The Mayhem Ball at Accor Stadium, Sydney
Lady Gaga
★★ @★★
Accor Stadium, 12 December
Lady Gaga is on the London leg of her tour. Credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation
“Welcome to our Sydney Opera House!” With these words, Lady Gaga announced her triumphant return to the Harbor City after more than a decade.
Being 14 kilometers west of the Olympic Park helped, as Gaga’s sense of theater needed space. They were by turns gritty, clever and bat-shit absurd in a magnificent 2½-hour, five-act maximalist film that charted 20 years of pop excess and Tim Burtonesque burlesque.
Beginning with an almost restrained version of Bloody Mary (while sitting atop a two-story domed screen, mind you), the mayhem began in earnest. Abracadabra and the command to dance or die.
The first leg of electro-pop was the triumph of crowd-pleasing staging and choreography over songwriting. new track Garden of Eden and now it’s a classic Poker face stands out from the first pack as top-notch pop tunes.
There is a lot to be said about staging and sets. giant skulls Killah; Phantom of the Opera-inspired boat ride and mask for ballad Shallow; A cat litter-like grave for the post-apocalyptic zombie craze Illness.
Gaga’s rainbow cape covers the entire stage.Credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation
The show sometimes drowned out the songs, but for the most part they had great harmony. papparazziThe concert, which allowed Gaga’s voice to shine in one of her best songs, was also a showcase of a giant costume that took up the entire stage, resembling a rainbow train on a wedding dress.
There was a lot to take in, but it would be rude to say it was too much. zombie kid Not tension and Dead Dance It’s a song for Wednesday fans, but Gaga sings her best with a hedonistic melody, and few can sing three such infectious songs in a row. lovemedicine, Applause And Just Dance.
