The first time Lady Gaga performed at Lollapalooza, it was 2007 and she wasn’t even close to being “The Lady Gaga,” the artist capable of creating a million hissy fits just with one well-chosen diamond-encrusted lobster headpiece. According to HuffPo, her 2007 performance was somewhat notorious for how little people cared and how badly Gaga did. Three years later, and Gaga has turned it around. She performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago, and everybody brought their A-game.
Lady Gaga has come a long way since her appearance three years ago at the Lollapalooza music festival – but she hasn’t forgotten some critics’ less-than-stellar reviews of that performance.
The voice behind “Paparazzi” and “Bad Romance” commanded thousands of screaming fans in Chicago on Friday night to forget anyone who ever said they weren’t pretty enough or skinny enough – or that “your Lollapalooza BMI stage show was a (expletive) trainwreck. You’re a (expletive) superstar. You were born that way!”
The order was met with a roar from the sea of mostly teens and 20-somethings squished in front of the stage, bouncing up and down with their fists in the air.
It was redeeming moment and a far cry from Lady Gaga’s first appearance at the festival in 2007, when she sang and played keyboard in a glittery bra and tiny, black bottoms Recordings of the daytime performance show a distracted crowd and a sparse stage.
Three years later, a towering image of a scantily clad Lady Gaga flashed on a billowing white curtain. The singer started the show in a black jacket with sky-high shoulder pads.
Next, she donned a shiny red cape, later dancing around in a transparent dress.
“My name is Lady Gaga. I thank you for coming to my show. I didn’t used to be brave. In fact I wasn’t very brave at all,” she told her fans. “But you have made me brave, little monsters. So now I’m going to brave for you. Tonight, I want you to free yourself.”
[From HuffPo]
I’ve never seen Gaga in concert – does she do those positive affirmations for every show? “You’re Lady Gaga, and you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like you.” Except that instead of Stuart Smiley, we get something expletive-ridden, with references to “monsters.”
One more Gaga thing: she’s on the cover of Fall’s ID Magazine. She was supposed to share the cover (one cover) with Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, but apparently Kate and Naomi pitched a fit, and so each diva got their own cover. The covers are below, and just kill me, because I think Gaga’s is the most interesting. Naomi looks like a rap video girl with her ass out like that, and Kate looks ‘Shopped beyond belief (click on the photo to see it blown up):
Wait…you sure that is Kate Moss? Naomi has a very, very beautiful body. But like you said, Gaga cover is the best of all three.
I was there. The show was absolutely amazing. Gaga has rubbed me the wrong way for a bit but after watching her live…man she shut me up. In concert you actually get to hear her voice and it’s amazing. Such great range and strength. If you ever get the chance to see her in concert – go. You won’t regret it
I saw her in Toronto last month and yes, she does say stuff like that at every show. Friggin Love her 🙂
Naomi looks like a rap video girl with her ass out like that.
lol… good one.
Good for Gaga
Naomi’s is a PSD. There is no way her leg is shaped like that, unless she needs some serious surgery.
IDk kaiser i’ve read on other sites from people that were there and they said she was not that good to awful. FOr example, some commentators said she took 3-5 minutes between each song to catch her breath and mumble vacant cuss-filled nonsense. Others said she acted childish and somewhat out of it. What’s the truth. I was at a pearl jam concert a few years back and Eddie Vedder started on politics and I shouted I paid to hear music, not a political lecture. People around me laughed and applauded. That needs to be done more; Gaga is what a 17yr old high school dropout. Okay, i don’t take my opinions on Gay rights, immigration or anything from anyone too lazy to finish high school (it’s not that hard these days). She’s probably never even read AZ SB1710 so who cares what she has to say about that controversy. SHe’s way overrated and I’ve read comments of her performance that varied greatly from your article. Can anyone clarify this.
So which one’s ‘then’, ‘now’ and ‘next’? Answers on a postcard…
I love Gaga, I hope she comes back to LA soon 🙂
He seems nice.
I think she is an MLK mind control victim….she is ‘good friends with deepak chopra’…huh?
Definitely these people are pimped out to the public to help control the show/masses and subtly program thru the illusion of self-growth and freedom.
mind control explains strange behavior such as all together one moment, the n ext ranting and raving under the breath and out of it.
Bi Polar and particularly MPD can be the result of such programming, as well.
