ML - Vegas Magazine

2014 - Issue 4 - Summer

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

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N ot t h ree stops into her a r t R AV E: T he A r t pop Ba ll world tou r, L ady Gaga wa s a lready ma k ing headlines. At her concer t in Atlanta, she spotted a handwritten sign held by a young man that asked, "Can I sit with you?" So she invited him up onstage to join her on t he pia no bench, where t hey took self ies toget her before she launched into a keyboard rendition of "Born This Way." T h ink what you wa nt about L ady Gaga's out rageous a nt ics, but her relat ionship w it h her "litt le monsters" is as int imate as a cha r t-topping, award-winning, sold-out-stadium-playing artist's can get. On artR AVE, her fourth world tour since she burst on the scene with her "Just Dance" party anthem and her Donatella Versace hair, Gaga tones dow n t he shock-va lue stunt s in favor of unabashed camp. The two-hour show features 14 backup da ncers a nd 11 (or so) cost ume changes—one of which happens right in front of the audience, when she strips down to panties and pasties (this is still Gaga, after all). The elaborate, fanciful world onstage is a sci-fi Candy Land: Large white marshmallow dome caves with two zigzagging light-up Lucite runways extend directly over the crowd, and everything is lit in rainbow hues. "This is definitely one of the top five most-challenging touring acts for which we manage the overall setup," says Jay Cline, director of operations for the MGM Grand Garden A rena. "The massive production could rival any Broadway show." For her first number, Gaga rises from the f loor sporting golden wings and with a blue orb sticking out of her midsection, an Icarus in drag with a platinum Versace bob. Fittingly, it's during this segment that she performs "Donatella" and "Fashion!" "She travels with a complete laun- dry facility for all of her outfits, as well as the dancers'," Cline says. There's a black vinyl outfit with a neon-green wig and an otherworldly white 1980s space-age dress with a matching long white wig. Gaga channels the "rave" part of artRAVE in a DayGlo ensemble with long dreadlocks and fuzzy neon boots—the raver's official uniform. Another costume features a rhinestone Little Mermaid-esque clamshell bra paired with an exaggerated Barbarella wig, and her pièce de résistance is a pastel pink-and-blue vinyl tentacled sea-creature costume. Dancers appear to have been transported from a psychedelic storybook, and at one point there are pig masks. It doesn't ma ke sense. It doesn't need to. Because the most important thing about a Lady Gaga show is not what she's wearing. It's the way she connects with her fans, still just as genuine and sincere as ever. They pass notes to the stage at every show, and Gaga reads them aloud to the arena, then invites those fans backstage, all the while proclaiming mes- sages of positivity, love, and equality. The Artpop Ball is equal parts Pop Art spectacle and affirmation. Of the 22 songs Gaga sings, more than half are from her latest album, forgo- ing fan favorites like "LoveGame" and "You and I" for the EDM-heav y tracks from Artpop. "I wanted to create a show that was a celebration of all of the wonderful things you've created over the past seven years," she coos to her adoring public. "If I'm left with nothing, but you're left with anything that I had a whole lot to do with, that's enough for me." All of that fawning could easily ring false, but even if she does it just for the applause, there's no doubt she's earned it. Lady Gaga plays the MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 19. For tickets, visit mgmgrand.com. V PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE HOTTEST TICKET Mother Monster's Ball LADY GAGA MAY PUSH THE LIMITS OF MAINSTREAM TASTE, BUT THAT'S NOTHING NEW IN VEGAS, WHERE SHE AND HER ADORING FANS WILL FIT RIGHT IN. BY NICOLE RUPERSBURG Dancers appear to have been transported from a psychedelic storybook. VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 53 Culture

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