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| Lady Gaga serves mayhem, magic and a few surprises as UK tour launches | Lady Gaga serves mayhem, magic and a few surprises as UK tour launches |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball is her eighth tour. Originally planned as a brief series of outdoor promotional concerts, she expanded the run following glowing reviews | Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball is her eighth tour. Originally planned as a brief series of outdoor promotional concerts, she expanded the run following glowing reviews |
| Lady Gaga is dancing on a human skull. Lady Gaga is buried in a shallow grave. Lady Gaga is serenading a corpse. | Lady Gaga is dancing on a human skull. Lady Gaga is buried in a shallow grave. Lady Gaga is serenading a corpse. |
| Lady Gaga is also teetering around on crutches, cavorting with zombies and crossing the River Styx. | Lady Gaga is also teetering around on crutches, cavorting with zombies and crossing the River Styx. |
| Welcome to the Mayhem Ball, a magnificent and operatic tour de force; that pitches the star's inner angels and demons in a fight for her very soul. | Welcome to the Mayhem Ball, a magnificent and operatic tour de force; that pitches the star's inner angels and demons in a fight for her very soul. |
| Premiered at this year's Coachella festival, it reached the UK on Monday night, for a run of eight shows at London's O2 Arena and Manchester's Co-Op Live. | Premiered at this year's Coachella festival, it reached the UK on Monday night, for a run of eight shows at London's O2 Arena and Manchester's Co-Op Live. |
| The transfer from outdoor festival stage to the confines of an arena only heightened the show's vampy, gothic energy - as Gaga raced through two decades of hits, from her debut single Just Dance to her latest hit The Dead Dance, from the Netflix series Wednesday. | The transfer from outdoor festival stage to the confines of an arena only heightened the show's vampy, gothic energy - as Gaga raced through two decades of hits, from her debut single Just Dance to her latest hit The Dead Dance, from the Netflix series Wednesday. |
| The latter came with a star cameo from two of the show's young stars, Emma Myers and Evie Templeton, who pirouetted around Gaga and her dancers in wispy bridal gowns. | The latter came with a star cameo from two of the show's young stars, Emma Myers and Evie Templeton, who pirouetted around Gaga and her dancers in wispy bridal gowns. |
| Wednesday stars Emma Myers (right) and Evie Templeton (centre) joined the show for two songs - The Dead Dance and LoveDrug | Wednesday stars Emma Myers (right) and Evie Templeton (centre) joined the show for two songs - The Dead Dance and LoveDrug |
| The young stars embraced Gaga and waved to the crowd before making their exit | The young stars embraced Gaga and waved to the crowd before making their exit |
| The tour comes hot on the heels of Gaga's latest album, Mayhem, widely regarded as a return to high-concept pop after a spell of method acting and jazz crooning. | The tour comes hot on the heels of Gaga's latest album, Mayhem, widely regarded as a return to high-concept pop after a spell of method acting and jazz crooning. |
| The album, like the show, is a reckoning with her past. | The album, like the show, is a reckoning with her past. |
| She questions whether her career was really worth sacrificing her privacy, her sanity and even her health, as punishing live shows exacerbated her fibromyalgia, a condition that cause chronic, full-body pain. | She questions whether her career was really worth sacrificing her privacy, her sanity and even her health, as punishing live shows exacerbated her fibromyalgia, a condition that cause chronic, full-body pain. |
| On stage, the tussle plays out between her light side (angelic, naive, floating across the stage in flowing blonde curls) and her inner darkness (raven-haired and manic, with convulsive choreography). | On stage, the tussle plays out between her light side (angelic, naive, floating across the stage in flowing blonde curls) and her inner darkness (raven-haired and manic, with convulsive choreography). |
| During Poker Face, the two sides face each other on a giant chess board; as Gaga is confronted by a doppelgänger dressed head-to-toe in face-obscuring lace (a nod to the star's 2010 Brit Awards outfit). | During Poker Face, the two sides face each other on a giant chess board; as Gaga is confronted by a doppelgänger dressed head-to-toe in face-obscuring lace (a nod to the star's 2010 Brit Awards outfit). |
| "What are you doing here in my house," screams Gaga, striking her old self to the ground and demanding, "off with her head!" | "What are you doing here in my house," screams Gaga, striking her old self to the ground and demanding, "off with her head!" |
| The ghost of Gaga past re-emerges for Perfect Celebrity, writhing with camp energy in a shallow grave as she sings about the pressure and torture of stardom. | The ghost of Gaga past re-emerges for Perfect Celebrity, writhing with camp energy in a shallow grave as she sings about the pressure and torture of stardom. |
| For a dramatically stripped-bare version of Paparazzi, she's on crutches, snarling at photographers, but soaking up the public's adoration until it frees her to walk unaided. | For a dramatically stripped-bare version of Paparazzi, she's on crutches, snarling at photographers, but soaking up the public's adoration until it frees her to walk unaided. |
| The star arrived on stage in a giant, tiered dress... | The star arrived on stage in a giant, tiered dress... |
| ...That opened to unveil a cage full of dancers | ...That opened to unveil a cage full of dancers |
| Does the story make sense? Sure, kind of. It's about as coherent as any pop concert narrative - ie not very - but Gaga's visceral commitment makes it soar. | Does the story make sense? Sure, kind of. It's about as coherent as any pop concert narrative - ie not very - but Gaga's visceral commitment makes it soar. |
