Lady Gaga was all about the Mayhem Ball on Wednesday, making the tour announcement a day after she was sued for allegedly infringing on a surf company’s “Mayhem” logo.
“I wasn’t planning to tour this year after my shows in Singapore but the incredible response to the new album inspired me to keep things going,” the singer said on social media. “It came together super quickly … and honestly, I can’t wait. This show is designed to be the kind of theatrical and electrifying experience that brings MAYHEM to life exactly how I envision it.”
The Mayhem Ball, which Gaga said was planned with Live Nation in “just a few weeks,” will hit arenas instead of stadiums. That’s because she wanted “to control the details of the show in a way you simply can’t in stadiums.” Intriguing.
The tour will hit only major cities, and at the moment, there are no Los Angeles shows on the docket — perhaps because the “Joker: Folie à Deux” actor is already playing two headliner dates in April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio.
Planned stops include Las Vegas, Seattle, New York City, Miami, Toronto, Chicago, London and Manchester in England, Stockholm, Milan, Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Lyon and Paris in France. The Mayhem Ball part of the tour begins July 16 in Vegas and closes with three shows in Paris between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20.
Regarding the legal mayhem, Lost International LLC filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Stefani Germanotta in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The nine allegations include, among other things, trademark infringement, false advertising, trademark dilution and unfair business practices.
Team Gaga attorney Orin Snyder seemed to take the lawsuit in stride. “Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM soared to No. 1 and shattered records, a testament to her unmatched talent and global impact,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s disappointing — but hardly surprising — that someone is now attempting to capitalize on her success with a baseless lawsuit over the name MAYHEM. This is nothing more than an opportunistic and meritless abuse of the legal system.”
Lost’s “Mayhem” logo, like the logo on Gaga’s “Mayhem” album and other merchandise, arcs slightly, and both feature a scruffy, irregular font suggesting, well, mayhem. The lawsuit alleges Gaga’s logo is “a nearly identical design as used by Lost on its own products.”
“Lost began using the [logo] in 1986, and in January 1992 in interstate commerce. Since then, Lost has used the [logo] in connection with surfboards, surf equipment, clothing, accessories, and surf videos, in over 30 countries worldwide,” the lawsuit says. Lost says it registered the trademark “Mayhem” in the U.S. in 2015.
Mayhem is also the nickname of Lost co-founder Matt Biolos.
“Lady Gaga’s actions are likely to mislead the public into concluding that her goods originate with or are authorized by Lost, which will damage both Lost and the public,” the lawsuit says. “Lost has no control over the quality of goods sold by Lady Gaga and because of the source of confusion caused by Lady Gaga, Lost has lost control over its valuable goodwill.”
That said, tickets for the Mayhem Ball tour come available April 3 through AXS, with several presale options — think fan club, Citi cardholders, luxury seating and more — going live for before that general on-sale date hits.
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