Then again, maybe she was just stressed and tired…but too much of what i’ve seen of her has led m e to believe she’s MCV.
Oh,and god-she has a good voice, but Madonna and Ace of Base want their songs and stage antics/costumes back. Yesterday.
@Jover I am no fan of this girl. But, she did finish high school. She dropped out of NYU. That’s a very different thing than dropping out of high school. I get that you have zero respect for pop music (I’m not even very far off from you in that opinion) and I don’t enjoy political rants at concerts anymore than you do. However, I think you took things too far here. I think Lady Gaga is dirivative and boring in her over the top tackiness. But, considering her media domination and constant image projection, I would never venture to call her lazy.
Kaiser, you are right on the $ with the cover.
im not a gaga fan but i dont dislike her either. i just dont buy into all her PR stunts.
apart from that, coke moss is photoshop to hell and back and naomi, i just cant stand her and dislike everything about her.
Lady Gaga put on an impressive show at Lollapalooza, though I think the elite Jover isn’t really interested in pro-Gaga opinions.
In the past, I have been indifferent towards her, but I now respect her as a musician with integrity and talent.
This lady is a no talent piece of garbage what they call talent today would have gotten your face busted 20 years ago.WE ARE WITNESSING THE DE EVOLUTION OF MANKIND
You’re not a huge star until people hate you! 🙂
remember when Lollapalooza was the ”alternate” music festival?
you had nin inch nails,blink 182,now it’s Lady CaCa??
Sounds more like the US festival!
( wow,I’ve just dated myself )
dont believe naomi and kate moss pitched a fiss or whatever
they are best friends and they have already done a vogue cover together:
http://www.thecelebrityblog.com/2008/01/kate-moss-and-naomi-campbell-in-vogue-magazine/
(which is great!)
“what they call talent today would have gotten your face busted 20 years ago.”
@14-Um, 20 years ago? You mean when “U Can’t Touch This” by Hammer was all the rage? Yeah, not sure 1990 was a banner year for music, honey…
I saw her when she came to Syd Aus and she did do affirmations she was exciting, gracious, emotional raw and I dont think I’ll ever see a better concert can’t wait until she comes back <3
@Kj: I was there too and thought she was fantastic! I’ve said that before on here and I meant it… you could tell she had talent.
I also saw Perry Farrell read storybooks to children. ’07 was a pretty good show.
First, i am not an elitist; second, thank you Detriotgirl I messed up my facts, I’m more than willing to admit my mistakes. Third, again I’ve read on other sites postings from people that saw her performance and stated she was not that good to quite bad, so there’s a variance of opinion as to her performance. Fourth, apparently she played the essentially the same songs 3 yrs ago that she played this year, so what is the difference – then she had no buzz, act, schtick – now she has a pr/studio created act, and that is quite telling in explaining her popularity. Fifth, I do like some pop music, for example, Whitney, Madonna and other girl groups from the 80s were fun pop music light and listenable after 20-25 years and for old school hip hop LL cool j, heavyD, etc. and is there a better song and vid than Young MC’s Busta Move – all essentially pop and all better than Gaga. BTW, Allison Ireheta is a much better singer than Gaga and she can’t get any buzz/pr yet her cd is at least as good as Gaga’s and she’s what just 18 but she doesn’t have Gaga’s pr/production team. There are better female pop singers out there but Gaga gets all the buzz; as an experiment I’d like to see Gaga do one entire concert in blue jeans and a white blouse – if her music is a good as many posters aver, it should stand up no matter how it’s presented.
yeeeeahhh Naomi and Kate…no Gaga covers!!! Wish Madonna would come out with something new!!!!!
(last picture) how lovely and tacky, and those square shouder pads just finish off the look
I’ve admitted that I like Gaga, so I’m hardly impartial, but I’ve seen her perform live and I don’t see how an objective observer can say she doesn’t bring something.
If you don’t like her music, that’s one thing.
But she sings on key, with strength and she actually plays an instrument, unlike a whole lot of other performers lately. She doesn’t lip sync and she dances while she sings, albeit, she relies on her backup singers more when she’s dancing more during the chorus.
She performs HARD. She doesn’t sit on her butt on a stool and sing. She interacts with her audience, whether you like the way she does it or not, and they respond to her. She dresses in a way that they like, again, whether you like it or not.