| Her vocals are rich and gutsy, even through kinetic choreography that requires her to be in almost constant motion; and the music is given a gothic overhaul, painted black and scuffed up with industrial guitar chords and sawtooth bass lines. | |
| Even Shallow, Gaga's Oscar-winning A Star Is Born ballad, opens with an unsettling synth pulse , as it soundtracks the show's climactic final act. | Even Shallow, Gaga's Oscar-winning A Star Is Born ballad, opens with an unsettling synth pulse , as it soundtracks the show's climactic final act. |
| She performs it in a gondola, floating down the catwalk as she flees the chaos of the main stage for the sanctuary of her piano. | She performs it in a gondola, floating down the catwalk as she flees the chaos of the main stage for the sanctuary of her piano. |
| Sitting down at the keys, she's finally at peace, playing the heartfelt ballads A Million Reasons and Die With A Smile, without the accompaniment of her band. | Sitting down at the keys, she's finally at peace, playing the heartfelt ballads A Million Reasons and Die With A Smile, without the accompaniment of her band. |
| "My first big arena show was in the UK," she tells the audience. "You believed in me then. Thank you for believing in me now. | "My first big arena show was in the UK," she tells the audience. "You believed in me then. Thank you for believing in me now. |
| "No matter what, we've found each other through the music and through community." | "No matter what, we've found each other through the music and through community." |
| To celebrate, she dives deep into her songbook and plays impromptu versions of Speechless, from her 2009 Fame Monster album, and The Edge Of Glory, from 2011's Born This Way. | To celebrate, she dives deep into her songbook and plays impromptu versions of Speechless, from her 2009 Fame Monster album, and The Edge Of Glory, from 2011's Born This Way. |
| Fans, who know the standard setlist by heart, are enraptured, singing back every word at full volume. At the end, Gaga wipes away a tiny tear. | Fans, who know the standard setlist by heart, are enraptured, singing back every word at full volume. At the end, Gaga wipes away a tiny tear. |
| The solo piano set is the emotional highlight of the concert | The solo piano set is the emotional highlight of the concert |
| After two-and-a-half hours, the show ends with Gaga announcing she has defeated the "mistress of mayhem". | After two-and-a-half hours, the show ends with Gaga announcing she has defeated the "mistress of mayhem". |
| As the entire set catches fire, she's wheeled out on a hospital gurney, surrounded by dancers in red plague doctors costumes, who operate on her lifeless body. | As the entire set catches fire, she's wheeled out on a hospital gurney, surrounded by dancers in red plague doctors costumes, who operate on her lifeless body. |
| Frankenstein-like, she springs back to life for a show-stopping, floor rattling version of Bad Romance, that feels both cathartic and celebratory. | Frankenstein-like, she springs back to life for a show-stopping, floor rattling version of Bad Romance, that feels both cathartic and celebratory. |
| "It's been almost 20 years," she reflects, "but I want to make a pact with some of you. | "It's been almost 20 years," she reflects, "but I want to make a pact with some of you. |
| "If I come back 20 years from now, will you come to the show? | "If I come back 20 years from now, will you come to the show? |
| "You gotta promise me now, otherwise I'm just gonna roll up with a keyboard, and I'll be playing on the street. I'll be here no matter what." | "You gotta promise me now, otherwise I'm just gonna roll up with a keyboard, and I'll be playing on the street. I'll be here no matter what." |
| In the storyline of the show, that feels like a revelation. | In the storyline of the show, that feels like a revelation. |
| Gaga has found a path through the chaos, a way to keep performing without surrendering her soul. On previous tours, I've often felt her ambition was let down by self-indulgence or messy execution. Not this time. | |
| The Mayhem Ball finds the pop star operating at the peak of her powers. Fancy that. | |
| The show's set and costume design is an unparalleled triumph | The show's set and costume design is an unparalleled triumph |
| Lady Gaga setlist | Lady Gaga setlist |
| Act I: Of Velvet And Vice | Act I: Of Velvet And Vice |
| Bloody Mary | Bloody Mary |
| Abracadabra | Abracadabra |
| Judas | Judas |
| Aura | Aura |
| Scheiße | Scheiße |
| Garden of Eden | Garden of Eden |
| Poker Face | Poker Face |
| Act II: And She Fell Into A Gothic Dream | Act II: And She Fell Into A Gothic Dream |
| Perfect Celebrity | Perfect Celebrity |
| Disease | Disease |
| Paparazzi | Paparazzi |
| LoveGame | LoveGame |
| Alejandro | Alejandro |
| The Beast | The Beast |
| The singer performed 30 songs over the course of two-and-a-half hours | The singer performed 30 songs over the course of two-and-a-half hours |
| Act III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name | Act III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name |
| Killah | Killah |
| Zombieboy | Zombieboy |
| The Dead Dance | The Dead Dance |
| LoveDrug | LoveDrug |
| Applause | Applause |
| Just Dance | Just Dance |
| Act IV: Every Chessboard Has Two Queens | Act IV: Every Chessboard Has Two Queens |
| Shadow of a Man | Shadow of a Man |
| Kill for Love | Kill for Love |
| Summerboy | Summerboy |
| Born This Way | Born This Way |
| Million Reasons | Million Reasons |
| Shallow | Shallow |
| Die With a Smile | Die With a Smile |
| Speechless | Speechless |
| The Edge of Glory | The Edge of Glory |
| Vanish Into You | Vanish Into You |
| Finale: The Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart | Finale: The Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart |
| Bad Romance | Bad Romance |