Since I was little, Lady Gaga’s music has been a constant in my life. Some of my earliest memories of her music include running laps in kindergarten to “Just Dance,” thinking her song “The Edge of Glory” was called “The Edge of Chlorine” and being fascinated by her awe-inspiring persona.
As I grew up, her art has stayed alongside me. From watching her Super Bowl halftime show and it blowing my mind, to buying Chromatica Oreos at 7-Eleven, I have followed her work and continued to be a fan (not as big as The Mac Weekly’s resident Little Monster, former Arts Editor Olivia Worcester ’25).
In September, when Lady Gaga announced an extension onto her “The Mayhem Ball” tour, and announced St. Paul as one of her stops, I was shocked given how limited her tour had been to that point. I had unsuccessfully tried to get tickets for the New York City shows on multiple occasions. However, with some Ticketmaster luck and my boss supporting me while getting tickets during my shift (shout-out Brooke Schmolke), I managed to snag a ticket to her April 9 show — her thirdto-last of the tour, at Grand Casino Arena, formerly known as the Xcel Energy Center.
I arrived at Gaga’s “opera house” a little over an hour before showtime. Little did I know that the show would start in the line to enter. As soon as I got off the bus, I was immersed in the middle of Minnesota’s biggest, sparkliest and campiest fashion show — inspired by Gaga’s iconic looks through the years (though I didn’t see any meat dresses). I became acutely aware that I was under-dressed in my Macalester Media and Cultural Studies shirt and red glasses, leftover from a friend’s birthday party, with the word Mayhem handwritten in paint marker.
At 8:31 p.m., the two-and-ahalf-hour spectacle of Mayhem commenced. A video introduction played of Gaga and her alter ego Mistress of Mayhem, a physical representation of Gaga’s dark insecurities. They recited “the Manifesto of Mayhem,” building a narrative for the show: a battle between her (or Gaga’s) two sides. I really loved the concept of having a physical manifestation of inner turmoil, as it provided a story that many people could relate to from their lived experiences. Additionally, Gaga herself has spoken about how “Mayhem” helped her heal some of past traumas, adding weight to the narrative.
As soon as the manifesto f inished, LED wristbands, given to concertgoers, began to slowly turn into a sea of red as Gaga, portraying the Mistress of Mayhem, came onto stage in a larger-than-life red hoop dress. She began her first act, “Of Velvet and Vice” by singing an operatic version of “Bloody Mary” (cry counter: one.)
She triumphantly exclaimed “The category is: Dance or Die” with dancers revealed in a cage underneath her dress. Immediately, Gaga transitioned into a medley of “Abracadabra” and “Judas” that had the crowd jumping with Gaga going back and forth between high-octane choreography with her dancers and exploring the empty cage during both songs.
“Get your f–king paws up, Minnesota!” Gaga screamed. Throughout the show, Gaga uttered 91 (according to a TikTok counter) variations of this phrase, partly to energize the crowd with a Gagaic euphoria, and partly to preserve her vocal stamina after canceling her prior show in Montreal due to respiratory illness — she succeeded in both goals.
From there, she sang “Scheiße,” with the faux-german lyrics from the song illuminated along the stage. After a short interlude, the act continued with “Garden of Eden” with green imagery and Gaga playing metal guitar, showcasing her versatility in performance style.
Afterwards, the Mistress of Mayhem and Gaga, portrayed by a dancer, duked it out during “Poker Face” on the runway, which had been turned into a human chessboard. The choreography reminded me of “Hamilton” and that Broadway style of incorporating conflict through movement. This was also the first song where the crowd’s energy had abundantly accumulated, with the crowd exclaiming “off with her head” as the Mistress of Mayhem defeats Gaga.
Following an interlude that felt put together at the last minute and did not add anything to the show’s narrative (similar to other interludes throughout the show), Gaga appeared as herself in Act II “And She Fell Down a Gothic Dream.” She performed “Perfect Celebrity” (cry counter: two) in a sandbox surrounded by skeletons, later revealed as dancers and the Mistress of Mayhem, with Gaga confronting her again during “Disease.” The symbolism of death and how fame can kill one’s desires and dreams made me view these two songs in a new light.
From there, Gaga transitioned into what was the most powerful and awe-inspiring moment of the night. Gaga had emerged broken from the battle in Act I and fought with death in the first part of Act II. She grabbed crutches and began a slowed down, emotionally vulnerable version of “Paparazzi.” The song climaxed with her belting out the final chorus, with her billowing dress reflecting rainbow colors, flowing down the length of the runway (cry counter: three). The song took on a new meaning: Gaga remaining resilient while facing her fame and her demons simultaneously.
