{"id":41189,"date":"2025-07-17T12:18:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T12:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/17\/lady-gaga-mayhem-ball-concert-review\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T12:18:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T12:18:30","slug":"lady-gaga-mayhem-ball-concert-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/17\/lady-gaga-mayhem-ball-concert-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Lady Gaga Mayhem Ball Concert Review"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tWhen Lady Gaga<\/a> turned Coachella into a cathedral of chaos in April, Rolling Stone<\/em> <\/a>hailed it as the \u201cperformance of a lifetime.\u201d With the launch of her Mayhem Ball tour in Las Vegas Wednesday night, Gaga didn\u2019t just revisit that show \u2014 she expanded it, sharpened it, sprinkled in some nostalgia, and fully realized the gothic dream she had only just introduced.<\/p>\n

\n\tThematically, the Mayhem Ball tour followed the same through line as Coachella and the one-off Mayhem shows in Mexico City,<\/a> Rio De Janeiro and Singapore earlier this year: It captures Gaga\u2019s internal strife, with her light side (an angelic, innocent Gaga with blonde hair and curls) facing off with her darkness (dark reds and vampy, gothic energy).<\/p>\n

\n\tMost of the first act remained consistent with the earlier Mayhem shows, with Gaga taking the stage atop a three-story dress, though it opted for a more operatic version of Born This Way<\/a><\/em>\u2019s \u201cBloody Mary,\u201d which seamlessly transitioned into Mayhem<\/a><\/em> centerpiece \u201cAbracadabra.\u201d The act focused on the \u201clady in red\u201d dark side of Gaga she sings about on that song, as she presented herself at the center of the stage \u2014 an adapted, more intimate version of what she used at Coachella. For the first three songs, including a crowd-favorite performance of \u201cJudas,\u201d it seemed Gaga might deliver the same, or nearly identical, set fans had seen before. But to the surprise of many in the crowd (myself included), she slipped in a remix of Artpop<\/em> favorite \u201cAura,\u201d a nod to fans who\u2019ve long begged her to resurrect tracks from what they consider her most overlooked album. It was just a taste of the deep cuts and fan-honoring she had for fans \u2014 and Artpop <\/em>finally found some justice.<\/p>\n

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\n\tFor songs like \u201cSchei\u00dfe\u201d (sung from a Last Supper\u2013esque table), \u201cPerfect Celebrity\u201d (performed from inside a pit of sand surrounded by skulls) and \u201cPoker Face\u201d (during which she faced off against the \u201cgood\u201d version of herself), the choreography and staging remained unchanged from what fans had seen before. If it ain\u2019t broke, Gaga knows better than to fix it.<\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tWhat Gaga did in many moments, however, was enhance what had been seen before: She added elements to outfits with more intricate leotards and capes, and in others, the show incorporated new lighting effects and pyrotechnics that wouldn\u2019t translate on a festival stage. While at Coachella, she waltzed with skeletons; here she danced in a larger-than-life gothic black dress in front of a gigantic skull, before playing Mayhem<\/em>\u2019s \u201cLoveDrug\u201d for the first time live while strutting down a spiral staircase. During \u201cPaparazzi,\u201d where Gaga stepped onto the stage in a metallic cape and armor while on crutches, a rainbow flag lighted up on her miles-long cape as she delivered an unexpected rendition of the song\u2019s bridge \u2014 with the \u201cDon\u2019t stop for anyone\/We\u2019re plastic, but we still have fun\u201d line \u2014 for the first time since 2011.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFolded within her intricate storytelling about inner good vs. evil was a celebration of her Little Monsters and the depth of her catalog, as she made room for fan-favorite songs few imagined Gaga would sing on a tour six albums into her career. She performed a shortened version of \u201cApplause\u201d in an ArtRave-meets-Mayhem<\/em> costume before transporting fans back to 2009 with \u201cJust Dance,\u201d emerging in The Fame<\/em>-est of leotards. But the most surprising moment came when Gaga played \u201cSummerboy\u201d live for the first time since, literally, 2007 (which was the only other time she\u2019s ever performed it). It was a reminder of how deeply connected she still is to that 21-year-old Gaga playing dive bars in New York City for small crowds unaware of the pop genius that stood in front of them.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThen came \u201cMillion Reasons,\u201d a welcome surprise and the only Joanne<\/a><\/em> song to make the setlist. The track served as the ideal soundtrack to a transitional moment in the show, where the light and dark versions of Gaga face off before ultimately joining hands, accepting that both sides must coexist in harmony. After a Phantom of the Opera<\/em>-esque rendition of \u201cShallow\u201d from atop a boat, and a stripped-down piano version of \u201cDie With a Smile\u201d sans Bruno Mars, Gaga addressed the crowd for the first time. She thanked her fans for being \u201ca wonderful community I can rely on,\u201d pausing several times to take in the applause.<\/p>\n

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\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tThe Mayhem Ball<\/em> could have easily been a stadium tour \u2014 she\u2019s playing three to five arena nights in most cities, and she\u2019s done it before with Chromatica<\/a><\/em>. But when she performed \u201cVanish Into You,\u201d and sang it into fans\u2019 faces at the floor barricade, it became clear that it\u2019s the intimacy with her Little Monsters that she craves, at least right now. \u201cI wish I could meet all of you,\u201d she said at one point during the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe show seemed to close with a climaxing, pyrotechnic-backed rendition of \u201cBad Romance,\u201d as Gaga returned to the stage reborn as a feathered angel in white, but now with the darker-hued hair of her shadowy side, declaring, \u201cWe are monsters, and monsters never die.\u201d But with the story of light and darkness\u2019 coexistence told once again, Gaga had one final surprise. After credits rolled onscreen, a makeup-less Gaga appeared, standing in a backstage dressing room wearing just a beanie as she changed out of her show costume. Her face bare, stripped of the elaborate looks and crimson lips, and sunglasses covering her eyes. She was no longer the Mayhem <\/em>Ball character, but the real woman behind it. It was a raw glimpse at the mad genius behind the show. The camera followed her as she walked beneath the stage for a last hurrah, singing \u201cHow Bad Do U Want Me,\u201d a Mayhem<\/em> favorite, before reemerging onstage for a final goodbye.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI hope you know that the ritual of being yourself is a beautiful practice. It\u2019s a practice you deserve to have every day in your life,\u201d she told the crowd. Maybe Gaga forgot that she\u2019s the one who taught so many of us how to do exactly that.<\/p>\n

\n\tSet List<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tACT I: Of Velvet and Vice<\/em>
\u201cBloody Mary\u201d
\u201cAbracadabra\u201d
\u201cJudas\u201d \/ \u201cAura\u201d
\u201cSchei\u00dfe\u201d
\u201cGarden of Eden\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tACT II: And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream<\/em>
\u201cPerfect Celebrity\u201d
\u201cDisease\u201d
\u201cPaparazzi\u201d
\u201cLoveGame\u201d
\u201cAlejandro\u201d
\u201cThe Beast\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tACT III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cKillah\u201d
\u201cZombieboy\u201d
\u201cLoveDrug\u201d
\u201cApplause\u201d
\u201cJust Dance\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAct IV: Every Chessboard Has Two Queens<\/em>
\u201cShadow of a Man\u201d
\u201cKill for Love\u201d
Summerboy\u201d
\u201cBorn This Day\u201d
\u201cMillion Reasons\u201d
\u201cShallow\u201d
\u201cDie With a Smile\u201d
\u201cVanish Into You\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tFinale: Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart<\/em>
\u201cBad Romance\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEncore<\/em>
\u201cHow Bad Do U Want Me\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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