Lady Gaga, Sydney 2011 - Live review, photos

BY JASONTREUEN ON JUL 15 2011, 01:00AM

Lady Gaga
Sydney Town Hall, Sydney
Wednesday 13th July 2011

For all the frenzied pre-promotion and hyperactive headlines post-show, all in all Lady Gaga’s Sydney gig was hardly as shocking as the subsequent media blitz would have you believe.

Sure, she rolled out in a wheelchair mid-set “courting controversy” as newspapers have trumpeted, but Kurt Cobain did that in a hospital gown in ‘92 after serious time in rehab (now that’s controversial). Yes, her dancers wore bondage gear but that’s pretty standard pop fare – just ask Rihanna and Christina Aguilera. And yes, she talked about her “pussy” after playing 'Hair' but she’s done it before and even dubbed her lady part her ‘portal for creativity’ in an interview.

Indeed, the most controversial—and overlooked—aspect of tonight’s performance was how much of it Lady Gaga was singing live. While it’s impossible to fully gauge, as the singer moved closer to the front it became obvious sometimes she was singing the chorus, sometimes the backing vocals and at other times, nothing at all—but still the backing track roared along. Sure, singing ‘semi-live’ is standard practice for popstars busting out complex dance routines. But the realisation did sever the connection somewhat between "Monster Mother" and her children, especially when she’s proven she can sing unaided in the past.

Of course, Gaga’s other big problem is that she’s made a career of being “shocking” and it subsequently becomes all relative. And worse yet, normal. So when she appears atop a 10-metre tower rig tonight wearing a Versace-designed bejewelled leotard and teal wig, legs spread, it’s a cracking start. But as a spectator it’s hard not to think ‘What, no coffin or giant egg?!’ Later, when she emerges in another revealing costume (one of four during the show) of black sequins and silver shoulder-spikes for ‘Edge of Glory’, you’re already comparing it to the meat dresses and blood spurting of the past.

Even the wheelchair is old news; a dancer used one while Gaga performed with a crutch at the MTV Awards in 2009. This time, she updated the stunt dressed as a widow with a mermaid’s tail in a nod to her new alter-ego Yuyi the Mermaid apparently. It’s bizarre sure, but hardly profound -- unless she was protesting the crippling impact of commercial over-fishing. Personally, given her comments on gay marriage on ACA, I hoped she’d do something truly groundbreaking and headline-worthy like marry a same-sex couple on-stage. But no, maybe next time.

And yet, with all that said, Gaga turned on a truly epic modern-day pop spectacle lapped up by her little Monsters. The custom-built stage, complete with scaffolding towers at the back and spiky bridge at the front, was dwarfed only by the majestic interior of Sydney’s Town Hall, rebranded Monster Hall for tonight.

After kicking off the show with her Madonna-esque anthem for independence ‘Born This Way’, the 25-year-old performer, social media magnate and now honourary Australian citizen told the crowd, “You were one of the first places to believe in me. I broke here before anywhere else so let's celebrate”, before launching into her debut single ‘Just Dance’.

Backed by a fearsome live band and a tight troupe of dancers, Gaga roared through a greatest hits set, interrupted only by lengthy costume breaks. As the crowds waited, her guitarists failed to distract us with cheesy ‘80s guitar solos. When she was on the stage, Gaga was everywhere, strutting her stuff flanked by her doting dancers, climbing up towers, climbing down towers, playing keys on a riser, posing triumphantly atop her bridge and for the gothic closer 'Judas', dropping into the pit below.

The only thing that upstaged her tonight was her fans. From the skinny guy dressed only in ‘police caution’ tape to the girl dressed in plastic marked ‘clinical waste’ to the dude dressed in toy frogs; their genuine creativity and devotion was unquestionable. Not to mention the 14-year-old girl in fishnets and a g-string -- now that was truly shocking.

(Pics: Jakob Dezwart for Take40, Vodafone All-Time Prepaid, Today Network, GO! and Channel V.)

Source is http://www.thevine.com.au/music/live-reviews/lady-gaga,-sydney-2011-_-live-review,-photos20110715.aspx?s_rid=vine:internalstrip:5:17-Jul-2011:LadyGaga,Sydney2011-Live...?s_rid=vine:internalstrip:5:17-Jul-2011:LadyGaga,Sydney2011-Live...