Thoughts On Enigma (3 Months Later)

[Fresco 1,688]

Scheisse deserves to be there.  It has glorious pyrotechnics and the big robot puppet and that driving uplifting rhythm.

[Alfonso 1,547]

29 minutes ago, Suspiria said:

At the time I was quite happy with it but the more I look at it the more shoddy it seems.

I like the overall aesthetic/direction, and I love that she's doing a cohesive story-driven show again. But that's about it.

After seeing clearer videos and pictures, the stage really isn't impressive. Given that it didn't need to be transported, the price of the tickets and the fact she'll be using it for 2-3 years, I expected a lot more. Most of the costumes suck, the makeup is comically bad, and the wig is just so cheap looking and needs twice as much volume.

I don't know why everyone is saying "it looks better in person - it's just because  you're watching a s***** video". All her other tours looked amazing both in real life and on low quality videos - why shouldn't this one?

I also just don't understand how a team of professionals working on a $100 MILLION residency couldn't come up with a logical story for this, or a cohesive sounding setlist. Seriously, not one person said "the story makes no sense"? It just baffles me how people can't put any effort into something with this high a budget.

 

Overall I just think it seems like not a lot of thought went into it, and the production doesn't reflect the budget at all. Nothing about it is remotely fresh or innovative, it seems like a big step backwards in her artistry, which is sad

I think I agree with you, but what's more upsetting for me is the setlist.. It has too many TF songs and this show should be about her career, it could easily fit at least 4 songs from each album and maybe a couple more from ASIB..

I really want to see her live, especially since she cancelled my JWT date, but I'm not convinced with the current show, so I'll be thinking about seeing the Jazz show instead 

[Bradley 59,023]

Like 90% of the people who personally attended the show adored it, while the people who complain about it are the ones who only watched the videos.

I understand this is a Vegas show and that not everyone can afford to travel all the way to that place, and I would love for each and everyone of you to be able to see this show in person,

but to judge an entire concert through a 2D screen that shows only like 40% of the entire experience is pretty unfair imo. Besides, every camera has unique presentations of sound and image, it also depends on how shaky and how zoomed in the camera holder was, I've seen a lot of videos and many of them do not do justice.

In fact I can barely find more than 7 videos of my date (31 January), like a lot of people seemed to have gone to the show multiple times and many of them didn't bother to record, so the options available to non-attendees is very limited.

Gaga didn't design this for YouTube, she designed this for the attendees and 90% of them left the theatre impressed.

[Suspiria 10,683]

6 hours ago, Bradley said:

Like 90% of the people who personally attended the show adored it, while the people who complain about it are the ones who only watched the videos.

I understand this is a Vegas show and that not everyone can afford to travel all the way to that place, and I would love for each and everyone of you to be able to see this show in person,

but to judge an entire concert through a 2D screen that shows only like 40% of the entire experience is pretty unfair imo. Besides, every camera has unique presentations of sound and image, it also depends on how shaky and how zoomed in the camera holder was, I've seen a lot of videos and many of them do not do justice.

In fact I can barely find more than 7 videos of my date (31 January), like a lot of people seemed to have gone to the show multiple times and many of them didn't bother to record, so the options available to non-attendees is very limited.

Gaga didn't design this for YouTube, she designed this for the attendees and 90% of them left the theatre impressed.

Sorry but this excuse is so tired lol.

I'm sure it is great fun in real life - most shows are. I'm sure I'd have an amazing time seeing Gaga in any situation (especially if I'd paid thousands of dollars, I'd make damn sure I had the best time of my life regardless of the show)

But let's all stop acting like this show has some magical quality to it that makes it only look good in person. The stage is very basically designed, the costumes are poor. They weren't "designed" to not look good on camera, they were just badly done.

If it were truly well done it would look good in any video. Plus anyone can see the storyline and setlist suck regardless of video quality

[Mikolaj 11,635]

6 hours ago, Bradley said:

but to judge an entire concert through a 2D screen that shows only like 40% of the entire experience is pretty unfair imo. Besides, every camera has unique presentations of sound and image, it also depends on how shaky and how zoomed in the camera holder was, I've seen a lot of videos and many of them do not do justice.

Hmm. Some of us judged all of Gaga's tours from a 2D screen, given no other option. And personally, the only tour I attended (artRave) is actually my least favorite one.

I get your point, there's nothing like actually being there and experiencing it. I don't say I wouldn't love Enigma if I had been there, it's just that a lot of us compare Gaga to Gaga's own impossible standard. 