However, in true Gaga form, Lady Gaga takes center stage at Grand Casino Arena. Photo by Yoni Conn ‘28. nothing can stay too heart-wrenching for long. Gaga got the arena dancing with “LoveGame” under neon pink lighting that felt T-Mobile-esque, “Alejandro,” on the balcony of the opera house set and “The Beast,” which provided some of the most beautiful vocals of the night.
Act III: “The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name”, wrestled further with this theme of mortality, with Gaga using a giant, larger-thanlife skull as her main prop piece. She sang a trio of Mayhem songs, “Killah,” “Zombieboy” and “LoveDrug.” During these songs, Gaga leaned into embracing the darker, more mysterious side of herself and played with metaphors of infatuation, death and rebirth. She followed this up with “Applause,” which had the LED bracelets synchronized with the crowd’s clap-along, and then moved swiftly into “Just Dance,” in which Gaga stops short as she struggles to reconcile with the dark and scary parts of fame and upholding her persona.
Gaga began Act IV: “Every Chessboard Has Two Queens” with “Shadow of a Man,” standing on an elevated platform under a bright light that turned red during “Summerboy.” It felt like a sultry dance party.
Then, Gaga transitioned into “Born This Way” by giving a shoutout to the LGBTQ+ community in Minnesota, and reminding the crowd that every person in the arena is so special and unique, and to celebrate the qualities that make us remarkable. There was a cathartic element of screaming “Don’t hide yourself in regret, Just love yourself, and you’re set” with 13,000 people that felt healing and affirming (cry counter: four).
Gaga then battles with the Mistress of Mayhem — each attempting to control the stage during “Million Reasons.” The song marks a turning point in the show, as, at the end of the song, Gaga and the Mistress join forces to work together. Gaga then boards a gondola guided by the Mistress and belts out “Shallow,” as the runway seems to turn into a sea in a moment inspired by “Phantom of the Opera.”
Arriving at a piano, Gaga started out by singing smash hit “Die with a Smile,” guiding the crowd in a slow sway with fog surrounding her piano, with Gaga embracing the crowd in an air group hug at the end.
Gaga gave a speech from the piano about how special Minnesota is to her, likely referencing the resiliency of Minnesotans during Operation Metro Surge, and shouting out her fiance Michael Polansky’s Minnesota hometown as well.
“You can always tell a place by their heart, I can feel your heart, and I know I do not have to tell you that … you know all about your heart,” Gaga said. “A special place, Minnesota, with so much bravery, and courage and so much to say; a place that makes us all feel so proud — proud that makes us all want to cry.”
Giving the St. Paul crowd a surprise, Gaga sang a slowed down piano version “The Edge of Glory” where changed the lyrics to reflect her solidarity with her Minnesotan fans, declaring that she was “on the Minnesota edge with you” (cry counter: five). This performance provided some of the most raw and emotionally-driven vocals of the night.
She then sang “Vanish Into You,” where she walked around the floor signing autographs and taking pictures with fans along the barricade. The song ends with her meeting the Mistress of Mayhem center stage, and embracing her — symbolizing her willingness and acceptance to embrace the darker and anxious sides of herself, vanishing into her and becoming one with her.
Gaga became one with the Mistress during Act IV: “Finale: Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart,” where Gaga in a skit is reconstructed in a Frankenstein style manner and performs “Bad Romance” in her new character. Gaga pulled out all of the stops for this song, complete with indoor fireworks and choreography from the original iconic music video.
After this, the concert was not done; but Gaga was. After a five minute blackout, Gaga appeared on the screen; not as Gaga but as her real self, Stefani Germanotta. She took off her makeup backstage and donned street clothes, making her way back on stage with her dancers singing “How Bad Do U Want Me.” As a farewell, Gaga gave the St. Paul crowd another treat, where she debuted her song “Runway” from the upcoming “The Devil Wears Prada 2” movie, which came out 30 minutes before the show started. Gaga and her dancers took turns strutting down the runway, taking multiple group and individual bows as the show concluded.
As the tour has come to an end, Gaga does not have any current plans to perform live in the near future. However, if and when she will come back to live music and touring (which she confirmed for us will happen), I implore people who may have only heard “Die with a Smile” in a supermarket to see her live. While her music might be some of the best pop music known to humankind, her live performances bring her songs to life, and in turn changes her audience’s lives forever.
