It’s time we give Lady Gaga her Tony. Album after album, tour after tour, the music star/actress/art provocateur (who’s one letter away from full EGOT status) brings a heightened theatricality that’s unmatched in the pop world. While an award category for “best concert production” still does not exist, the Mayhem Ball is proof we need one.
Gaga’s latest extravaganza, which kicked off a three-night stand at United Center Monday, is nothing short of the gothic rock opera that’s been buzzed about since she reigned over Coachella in April. In the 145-minute show, the leading Lady, her co-producer partner/fiancé Michael Polansky and a huge list of contributors — included in an end scroll of credits — have created a daring masterpiece that nods to the best of Playbill history while giving Broadway a run for its money.
The thought was echoed by the jazzed-up theater kids in the sold-out crowd who marveled at each new bold set and dressed the part of every Gaga epoch, some with the “Telephone” hair-roller beer cans, some decked out a la the Bowie-esque “Fame” era, others wearing the “Joanne” pink felt hats.
Through five acts, the Mayhem Ball percolated with shades of “Les Miserables,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Wicked,” Shakespeare, Nosferatu, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, Marie Antoinette and Tim Burton’s macabre and whimsical world in a well-shaken dramatic cocktail. While the latter is the result of a natural synergy Gaga found in her latest project, a cameo on Netflix’s second season of “Wednesday” alongside the Burton-directed video for new single “The Dead Dance,” some of the other artistic themes took preserved remnants of the much-discussed Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremonies in which Gaga performed. It was no ordinary concert but a visceral experience that has to be seen to be appreciated — even at the $400 going price for the nosebleeds. Or, hopefully, a more affordable concert film in the near future.
The setup evoked a night at the opera, the scene a towering castle with flying buttresses and Juliet windows. The plot is centered on an ongoing duel between Gaga and her “evil twin,” the Mistress of Mayhem, in the ultimate quest for superiority. (Spoiler alert!) Yet, by the end, the opera house is burned to the ground in a massive blaze as Lady and Mistress fused into a new creation, a Bride of Frankenstein rebel queen who came alive on a gurney before launching into the final bacchanal of “Bad Romance.” The implied message of it all was on par with her eternal “Born This Way” opus: Loving and celebrating every part of you because we need it all to exist.
What’s so impressive about the Mayhem Ball is not just the graphic props of oversized skeleton heads, a sandbox graveyard or mini-Viking ship, or the constant cosplay rotation between five wigs and a dozen haute couture costumes. It’s not the detailed minutiae of stage plotting like getting cameras in perfect position for a VMAs-caliber translation on the screens. It’s that Gaga’s entire body of work seamlessly fits within the show’s musical overtures.
Naturally, the tour supports her sixth album, “Mayhem,” which returns her to dance pop glory, but the big bop hits like “Abracadabra” and “Disease” are just a fraction of the performance’s soundtrack. There’s also her go-tos like “Just Dance” and oldies like the less-polished “Summerboy,” originally released in 2008. Even subdued “Joanne” tracks like “Million Reasons” find purpose — Gaga sang it on her knees as she pleaded with the Mistress. She also performed a haunting take on Hollywood hit “Shallow,” as the two took a quiet stroll down the catwalk in the ship, ultimately bringing Gaga to her final destination: a lone piano for soliloquies of “Die with a Smile” and “Hair” delivered so wholeheartedly it’s no wonder she had to recently cancel a show to rest her voice.
“I know I make a lot of my shows and songs about dreams and escapes and getting away, but I think what we really need right now is to be seen by each other. I try to come out every night and see you,” Gaga shared in an intimate moment, dedicating the show to Chicago’s queer community. “This show is for you, you hear me? Your love, your freedom, the way you love. You have inspired me my whole career.”
A couple in the crowd took the sentiment to heart, announcing their engagement. When Mother Monster returned for the encore, this time as her natural self, makeup-free and in a ball cap and jacket, she threw a bouquet of flowers their way. It was her final deserved bow after a show that did more than just interpret her music; it gave it new life.
Lady Gaga returns to the United Center September 17 and 18.
Lady Gaga Mayhem Ball Set List at United Center Sept. 15
Act I: Of Velvet & Vice
1. Bloody Mary
2. Abracadabra
3. Judas
4. Aura
5. Scheiße
6. Garden of Eden
7. Poker Face
Act II: And She Fell Into A Gothic Dream
8. Perfect Celebrity
9. Disease
10. Paparazzi
11. LoveGame
12. Alejandro
13. The Beast
Act III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name
14. Killah
15. Zombieboy
16. The Dead Dance
17. LoveDrug
18. Applause
19. Just Dance
Act IV: Every Chessboard Has Two Queens
20. Shadow of a Man
21. Kill for Love
22. Summerboy
23. Born This Way
24. Million Reasons
25. Shallow (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper song)
26. Die With a Smile
27. Hair
28. Vanish Into You
Finale: The Eternal Aria Of The Monster Heart
29. Bad Romance
30. How Bad Do U Want Me