I first saw Lady Gaga when she opened for Take That at their 2009 The Circus Tour at Wembley Stadium in London. She had just released The Fame. She was only on stage for 45 minutes, but she still managed to fit in 4 costume changes and a flash of her bum. Perez Hilton was still referring to her as 'The Gaga', and I swore to myself that one day, I would see her live in her own concert. Happy to say that on 9th September 2012 that day arrived.
Any concert that kick starts with the artist giving birth to themselves is worthy of at least 7 stars, and thankfully for me, Gaga not only gave birth to herself, but managed to give birth to a side of myself I haven't seen since I was 14 years old and chasing the Jonas Brothers up Oxford Street. Between the powerful dance numbers, the dancer's beautifully sculpted bodies, the crazy costumes (think slightly robotic virgin bride and biker Barbie) and her wicked New York potty mouth it was easy to be swept away in the tidal wave of brash, fast moving, fun that is Lady Gaga.
For me, however, it wasn't the Gaga you see in the music videos or in the magazines that amazed me. Rather, it was the raw, stripped down version that had me on the edge of my seat whooping and clapping and hyperventilating like there was no tomorrow. It was the way she was able to so instantly connect with her fans, whether they were the ones she pulled on stage, or the ones sat up in the Gods. She gave a piece of herself to us all. It's the way that when she sat down at her piano and started to play 'Hair', 'Princess Die' and 'Imagine' we saw that 15 year old girl who worked in dingy night clubs and fought tooth and nail for this thing she loved the most; her music.
In amongst all the zany head pieces and crazy hair, it was easy to loose sight of the fact that Lady Gaga is truly, truly beautiful. She has a face you can use at angle and a body Kate Moss would die for. Then there was the fact that her inner beauty and the connection she felt with us, her fans, was so overwhelming and strong that it managed to shine through brighter than the stage lights. She is everything 15 year old me wished I would become, strong, independent, different, proud and damn good at what she does.
She is, without doubt, one of the most talented artist on the scene right now. Whilst Pop's other Princess are busy lip syncing (you know who I'm talking about) and barely being able to hold a tune live (her too), Gaga is on stage, singing live, dancing hard and playing the piano like an angel. She has a voice more versatile than Vaseline. Whether you want pop, rock, soul or opera, Lady Gaga can deliver in ways that haven't been seen on an artist since, dare I say it, the late great Freddie Mercury. And I know people say she's a cheap 21st Century Madonna rip off, but frankly, it's bollocks. Having seen both MDMA and BTWB I can easily say that it was pop's Princess that made the better connection with her audience and that seemed more grateful to be up there, not it's Queen. Two things which over all, are absolutely integral to a concert's success.
Of course Gaga is half of Madonna's age and the hard-cores will argue until they are blue in the face that she rips of Madonna's style/music/techniques whatever, but even if it were true, doesn't just about every artist out there take the traits and tricks of other artists and use them in their own way?
I am not saying that Gaga is pretending to be anyone other than herself, for she is not. She is still the same breath of fresh air into a stale music industry of prepackaged pop-stars, lip syncers and ghost writers, that she was when she burst onto our airwaves all those years ago. She is raw talent, ever growing and evolving, she is a force that shows no signs of slowing down...
And thank Gaga for that.
No comments:
Post a Comment