Lady Gaga’s little monsters, her fanbase’s nickname, just danced their night away on Monday as the singer opened up the first of four shows of her Mayhem Ball at Inglewood’s Kia Forum.
“Welcome to the Opera Haus,” she exclaimed to the crowd.
The Mayhem Ball comes after the singer’s 2022 Chromatica Ball.
The stage was set up as an actual opera house with the theme of the show heavily influenced by “The Phantom of the Opera.” In Gaga’s version, she’s both the Phantom and the leading lady.
Her opera is five acts, each one telling a story with various songs from her nearly 20-year career.
The show started strong with the 14-time GRAMMY-winner belting out “Bloody Mary” from her 2011 album “Born This Way.” What was once a deep cut for fans became a mainstream favorite thanks to the Netflix hit “Wednesday.” Actress Jenna Ortega’s dance in an episode quickly went viral, leading to various TikToks emulating the moves.
Once the crowd was warmed up, Gaga jumped right into her hit “Abracadabra” and the party started.
While the tour comes on the heels of her seventh studio album “Mayhem,” the Oscar winner made sure to include hits her Little Monsters came to hear, regardless of the era they became fans.
For Day 1 fans, she made sure to include hits like “Just Dance,” “LoveGame,” and “Summer Boy” from her 2008 debut album “The Fame.” Of course, she performed the staples like “Alejandro,” “Poker Face,” “Paparazzi,” “Born This Way,” “Shallow,” “Applause” and more.
Sprinkled in were new hits like “Garden of Eden,” “Zombie Boy,” “Shadow of a Man” and “Killah.”
For the first 90 minutes, the audience stayed on their feet even during the 39-year-old’s costume changes as the band and dancers kept the party going.
Things didn’t slow down until she performed “Million Reasons” and “Shallow” from her 2018 movie “A Star Is Born.” She then walked up to her piano to perform “Die With a Smile,” her collaboration with Bruno Mars.
As the crowd roared with applause, Gaga said she warned her crew that she was apprehensive how things would go seeing as the show was on a Monday night.
“You all f–king showed me,” she calmly said as the audience burst into laughter.
She then got sentimental, explaining to the crowd that she moved in Los Angeles from her native New York City when she was just 19 to chase her dreams.
“It was not always easy. I just want to say thank you for everybody in this room tonight. People didn’t always believe in me, but you believed in me so much tonight,” she said, holding back tears.
She then performed “Vanish Into You,” from “Mayhem.” While she normally dedicates the song to her fans, this time she asked them to share it with her two nieces, who were in the audience.
“They said this was their favorite song. I always dedicate this to the fans. Will you share it with them tonight?” she asked. “I can’t do it without my family. One day I’ll just vanish into each and every one of you.”
She belted out the song and walked around the perimeter of the audience before vanishing backstage.
However, no Gaga show would be complete without her 2009 hit “Bad Romance.”
Just when fans thought the show was over, as the credits rolled on the big screen behind the stage the lights stayed off.
Moments later, a camera showed her taking off her makeup backstage while singing “How Bad Do You Want Me?” She continued to sing, with her dancers joining her one by one, back on stage. The party continued until she performed another song, a surprise encore of her song “Swine” from her 2013 album “ArtPop.”
So far at each show of the tour, she ends with a different song.
“I love you L.A., now get the f–k out!” she yelled to the crowd as she ran backstage.
The Mayhem Ball returns to the Kia Forum on July 29 and then on Aug. 1 and 2. For tickets and information head to Ticketmaster.com.
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