Lady Gaga played Madison Square Garden (Night 1)

Lady Gaga brought the Mayhem Ball to Madison Square Garden and proved her legacy is without question one for the ages.

When you're playing Madison Square Garden and it's considered an intimate setting for one of your shows, you know you're one of the all-time greats. There's no surprise that Lady Gaga is someone who can hold that title, but even when you know it's a special occasion, seeing her take over the world's most famous arena is still something unlike any other concert and one that will surely rank as one of the best tour of the year. As one of the biggest Pop Stars in the world, Lady Gaga could easily play any venue on the planet so to see her choose arenas for her latest tour is something pretty special and unique for someone of her stature and she's made sure that it's also an exceptional show beyond your wildest expectations. Setting the tone immediately from the jump, she hit us with "Bloody Mary" before shifting into an unrelenting version of "Abracadabra" that had the building shaking and the night off to an incendiary start. Followed directly by "Judas," her dancers were an instant hit and helped bring the night to stunning heights from the jump, instantly affirming that this would be a night of epic proportions. The new track "Garden of Eden" was a smash and set the bar high as one of the night's top numbers, the choreography immaculate and the intensity top notch. Letting the applause hang for what felt like an eternity, Gaga soaked up the moment and relished in her fame just like she should before hitting right back into the groove. As the catwalk lit up and the beat for "Poker Face" hit, the crowd rose once again and a deafening roar took over the arena. The second act of course brought more pageantry to the night, but when she began to strut down the stage during "Paparazzi" to reveal an ever growing veil, the crowd began to eat it up, but lost their wits when it transitioned into a streaming rainbow that stretched across the length of the stage. Act three punched into the funk and disco portion of the new album with "Killah" leading the way with it's slinky guitar lick setting things up perfectly for "Zombieboy" to take hold and bring the house down to its knees. "Applause" carried the momentum and set things up well for "Just Dance" which of course has the crowd in pure nostalgia mode. She kept things current with more Mayhem tunes before going deep with "Born This Way," another anthem that had everyone on the brink and ready to let it all hang out. Hit after hit, there was, naturally, never a dull moment of the night and things were held at a ridiculously high level for the entirety of the night, always hitting at a ten and providing nothing but pure elation. It wasn't long before a boat appeared on stage and she nearly re-enacted a scene from Phantom of the Opera as it made its way downstage as she delivered a triumphant "Shallow" much to the emphatic cheer of the crowd. As she sat behind a piano, she continued to thank New York for making her dreams come true and feeling like her true sense of home, a feeling that seemed to resonate with the majority of the crowd and brought some extra nuance to the show. As she ended the main set with "Bad Romance," it felt as if the entire arena was belting out the chorus together in a moment of pure nirvana. It was another ear-splitting moment that felt beyond compare and like it could've been an ultimate finish to an already incredible night. However when the lights on the screen revealed a Gaga sans-makeout and out of costume, she dialed in to what should be the Song of the Summer and lit up the Garden one last time. "How Bad Do You Want Me" was a sickening finish to show that didn't need to prove anything and still made its mark as one of the best of the year. For nearly two decades Gaga has pushed the limits to assert herself as the Queen of Pop and even when no one is arguing against her status, she still takes it upon herself to go above and beyond. We're all lucky to be invited to the ball to watch it all go down. 

Set list:

01 "Bloody Mary"
02 "Abracadabra"
03 "Judas"
04 "Aura"
05 "Scheiße"
06 "Garden of Eden"
07 "Poker Face"
08 "Abracadabra (Gesaffelstein Remix; ballroom battle)"
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09 "Perfect Celebrity"
10 "Disease"
11 "Paparazzi"
12 "LoveGame"
13 "Alejandro"
14 "The Beast"

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15 "Killah"
16 "Zombieboy"
17 "LoveDrug"
18 "Applause"
19 "Just Dance"

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20 "Shadow of a Man"
21 "Kill for Love"
22 "Summerboy"
23 "Born This Way"
24 "Million Reasons"
25 "Shallow"
26 "Die With a Smile"
27 "Hair"
28 "Vanish Into You"

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29 "Bad Romance"

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30 "How Bad Do U Want Me"
31 "Heavy Metal Lover"