What a week. Three Monster Ball shows in the space of four days and I am EXHAUSTED. Between queuing from early morning to bad weather and standing at the show for two hours PLUS camping outside a certain Lady's hotel a night or two...I can't wait for a good nights sleep. But it was ABSOLUTELY worth it! I met Semi Precious Weapons about twenty times (haha), Lady Starlight, all of Lady Gaga's dancers (even went to one of their dance classes, it was so much fun) and most importantly...
I MET LADY GAGA AGAIN!!!!!!!!!
However, that's not why I'm making this post. I'm going to give you all my views on her show, from how its improved, to what needs to be fixed. I won't deny that I adore the show and consider it the best show on the planet, but it's not perfect. Even Gaga herself admitted that to me. So, here it goes...
LADY STARLIGHT
Lady Starlight opened the show from when the doors opened. Nothing too extravagant, she just DJ'ed on the stage. Except she's a bit nuts in the eyes of most. She's definitely not for everyone. Rather than playing pop music, she plays rock 'n' roll metal...quite a contrast to what Lady GaGa releases, for sure. I can see why many people either missed her set, or ignored her. Personally, I love the music she was playing. I think she's a great performer. It needs to be remembered that Starlight is the woman who performed with Lady GaGa when GaGa was first starting out. Nice to see that GaGa doesn't turn her back on those who were with her from the beginning. Great for those just looking to have a good time and enjoy themselves - I even know an 8 year old who thought she was amazing. Definitely a love or hate performance.
SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS
I adore these guys. I also run a site for them alongside GaGaNews. They are not your typical band. Justin, their lead singer, is a 6'5" man in heels with make-up. Their opening song basically sums their music up...a loud voice screams "from New York motherf-ing city...it's SEMI...PRECIOUS...WEEEEEAAAPPPOOONNNSSSS!!!!" and a dirty guitar riff blares through the speakers. After a few moments, Justin appears on stage, singing the lyrics "I can't pay my rent, but I'm f--ing gorgeous!". No, they're not for children. At least, not for children who are easily led. They are love or hate, without a doubt. Many will judge them based on the fact they have a controversial image, controversial lyrics - but make no mistake about it, they can play their instruments and Justin can sing his heart out. Four years ago, GaGa was opening for them in front of twelve people - Dublin adored them. They were very impressed with how receptive the fans were. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they deserve a chance. Personally, I think they're getting better and better - they can only go up from here, they are amazingly talented.
LADY GAGA
I've seen this particular show about 12 times (I've honestly lost count, but it's around that number). The last time I had seen it before Dublin was last June in Manchester. In comparison to then? Just one word...WOW. I've heard a lot of people say "oh, she talks too much. Oh, she's too political". Well, GaGa has a way of telling her fans that they need to be proud of themselves for who they are, that they need to ignore the hate that comes their way. If she comes across as "long-winded" to some...fair enough. Not everyone is as big a fan as others. But still, even the most casual fan can't complain about the show. They got to see all the hits, and they got a lot of laughs out of her. Most importantly, she sang live. She sang her damn heart out. She danced, her dancers are an amazingly talented group of people and they love performing each night. Her band were all live, and are getting better and better with each show. You don't have to be a fan of GaGa, but when people say she isn't genuinely talented - that pisses me off. The woman sat on a damn piano and played her heart out for two songs! What more does she need to do? There's only one gripe I have with the newer version of the show - she cut Vanity out from the setlist. To all of her super dedicated fans, this is a BIG deal. We love that song!
The Monster Ball has five months left in its run. In the space of five months, who knows what GaGa could do to the show? It's amazingly good now - and it can only get better. Lady Gaga doesn't get worse - she's proven time and time again that she only gets better.
The Monster Ball is a show that EVERYONE needs to see. It may not be everyone's style of music, of performance, whatever. But just to understand the hype, everyone needs to sit up and pay attention. This show is only the beginning for Lady GaGa...that's a promise.
