Lady Gaga's show

deefstes

So the Lady Gaga concert came and went without much hype here on GFSA. Understandable because she's not really very guitar-centric and we don't have a lot of love for pop here in GFSA.

That said, I do think her show was pretty good. There is more to Lady Gaga than meets the eye (and there's a lot that meets the eye ?). I think she has a little something when it comes to musical ability that many other pop artists lack. When she slipped behind the piano and did "Princes Die" I was amazed at her voice. She was quite comfortable behind the piano and equally comfortable behind an Ibanez Destroyer. Well, one would never know how much of the playing was herself and how much was air guitar but she certainly made it look convincing and made it look good.

One thing is for sure, she connected very well with her audience. She had them in the palm of her hand and I found myself, a bit of a Lady Gaga sceptic, charmed at times.

I'd have to be honest that I expected a little bit more from her stage and decor. The costumes were every bit as elaborate as one would expect from Lady Gaga but I thought the stage was a bit on the small side. Also, the whole show was in the format of an opera which was a good idea but the narrative was a bit confusing.

Two other things need mention:

1. The first opening act, Lady Starlight, was pants! Jeepers, what a load of rubbish.

2. The second opening act, The Darkness, was UNBELIEVABLE! These guys rocked big time and I would pay good money to go see a full show of theirs.

So, who else was there and what were your thoughts.

Squonk

I forgot about The Darkness. I'm a secret fan, anyone who can pull off a song like 'I believe in a thing called love' and get away with it are good stuff. I am also sure most people didn't get what they were on about.

Lady Gaga must have been good stuff as well, I have heard from people who went that she is an incredible entertainer and had a lot of interaction with the audience.

deefstes

Squonk wrote Lady Gaga must have been good stuff as well, I have heard from people who went that she is an incredible entertainer and had a lot of interaction with the audience.

That might well be her strongest asset, not her songs as such, but rather how well she entertains. A lot of things can be said about her but it can't be denied that she is an entertainer of note. Five years ago she was a waitress in New York, today she is one of the biggest superstars on the scene. I didn't realise how much she is adored by her fans but it makes sense now that I've seen her. She is a real champion for the marginalised, especially the gay and lesbian crowd but also kids being bullied at school and the likes find lots of inspiration in her message of "I was born this way". When she explained all of that from the stage and basically implored people not to allow bullies and the establishment to dictate how they live their lives, her whole weird and whacky persona made sense to me.

I won't deny that her excessive swearing from the stage and the overt sexual nature of her acts did put me off in a big way, but her weirdness I can understand and how she's mastered the art of entertainment I thoroughly appreciated.

Bob-Dubery

The Darkness... is that Justin Hawkins's band?

deefstes

X-rated Bob wrote The Darkness... is that Justin Hawkins's band?

That's them!

singemonkey

Also, if anyone in Cape Town is going tonight, they should swing by Ferryman's after for a cool pint of Guinness, where we will be doing our loud and proud thing. It's the kind of venue in which I try to rein in my excessive swearing and Jack tries to hold back on his overtly sexual act, so it might be a good change of pace ?

I don't know any of her songs, and have seen about half of a video because I don't have TV and I don't listen to the radio. But she certainly seems inventive and a whizz-bang performer. If she's anti-bullying and gender/sexuality discrimination then all power to her.

deefstes

singemonkey wroteIt's the kind of venue in which I try to rein in my excessive swearing and Jack tries to hold back on his overtly sexual act, so it might be a good change of pace ?

giggsy

Was keen to go watch the Darkness, but couldnt be bothered with Gaga - The Darkness, though most of their songs are about blowjobs and cocaine, are actually really, really good players - yes, they're 80s throwbacks, but they do it really well. Man... upset that I didnt go now (the bars would have been really quiet while Gaga was on too...)

RJN

My Wife bought the tickets. I was there. Saw the darkness. Awesome . But i found it kind of funny , after 15 minutes into gaga's performance i was like ..... Ill go grab some more beers. So I ended up drinking with a bunch of other okes that came with their wifes / GF's . So during most of the Gaga performance there where a bunch of okes just boozing next to the beer stalls, waiting for their chicks. :goodtimes:

deefstes

RJN wrote My Wife bought the tickets. I was there. Saw the darkness. Awesome . But i found it kind of funny , after 15 minutes into gaga's performance i was like ..... Ill go grab some more beers. So I ended up drinking with a bunch of other okes that came with their wifes / GF's . So during most of the Gaga performance there where a bunch of okes just boozing next to the beer stalls, waiting for their chicks. :goodtimes:

Flip! I can think of any number of bars in Jo'burg that are much cheaper. Not only do they sell better beer at half the price in decent pint glasses but they don't charge anything like the exorbitant cover charge that you've paid ?

