Lady Gaga, Twickenham Stadium, London, 08/09/2012

Better late than never, but here is my half review half gush-fest of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball.

I have seen Gaga twice already, as support for the Pussycat Dolls just after Just Dance came out and a year or so a go as part of the Monsters Ball.

I love her and know she can put on a show, the Monsters Ball was just £29 for the ticket and Gaga must have run at a loss, this time however, she learnt her lesson and the ticket price almost doubled.

It was well worth it though. Her set was a castle and of course there was a story line which I didn't quite get but it added something else.

The concert from start to finish was phenomenal. Her voice is amazing and when she sung Imagine it was breathtaking, her voice is heavenly and soulful, just her and a piano.

Even though Gaga is a little over the top to some she does love her fans and is very humble thanking them for buying a ticket. To thank them she got some on stage and invited others back tage, now to some you may think it is just all talk but not Gaga I think she is true to her word.

Of course she came on late which meant she finished late and I'm not sure if she didn't include it at all in this tour but she didn't perform Poker Face or Alejandro which was a shame but then you forget how many good songs she does have.

She also spoke about the first time she played record execs Born This Way, they told her it was too 'niche', and with a smirk on her face she said to the audience 'Some f**king niche, I have filled an stadium with a niche'.

She also said 'So many of you here how come the album was a flop?' But my friend was there and didn't have the second album, she had just bought the singles and I do wonder how many other people did the same.

I cannot say how much I love Gaga her brashness and unapologetic nature she is who she is so deal with it. She was 'born this way'.

Every time I see her she gets better and better, it does freak me out though that we are the same age.

Another thing you should mention if you go to a Gaga gig is the audience. Some of Gaga's monsters got all out, there were meat dresses, costumes from the Telephone video and various cover shoots. Most of them were obviously fashion students as I don't think I would be able to make those things but they were fantastic and the girls (and some boys) deserve a round of applause.

It was just a great atmosphere and I haven't sung, laughed and danced so much at a gig in age. Gaga is indeed Queen Monster and just fantastic! All Hail Gaga!

Act I
Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)
Government Hooker
Born This Way
Black Jesus - Amen Fashion
Bloody Mary
Bad Romance
Judas

Act II
Fashion Of His Love
Just Dance
LoveGame
Telephone

Act III
Heavy Metal Lover
Bad Kids

Piano Ballads
Hair
Princess Die
Imagine
You & I

Act IV
Electric Chapel
Paparazzi
Scheibe

Act V
The Edge of Glory
Marry the Night

Icons: "I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing."- Audrey Hepburn

Icon is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as the following: 

                  Noun

1 (also ikon) a devotional painting of Christ or another holy figure, typically executed on wood and used ceremonially in the Byzantine and other Eastern Churches.

2 a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration: this iron-jawed icon of American manhood



3 Computing a symbol or graphic representation on a screen of a program, option, or window.

4 Linguistics a sign that has a characteristic in common with the thing it signifies, for example the word snarl pronounced in a snarling way. 
(http://oxforddictionaries.com)

Now, I am a massive fan of iconic women, I have shelves of books about interesting women that have done something in the world or been a fleeting popular culture icon.

Over the decades there have been a whole host of iconic women, including: Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, Queen Victoria, another who I have a biography waiting to be read, Coco Chanel, Oprah Winfrey, Cleopatra, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Amelia Earhart, Edie Sedgwick and Billie Holiday to name a few. As well as I think my idol Kylie Minogue, Madonna and of course Lady Gaga. All of which have contributed to society or popular culture, or changed people’s perspectives on issues.

I have countless books on Marilyn Monroe, her short life fascinates me. Every book I read highlights a new area that I have never seen before or a new fact that has recently come to light. Some might argue that she is not an icon but a blonde bimbo who didn't have a clue what she was doing, but the fact she was known as a dizzy blonde with a curvy body that women imitated surely highlights her iconic status. She is someone who is referred to as an inspiration for artists or actors. Also the fact that if you dig a little deeper you realise that she was not a dizzy blonde but a very smart woman who wanted a career on her own terms.

Before she died she was in the process of starting up her own production company so that she could be seen as a serious actress rather than a comedy piece of fluff. In a savvy and potentially dangerous move, she had it added to her contract that she could ask for script changes and choose the films and the directors she worked with. Something that was unheard of in the Hollywood studio system, which saw actors tied into contracts with one studio doing as they were told.

In a time when women were largely seen as either sex goddess or homely wife, with not much in between, Marilyn Monroe was trying desperately to push these boundaries to give herself a better life. As she said "An actress is not a machine, but they treat you like one, money making machine."

I have said in a previous post how I am reading a biography on Jackie Kennedy Onassis, another woman who is seen as an icon of her time, but to be honest I can see why she was a fashion icon but reading the book I am on the fence. I haven't finished it yet so I suppose I should wait but Jackie Kennedy is not what I was expecting, the book implies she knew of Kennedy's indiscretions and seemed more concerned with spending money on doing up the White House. Although on foreign visits she seemed to shine, getting on with foreign prime ministers and kings but other than that I'm not sure.

I suppose in many ways she became more of an icon after the death of her husband as this gave her the opportunity to step out of his shadow. So for now I'm undecided but will let you know what I think when I have finished the book.

It makes me wonder looking at the definition if all these women are icons. It does make you question the term, they all represent a time and a place, but then I suppose it's not the definition that counts but what the women did that matters. As long as people are still interested, reading up on or making films about them they are icons, especially if they influence future generations. 

Gaga for Gaga

Lady Gaga, love her or hate her you have to admit there is something about her which is intriguing and fascinating.


I am a massive fan of the singer; I first heard her debut song Just Dance on Fearne and Reggie’s request show on a Saturday as part of the new music generator. I was then lucky enough to see her support the Pussycat Dolls just after Just Dance went to number one. At that point she was still fairly normal, however, for a forty five minute set she had three costumes changes, and her avant garde style videos may have been a little out there for a room of teenage Pussycat Doll fans, but I loved it.

She is the type of person you could imagine being part of Andy Warhol’s factory, someone with a story and a different way of expressing herself. Her costumes, videos and songs are a extension of her persona. Recently the video for Telephone has reached over a billion hits, but then after watching it you can see why. Lady Gaga is a cultural icon, drawing on different mediums and tapping into a generation’s culture. The video is very reminiscent of a Quentin Taratino film (it also features the car from Kill Bill), and the ending plays homage to Thelma and Louise. Featuring Beyonce, just adds to the video, the second song from the R’n’B and Pop Queens. I wouldn’t be surprised now if I see loads of girls using diet coke cans as rollers.

She also has a passion for her fans or her little monsters; she even has a tattoo on her arm dedicated to them. In February I saw her live at the O2 and the passion for performing and her fans is contagious. The feeling of everyone being connected is something I have only ever experienced one other time at a Kylie Minogue gig; the fans love her just as much as she loves them.
Her show was ….. Indescribable! Where some performers claim to have a story, Gaga narrated a lot, so the audience knew what was going on. The sets and costumes were massive and if rumours are to be believed not only did she change the whole show in two weeks after finishing in the US leg but she also put her own money into the production. It's no wonder than that the second leg of the tour the price of tickets have almost tripled, I bought my ticket for £30 whereas now the price ranges from £50-£75, but I’m sure this hike in the price is down to the promoter and not Gaga, who said that she doesn’t really care much for money.

I believe that Lady Gaga will be someone that in ten, twenty years will be heralded as a cultural icon and the inspiration to future dancers, singers and actors. I’m just glad that I got to experience it live and hope to again…. if she lowers the price of her tickets of course.