually pretty decent, I haven't noticed anything that I think would be offensive and my daughter had the time of her life as well.

Northeners are known to be loud and arrogant

I was surprised tho how many people were speaking French. We were in queue outside for 2 hours before the doors opened and everyone around us spoke French.

 

I love how you say "Northeners"   Winter is Coming!

 

But yeah I figured you guys would be more decent. =p Lots of French Belgian people at your concert?

 

I will never forget mine. This anorexic looking guy got drunk on vodka and while I was away from my spot he threw up on my sleeping bag  Also inside and right before the doors opened people were pushing and screaming and fighting. Never seen such fanatic fans LOL

 

But didn't your concert have Gaga stop a fight for a towel or something? So cute :9 Were u close to that?

[MonsterMum 2,532]

I love how you say "Northeners"   Winter is Coming!

 

But yeah I figured you guys would be more decent. =p Lots of French Belgian people at your concert?

 

I will never forget mine. This anorexic looking guy got drunk on vodka and while I was away from my spot he threw up on my sleeping bag  Also inside and right before the doors opened people were pushing and screaming and fighting. Never seen such fanatic fans LOL

 

But didn't your concert have Gaga stop a fight for a towel or something? So cute :9 Were u close to that?

 

Well lemme say North vs South is still a thing around here, I live in the deep south

 

I don't know if they were all Walonian they could have been from the northside of France too and I even saw number plates from Luxemburg but the prominent language spoken at the concert was most definately French. I am sure you'll notice it in footage taken from the GA as well. There was running and welping by the queens lol but nobody was pushed or shoved, nothing that I saw at least.

 

Yeah nothing of that I noticed, not saying people weren't drinking but I have not seen anyone pass out or drunk out of their mind.

I did see some girls being taken out of the GA from the mid section right in front of the middle stage. Mind you that section was filled up straight from the start, we wanted to stand there too but it was so jammed that I didn't wanna squeeze myself and my daughter in.

I can only imagine If you stand there for 2 hours pre-show with everyones body heat, then jumping and screaming + no means to get out and get yourself hydrated or fresh air (and maybe waiting for hours outside of the venue) you'd be close to passing out.  

 

Yes that was a white banner with some blue text that she already picked up earlier and hugged, then tossed back into the crowd and it was tossed up the stage a second time when she was at that stage to do Applause. The front row there were the queeny fans that dressed up in heels and sea shell bikinis. They weren't properly fighting but more going back and forth with the banner and non of them wanted to let go lol. It wasn't like they were causing a big problem and security had to step in or anything, they were just being a bit b---hy :)