Lady Gaga’s 150-Minute, 5-Act Concert Was the Best Thing I’ve Seen All Year—No Notes, No Skips

First of all, the icon was late to the concert. But no one was mad about it, because she told us in advance. Attendees were informed that she would be going on at 9:30pm (later than any of her previous performances). This is because she was briefly attending the VMAs to walk the red carpet and accept the award for Artist of the Year. The VMAs took place at UBS Arena on Long Island. So the queen showed off her wild fashion, gave a speech and then presumably helicoptered to Manhattan to make it to her Madison Square Garden show for a 9:30pm start. I’m tired just thinking about it, but Gaga gave no inkling that she might be tired from such a full evening.

She did, however, further prove her icon status when the lights came up on a number where she lay surrounded by three VMA statuettes. The crowd went wild as she sang (live, of course) and picked up one of the awards and held it out. Mic drop. Diva status reconfirmed.

Mayhem Ball wasn’t just a concert. It was broken into five acts (each titled, with the titles displayed on a giant screen) and told the story of an epic battle: Mother Mayhem versus traditional pop princess. The chaotic Mayhem wore all red, the less chaotic songstress donned all white.

In act one, Of Velvet and Vice, the red queen banishes the white queen in an “off with her head” moment. We’re then taken on a journey where both divas (clearly both parts of Lady Gaga herself) show us why they’re queens. Over the course of the night, the opposites do battle for Gaga’s soul—and the audience’s adoration. The conclusion? Chaos is part of what we love about this pop icon and, without doubt, we need both sides.

The visual storytelling—the sets, the costumes, the dance numbers—is absolutely magical. Gaga shows off her theater roots here as she gives us a fully fleshed out theatrical experience. It’s an emotional, hard-fought battle of “good” and “evil”—and it feels so great when we realize we want them both to win. 10/10, no notes for the “plot” and the production value.

When I say no notes, no skips, I mean it.

Generally, concerts boast some of an artist’s big hits as well as their current album. This means B-side numbers and songs that didn’t gain traction from the album. Not here, folks. From start to finish, I knew words to every song that came on (at least the chorus). And in a testament to how great Gaga’s music catalogue is, I would start yelling after hearing just the first few notes of a given song. I had no idea that her music was so iconic and identifiable that I’d be able to recognize each piece instantly. And I wasn’t alone. With the first notes of each number, the crowd would erupt. “Poker Face.” “Bad Romance.” “Shallow.” “Born This Way.” “Abracadabra.” Song after song, hit after hit, I found myself screaming and then scream-singing along. No misses.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I also took in Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour this year and it was spectacular. Beyoncé performed a three-hour concert in the pouring rain—and didn’t miss a beat—in one of the most impressive displays of stamina and talent I’ve ever seen. And yet, there was one major detractor from her show: the venue.

This stadium tour brought me out to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium to see her. And while the content, the visuals and the vocals were all on point, the venue itself was a massive negative. Aside from the aforementioned torrential rain (something you don’t worry about at an indoor arena), the commute was terrible, the audience load-in and load-out process was a beast, the distance from seat to stage was quite large and any sense of intimacy was lacking.

On the other hand, Gaga brought her show to New York’s Madison Square Garden, a much smaller and more intimate arena that made the full experience a positive one. It was fast and easy to get to the Garden and get into the Garden and get to my seats. There was no threat of weather. I had an incredible view of the entire show (my seats were in the 100 level, but I can attest to the proximity of the 200 level as well—it’s where I saw Kylie from earlier this year). And, most importantly, the show was able to feel much more intimate. I didn’t spend the whole thing staring at the giant video screen. I watched the impressive action unfold on the stage in front of me, and I felt like I was a part of it all.

Moral of the story? I’m done with stadium tours and am going all in on more intimate concert venues moving forward.