RJN

hehehehe , Try telling that to the Wife ?

Arno-West

Man I schmaak The Darkness!
If I didn't have 2 gigs last Friday (and I knew beforehand that they would be support act), I would have gone there just to see them. Of course I would have left once they were done....

Big-G

I'd keep quiet if I was you? Accept this as one of the unlikely times that the missus is happy to pay for your 'visit to the pub', regardless of whether its an expensive visit! Just enjoy it! Hehe!

As for Gaga, really not a fan. Nor the missus. My sister is though. I'm still trying to get the doctors opinion as to why she likes her, but all the test results have turned out negative!

The Darkness are indeed a fantastic musical act, but I never bought their album due to the unnecessary verbal abuse on my fragile little mind. Still, 'I believe in a thing called love' stands out as one of the best songs of the past decade!

Just my humble 1c!
G!

singemonkey

So the Gaga fans came into the venue like a flood wave. It had been a third full and suddenly people in pink wigs were doubling up on benches. They weren't averse to a little rock 'n roll though, bless their hearts. They even loved our blues numbers. Thanks Lady G. You're a great warm-up act. ?

Bob-Dubery

Arno West wrote Man I schmaak The Darkness!
If I didn't have 2 gigs last Friday (and I knew beforehand that they would be support act), I would have gone there just to see them. Of course I would have left once they were done....

I wasn't inclined to go that to that show, but had I been tempted by one of the support acts I'd have stuck around for at least the first new Gaga numbers because you never know.

I went to the Amnesty International show in Harare in '88. Top of the bill one B Springsteen, of whom I was not a big fan. I wanted to see Sting and Peter Gabriel, but I also decided I might as well be there from the start in case there were some surprises on the undercard, and that I'd stay for at least 20 minutes of the Boss just in case he turned out to live up to the hype.

Because of that I got to see a very good set by Yossou N'Dour and Le Super Etoile de Dakar and a pretty good opening set by Thomas Mapfumo and Blacks Unlimited. The Boss easily lived up to the hype and he and the E-Street Band delivered a jaw-dropping performance. I stayed to the very end.

Jack-Flash-Jr

X-rated Bob wrote
Arno West wrote Man I schmaak The Darkness!
If I didn't have 2 gigs last Friday (and I knew beforehand that they would be support act), I would have gone there just to see them. Of course I would have left once they were done....
I wasn't inclined to go that to that show, but had I been tempted by one of the support acts I'd have stuck around for at least the first new Gaga numbers because you never know.

I went to the Amnesty International show in Harare in '88. Top of the bill one B Springsteen, of whom I was not a big fan. I wanted to see Sting and Peter Gabriel, but I also decided I might as well be there from the start in case there were some surprises on the undercard, and that I'd stay for at least 20 minutes of the Boss just in case he turned out to live up to the hype.

Because of that I got to see a very good set by Yossou N'Dour and Le Super Etoile de Dakar and a pretty good opening set by Thomas Mapfumo and Blacks Unlimited. The Boss easily lived up to the hype and he and the E-Street Band delivered a jaw-dropping performance. I stayed to the very end.

+1 I think it's silly to not test your assumptions about any artist if the opportunity presents... hell, you're there anyway.

selbydoodl

The story goes that in Cape Town, the press was not allowed to take an y pictures of GAGA on stage.

HEr publicity crew said they would hand out promotional pictures instead.

Consequently the press left and to my knowledge there wasnt a single review of the concert in the papers.

Bob-Dubery

selbydoodl wrote The story goes that in Cape Town, the press was not allowed to take an y pictures of GAGA on stage.

HEr publicity crew said they would hand out promotional pictures instead.

Consequently the press left and to my knowledge there wasnt a single review of the concert in the papers.

This is an increasing phenomenon. Currently there is a test cricket series in progress between India and England IN India. The BCCI are asserting image rights for all on-field action. Whilst they allow matches to be televised they will not allow any screen grabs or any photography of the on-field action.

Whether these kinds of policies will be productive in the long run or not remains to be seen. In the meantime a lot (but not all) of the media are not covering those test matches.

The situation for team sports might grow more complicated. Kevin Pietersen and Lewish Hamilton are very keen to gain full control of the use and reproduction of their image.

It's anothe revenue stream AND you can control the way you appear in the press if you can nix that photo of you that shows a rock hanging out of a nostril.