Regarding the Lady Gaga concert in Miami

[Editor's note] Last night, my Venezuelan friend Franc and I went to see the Monster Ball at the American Airlines Arena.

In what can only be described as compendium of crazy, Lady Gaga's show was a trippy trip through the mind of a musical maniac. Equal parts art installation and pyrotechnic science project, the show was both stunning and thought-provoking. From the funnel of fire swirling atop her piano to the tentacled monster writhing around on stage, the Monster Ball was relentless in its pursuit to dazzle and amaze.

Perhaps my favorite piece of staging was a beautiful angel fountain that was brought out during “Show Me Your Teeth.” In a very cool juxtaposition of images, the angel becomes a Christ-like figure who then shoots flames of from its wings.

Simply put, the Monster Ball is one of the most ambitious shows I've ever seen.

Staging gimmicks aside, the show confirmed that Gaga is-- above all else-- the mistress of her own talents. The girl can dance, play a wide variety of instruments, and she can walk up and down stairs in 6” heels flawlessly. And lest we forget, the girl can sing like nobody’s business. At one point she turned to the audience and said that she has never and will never lip-sync any of her performances—unlike other “rich bitches.” Zing! In truth, her voice is her biggest asset and it is uncompromising. What she does vocally on new songs like “You and I” is a promising hope for things to come. She is a powder keg of raw, pulsating talent.

Favorite impromptu moment? A pillow bearing the image of Ariel from The Little Mermaid inspired Gaga to sing a part of "Part of Your World."

Like all good pop icons in training, Gaga is not without a “cause”. For her part, Gaga has chosen to fight the good fight on behalf of homeless LGBTQ teens. Teaming up with Virgin Mobile, Gaga has started the RE*generation campaign which donates $20,000 if an audience member picks up Gaga’s phone call mid-show. ::Cue “Telephone”::

This is but a small taste of the over all theme of the night: a theme of empowerment and encouragement. Hers was a message delivered with sincerity and love to fans hungry for acceptance.

Lady Gaga impressed me greatly last night. In many ways and on many levels, she is the consummate entertainer. She works a room like a hooker on the hunt. She is the love child of talent and artistry. More than anything else last night, Lady Gaga proved that greatness is just born that way.

(Best shot from my seat)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Regarding the Barry Manilow concert in Coral Gables

Image
[ Editor's note ] Three monumental things have happened to me at the BankUnited Center. In 2004, my high school held its graduation ceremony there. In 2008, I heard presidential nominee Barack Obama speak about the future. And this past Saturday night, I saw the incomparable Barry Manilow perform in concert. To say that Barry remains every bit the superstar I was hoping for is putting it mildly. At 67 years young, he brought all the magic, the smiles, and the bandstand boogie he's famous for and then some. Funny, talented and charmingly self-deprecating, Barry Manilow remains without equal. Admittedly, the night started off rather poorly. Barry’s opening act was a man named Gerry McCambridge who has allegedly been wowing audiences at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas since 2005. As the creative force and inspiration behind the TV show The Mentalist , McCambridge's schtick is to do clever things with numbers. Honestly, I've never thought that doing anything with numbers w...
Read more

Regarding Steve Grand at Market Days

Image
Today, in the unlikeliest place imaginable, a musician restored my faith in music. His name is Steve Grand and believe me when I say that he lives up to his name. I first heard about Steve a year ago when his video for “All-American Boy” spread across the Internet like a wildfire. Being an ardent supporter of talented people (because there are so few of them left!) I downloaded the song, donated a little money to his Kickstarter campaign for an album, and followed him on the Twitter. Then last week I found out that he’d be at Market Days this weekend and quickly made arrangements to be there, too. Given the venue and nature of the audience, I was not expecting much. Steve is handsome and built like a truck, so I thought he’d come out shirtless, the audience of boys would fawn over him for the duration of three songs, and that would be that. How wonderfully wrong I was. Steve came out fully clothed-- wearing a plain white V-neck tee shirt, skinny black Levis, and...
Read more

California high court expected to rule on same-sex marriage

Image
The California Supreme Court is expected to determine the fate of same-sex marriage in the state today as well as the validity of about 18,000 same-sex marriages. The court will rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the controversial measure banning same-sex marriage that voters approved in November. Its opponents want the amendment nullified. They say the proposition alters California's Constitution and, therefore, under state law, is a revision that requires a constitutional convention. Attorneys for the opponents also say the proposition, which removed the "marriage" label from same-sex unions, effectively deprives same-sex couples of a fundamental right guaranteed them under the equal-protection clause in the U.S. Constitution. Proposition 8 passed with about 52.5 percent of the vote, making California one of several states to ban same-sex marriage in the November 4 elections. But unlike others, California had been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex coupl...
Read more