In the space of little more than a year Lady Gaga has come to stand alongside the biggest female pop stars. When such artists go on tour, we have come to know what to expect: Beyoncé will hit all the notes with attitude, Britney will gyrate, Kylie will go camp and Madonna will strive for the wow factor. On the Monster Ball Tour, Lady Gaga does all these things whilst fighting giant squid monsters and having dancers vomit blue paint on her.
Gaga's trademark eccentricity is showcased in a two-hour abstract story of her journey from New York City to the Fame Monster Ball, a place where she tells us she can be free, freaky and Just Dance. Broken-down cars, twisters and monsters block the singer's way before being swept aside by pounding bass and high-energy dance routines.
Dance in the Dark aptly kicks things off, the video countdown revealing Lady Gaga in silhouette, teasing fans for a few more minutes before unleashing a set-list packed with fan favourites and hit singles like Paparazzi and Poker Face. Her harp-meets-keyboard instrument named Emma, introduced at The Brits, returns for the first act before Lady Gaga really shows off her talents on a piano – one set on fire, naturally – for Brown Eyes and Speechless.
It is while tinkling the ivories that Lady Gaga has a lengthy rapport with her fans, thanking them for the three Brit Awards and speaking of her father and her inspirations. Spoken by another heavyweight pop star, such words could easily have come off disingenuous, but the swagger of her performances gives way too a more humble and even shy persona that manages to endear her to the audience even more.
Throughout the night, no opportunity for a new outfit is missed by the Haus of Gaga, with 15 changes in total. From a fairy godmother-like dress complete with 'disco stick' wand to a hairy Cousin It number, Lady Gaga was clad in everything from leopard print to stainless steel before stripping down to the skimpiest of underwear – bejewelled, of course. It is for the performance of So Happy I Could Die that the singer really outdoes herself. After being swept up in a cyclone of projection screens, Gaga emerges in a dramatic dress made up of mechanical fans, all moving in an eerily ethereal fashion, wings bursting forth and lifting her above the stage in perhaps the night's standout moment.
Other highlights include the sheer fun of Boys Boys Boys and the absurdity of Gaga battling a 40ft monster on stage, calling on her fans to use their cameras to help slay her adversary. Indeed, Gaga frequently thanks, praises and flatters the crowd, a sea of hands returning the monster hand claw in mutual appreciation.
As the Monster Ball Tour prepared for its encore, the arena echoed with its chant of 'Ga ga ooh la la' eager for the singer to reach her story's final destination and celebrate with Bad Romance. Considering such high expectations and having put much of it together in just four weeks, the tour is a triumph. There are a couple of misplaced unreleased songs that skew the pace slightly and costumes often shield rather than reveal her, but Lady Gaga certainly pulls out all the stops and has a ball doing it.