I get why people don’t like her. I don’t get how people can objectively say she’s a big failure at putting on a decent show when she consistently shows otherwise (those who ARE seem to be people who’ve never actually seen it, but are repeating what they’ve heard other people say).
*Jover, your “fourth” – perhaps one of the biggest differences could be that this year, she had a nice fan base that helped pump up her energy level and gave her some confidence? Haven’t you ever had the experience of performing better when you knew you had a friendly audience or when you’d done something enough times that you were more familiar with it? Sounds like you just really, really don’t want to give Gaga any benefit of any doubt.
Please Snowball you’re not reading my comments.
First, I’m quoting what people on other sites that saw her perform and described her performance as bad to awful. Apparently what you call interacting with her audience they heard to paraphrase cuss-filled nonsense.
Second I never said she was a failure or lazy; I, and many other posters said, correctly, she’s overrated,derivative, borrowing, copying, stealing (choose one) from a whole list of performers,groups over the last 40 years too numerous to name.
Third, you can’t disagree that her lyrics aren’t much at all, and even 80s dance pop was more enjoyable and even a WHitney or Madonna at their height didn’t have, due to lack of technology, the saturation media coverage/pr campaign behind Gaga.
Many posters have mentioned that while she plays an instrument so what, millions of people play the piano or other instrument while singing and performing in and of itself its not remarkable. Jeez, Jimi hendrix and Carlos Santana played their instruments at Woodstock with an unaffected passion and mastery Gaga and today’s performers will never achieve – and that was expected of them.
I think what is at work here is that much of pop and female pop music is so prosaic and bad, that someone comes along appears different has some real training and actually plays, I’ll give her credit, an instrument, and people latched on to her given all the sub-standard crap. But as the months went by a more critical examination was rendered and it was determined that yes, she’s derivative and now has become self-indulgent prententious and dislikable with her vapid statements and media whoring. I liked Lets Dance and thought well here’s a fun dance pop singer – but its been all downhill.
You avoided my comment re the fact that Whitney and Madge’s 80s stuff is still fun and listenable but Bad Romance is awful and who will listen to that let alone play it 25 years hence.
Furthermore, you completely ignored my comment about Allison Irheta who doesn’t have 1/100 the media coverage and support (the hispanic community has even largely ignored her because she’s not urban/reggaeton) that Gaga has but is the better and more enjoyable artist. PLease respond to my specific comments – lets face it TLC and the SPice Girls were huge 12-15 years ago as big as Gaga and now they are largely forgotten and never played. Alas, I’m sorry but that’s more than likely Gaga’s fate.
Wow Jover, you should probably take a breather! Anyhow, I agree with Snowball.
You need to upgrade you standards 26 anyhow I’m going on youtube to watch santana’s immortal performance of soul sacrifice real music not like today’s plastic corporate artifice; maybe you just can’t admit that you’ve bought into this and made these marginally talented inflated egos rich and you’re unwillingly to admit you’ve been played and had.
Bottom line is everybody has one – an opinion – just like a bellybutton. Just because some other reviews you might read have negative opinions, means nothing. Only opinion that matters is your own, but everybody gots one. Ergo, a buncha comments on some site are moot and can’t be “verified” or argued.
For what it’s worth, I think, as a musician, that she can wail on those pipes and is a kick ass piano player. But that’s just my experienced opinion.
@Jover I totally disagree with you about TLC. I still hear their music at parties and on the radio (and on my iPod) and I still enjoy it. “Hat 2 da back” is one of the only pop anthems about being a tomboy ever to become popular on the radio. For that alone, I will always appreciate them. Also, I am reasonably sure that they would still be making music and on the charts had Lisa “left eye” Lopez not died so young. May she rest in peace.
Also, I appreciate you acknowledging the incorrect statement from your previous post. But, I do have to point out that you contradicted yourself when you said you never called Gaga lazy. You most certainly did, and in the same breath as the high school comment:
“Okay, i don’t take my opinions on Gay rights, immigration or anything from anyone too lazy to finish high school (it’s not that hard these days).”
That is why I also specifically defended her work ethic along with my comment about her high school diploma. Honestly, her work ethic is the only thing about Gaga I have nothing bad to say about. I wish I had that kind of work ethic and stamina! Sadly though, no amount of press coverage, costuming and dance practice will stop Alejandro from sounding like a bad Ace of Base B-side.
Soundgarden was the best performance at lolla!
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