[Bradley 59,023]

26 minutes ago, Suspiria said:

Sorry but this excuse is so tired lol.

I'm sure it is great fun in real life - most shows are. I'm sure I'd have an amazing time seeing Gaga in any situation (especially if I'd paid thousands of dollars, I'd make damn sure I had the best time of my life regardless of the show)

But let's all stop acting like this show has some magical quality to it that makes it only look good in person. The stage is very basically designed, the costumes are poor. They weren't "designed" to not look good on camera, they were just badly done.

If it were truly well done it would look good in any video. Plus anyone can see the storyline and setlist suck regardless of video quality

You might have been able to convince me if I had not attended the show and have it radically change the course of my life, but that's the reality so I'm gonna have to disagree with you. How it changed my life is a long story that's for another time, but let's not delve into that, but I can assure you that I walked out of that show feeling like an entirely new person, as if my soul had a sense of rejuvenation that I didn't find in 20 other major concerts I attended by other international acts.

I'm sorry if this comes off as rude or flaunting but have you seen the show in person? I hope the answer is yes because otherwise I don't think you are in a very qualified position to give valid opinions. Critics and journalists are required to see the show in person before they give their reviews, and there's a reason why the critics almost acclaimed the show from start to finish, complimenting her vocals, stage presence, outfits, visuals, choreography and theatricality, there were some minor complaints about the narrative, but even those critics had to acclaim her stage presence, energy and visuals.

I do think that the dialogue could have been better, but when watching the show in person I was too overwhelmed by the fact that she incorporated acting into a music concert that I neglected the storyline. It wasn't really that much of an issue for a present audience, and you should have seen the audience reacting to her, like I'm sorry I would be lying if I said they weren't seeing one of the best shows they've ever seen in their lives.

The stage is obviously less intricate than her arena shows, because this is a theatre with very limited room, like did Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez have groundbreaking stages? And a show is more than just the stage, you could give Celine Dion a dive bar and she'd still slay with her vocals.

I understand there are a lot of Monster Ball and Born This Way Ball fans here, but Enigma is the best show in years by any artist to me.

[Bradley 59,023]

Sometimes I feel like y'all operate on nostalgia, like anything that's old is considered good by y'all. and also heavily influenced by commercial performance. It's like y'all are so afraid to deviate from common consensus and have an opinion of your own.

Like yes I get some things are iconic and legendary due to critical acclaim and album certifications but have you guys ever considered forming an opinion solely based on what you hear and what you see, rather than always hopping onto the bandwagon of what everyone says is good or bad?

[Bradley 59,023]

17 minutes ago, ExMachina said:

Hmm. Some of us judged all of Gaga's tours from a 2D screen, given no other option. And personally, the only tour I attended (artRave) is actually my least favorite one.

I get your point, there's nothing like actually being there and experiencing it. I don't say I wouldn't love Enigma if I had been there, it's just that a lot of us compare Gaga to Gaga's own impossible standard. 

I actually am willing to go beyond comparing Enigma to her own previous shows and still have Enigma top the crown. That's how good it is to me.

Not every show can be successfully emulated through filming though, like I saw the DVD film of Reputation Stadium Tour, and I thought it was so mediocre with very lackluster vocals and stage presence, but apparently the fans said it was groundbreaking and such. I am willing to give Taylor some benefit of the doubt by saying -'ok maybe it's because I haven't seen it in person.'

and I feel like y'all are being unfairly harsh on this one hell of a show, like maybe go take a look at the comments of those members who did attend the show, did they leave the show feeling it wasn't worth their time and money?

[LateToCult 40,896]

Still feels like a very random thing to do and I think the second leg is going to be the supporting “tour” for LG6.

[TheMiddleGround 3,251]

When will new dates get announced?

planning to go in jan 2020 for my 30th birthday. 

[JR Gg 12,985]

I like how the people slamming the show has not attended the show at all while those praising it have actually attended it. Goes to show whose opinion actually makes sense. 

[Miel 15,009]

I'll give it this- the stage, her musicianship and charisma, an the general aura of the show is legitimately incredible when you are there in person. 

It makes you forget that half of the outfits are choices hihi

[Fresco 1,688]

One additional comment about the interludes. After the Petga theatrics, the big screen goes black and we just hear live instrumental guitar.  Which is a little disconcerting, and a step down from her previous shows. I seem to remember previous shows having produced videos running during the interludes.  At first I thought something must be taking too long backstage. But it was like that every interlude, so it's by design, imo.  That's a really small part of the show though, and when the next song starts, you tend to forget that was even an issue.