The Stunning Spiritual Experience of Lady Gaga
While we were all hoping for some type of cleansing rain during the Lady Gaga Los Angeles show, we still ended up cleansed and if anything- blessed- by what Lady Gaga provided last evening. I will be the first to admit that I was a Lady Gaga concert virgin before attending the highly anticipated Chromatica Ball on September 10th. This was a tour that suffered postponement, which is what so many other tours suffered from after the pandemic. Dodgers Stadium looked like it had never looked before. Thigh high boots, corsets, leather and a whole lot of eyeliner filled the entirety of the baseball stadium. These fabulous creatures donning these stunning looks are the Little Monsters, Lady Gaga’s loyal and loving fanbase.
While on my way to the stadium, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of fans walking the steep streets of LA to get to the concert. Before I watched the show, I didn’t really understand why. A huge trek in 10 inch heels sounds like hell. It was only after experiencing the show I was able to realize that yes, a Lady Gaga concert is worth a pilgrimage.
I attended the concert with two friends, Little Monsters through and through. One of them made the astute observation that a Lady Gaga concert is like church and it couldn’t be more accurate. Once the show began to take its course, I was reminded of my childhood church moments. Standing in song, singing together for one cathartic moment and then sitting to listen to the preaching. In this case, the preaching is representative of the short videos that came with every introduction of a new “act” of the show. During these videos, audience members would take a seat, which made for an excellent break from the amount of energy exerted during the songs. It was a moment to collect your thoughts, to savor the artistic genius that was unfolding on the stage before you. The videos were captivating and all completely unique.
Each act delivered an array of dance routines seeped in dedication and stellar vocals from Gaga that never seemed to tire despite every twirl and high kick she did. If there’s anything you’ll learn after the Chromatica Ball, it’s that Lady Gaga is beyond talented. She is, in every way, a star.
The acts combined some old hits and recent glittery bops from the Chromatica album. Most of the recent album includes the fun, high energy pop club beats that we all know and love from Lady Gaga, but they are all laced in some form of darkness. In a way, Chromatica was the definition of dancing through the pain.
The inner seriousness and sadness came through during the concert’s fourth act. Everything slowed down as Lady Gaga passionately played the piano, singing a few ballads. This portion of the performance was raw and wonderfully untamed. One of my favorite moments was screaming “where are our leaders?” during the surprise performance of “Angel Down,” especially after Lady Gaga discussed the overturning of Roe v. Wade while introducing the song.
During the concert, the wristbands the audience members were given as they entered the stadium gates pulsated with light throughout the crowd. Even amongst a crowd of 52,000 individual, tiny lights, it was impossible to not feel seen. At one point in the night, Lady Gaga observed while looking at the packed stadium, “I see a lot of people who know exactly who they are.”
So, in a way, a Lady Gaga concert is a spiritual experience. There’s singing, there’s dancing, but it’s more than just that. It’s singing and dancing in pure freedom. There’s so much beauty and clarity in participating in a show from an artist that wants you to be unapologetically, and fabulously, you.