Lady Gaga finally made her much-awaited, rescheduled appearance in Washington DC at DAR Constitution Hall on Tuesday. I was fortunate enough to cover the show from the orchestra pit along with my friend Heather:
As we waited an hour-and-a-half past the 8 p.m. start time, we were entertained by music that seemed fresh out of New York's fashion week. Heather commented that the seating arrangement at the hall made it seem like The Oscars and I completely agreed. The whole vibe was just very glam.
The place was packed with the most gorgeous, stylish, unavailable men...at least for the ladies (poor Heather). I had worn a simple cardigan and tank with jeans but wished I had instead chosen something sparkly and bold as most others had.
I was given a photo pass to wear, which one guard at the backstage entrance told me would get me backstage after the show. Unfortunately, we would find out after the show that she was wrong, much to Heather's and my disappointment.
There was no opening act, so at 9:30, a video montage with Lady Gaga as a character named "Candy Warhol" began playing. Candy complains that someone has stolen her heart and it got a bit graphic at this point as she opened her jacket and showed the bloody evidence of her missing heart.
Candy announces that she feels....."Lost? Empty?" a man asks in the background.
"No, free. I feel free," she answers to a cheering crowd. The montage continued from there into a burst of flames that really got the crowd revved up:
When the curtain fell, and Lady Gaga stood there in all her glory, I was in awe of how gorgeous she looked in person. Her fabulous costumes and dance moves were only outdone by her impeccable voice. And the most perfectly-shaped butt I have ever seen! *jealous*
What impressed me the most, though, was how personal she was to the crowd and how much she connected with everyone. The Lady Gaga you see portrayed in the media often comes off as aloof and conceited. Yet, she was the complete opposite of that as she sang greetings to DC, told everyone how much she loved them, thanked them for their support, etc.
She gave out as many gifts as she received, throwing out gloves, drumsticks and even her microphone, into the crowd. At one point, she handed her microphone to a man in the front row and let him sing part of the lyrics....a man who just happened to be Heather's friend. Here's Spencer with his friend Alex (Heather and I were in this picture, but I looked so horrible, I had to crop it. Sorry, Heather!):
Alex had her own brush with fame as Lady Gaga accepted a ring she handed to her, put it on her finger and told the crowd, "Do you know what this means? This means we're married. Because I f*cking say so!" Alex later told Heather and me that she wants spousal support...or at least a hug, lol.
Another thing I discovered about Lady Gaga is that she has a strong faith. At one point she told the crowd that she had something very important to ask of them. "I'm a big believer in God and miracles and the power of prayer," she said.
She then said that her father was going to be having heart surgery soon and she asked if everyone could please send him good thoughts. At that point, she turned her head away from the crowd and wiped her eyes.
Later, she directed her comments to the youth in the audience who "maybe hate (their) parents" because they won't let them stay out late (among other reasons). Lady Gaga told them to go home and make sure they tell their parents that they love them because they do not want to be sitting there one day feeling like she did right then. You could feel her angst and regret, and it was heartbreaking.
And, of course, she acknowledged her gay fans (which are many), dedicating the song, "Boys, Boys, Boys" to them:
The piano rendition of "Poker Face" was the highlight for me, especially with her bubble costume and piano:
Lady Gaga did various vogue-like poses throughout the number and sang out a greeting to DC:
After holding her leg in the air for quite awhile so that everyone could snap a picture, she said, "Good shot!" which was exactly what everyone was thinking.
She then segued into the regular version of the song while donning a cap and climbing on top of the piano:
The finale came sooner than expected for me, with the show running only about an hour long. I think I speak for most everyone when I say we definitely wanted more Gaga!
As I write this, news just broke that her upcoming "Fame Kills" tour with Kanye West has been cancelled, so getting more Gaga is going to be longer than I would like, unfortunately. (UPDATE: Lady Gaga announced today, October 2, that she will continue on the tour solo!)
On a side note, Heather got herself what she has now dubbed a "Lady Gaga Happy Meal" after the show:
Barbie and Gaga - separated at birth. But, after this show, there's no doubt Barbie could only hope to be as free and glam as Lady Gaga. ;)
Many thanks to Lady Gaga's team for the opportunity to review this fabulous show and to Heather for once again being the perfect assistant as well as friend. She snapped so many good Twitpics with her phone for the live Twitter coverage, which freed me up to take the camera shots (the credit for the pic below the finale video goes to her as well). Heather, you so rock!
