On Saturday night, for the first time ever, the Stade de France played host to pop’s newest global megastar, aka Lady Gaga. The live Orange blog was there, represented by Samia (who goes by the alias, “La Chipie de Paris”) and Salama from the Pleaz blog. Do you want to know what it was like? Here’s Salama’s report for you to read, and La Chipie de Paris’ photos and videos for you to look through.
Salama’s live report on Pleaz.fr
Whether you’re a fan of her music or not, you still know what to expect from one of Lady Gaga’s concerts: a spectacular show, millimeter-perfect choreography, a sense of euphoria among the fans, and ultimately, you know that you’ll be attending an explosive party, and that you’ll leave the concert feeling happy no matter what. Yet we were left feeling a little disappointed,
We must remember that, at 26 years old, she is the youngest artist ever to perform at the Stade de France; and not everybody gets the opportunity to play at such a venue. She deserves it, and we would be the first to recognize that to be true. She is incredibly considerate towards her fans: one lucky fan spent 15 minutes alongside her on stage. She also invited 2 or 3 fans backstage so they could meet her, and did something that is somewhat rare among artists nowadays: she thanked the fans for buying tickets, because she knows how expensive they can be. Finally, although she considers herself to go far beyond the status of a “diva”, you can’t help but admire the relationship she has with her fans.
La Chipie de Paris video showing Lady Gaga inviting a fan up on stage:
But, (yes, there is a but); the staging against the backdrop of a fortress and a horror film, where she battles against a totalitarian regime: Mother G.O.A.T. During the concert, she talks to her fans, as many artists do, but she talks a lot. A huge amount, in fact, in order to deliver a message: “I am not weak, I am not a man, nor am I an alien, I am you”. Her only watchwords are: “Courage, bravery, music and fashion” – a strong message against all forms of discrimination.
La Chipie de Paris video of Lady Gaga talking to her fans:
Beyond the inevitable comparisons with Madonna, it’s the darkness that dominates the production that we struggle to follow; it was as if we had turned up early to a Halloween musical comedy. Making her entrance on to the stage by coming out of a vagina? It’s because she was “born this way”, they tell me. Ok… Guns make an appearance on stage on several occasions (I’m still not sure why). We’ll spare you the details of the hanging pieces of meat, the bloodied faces, and many other signs which force her to remind us, “this is not a funeral, this is a party!” (Something I had trouble deciphering).
Photo of the fortress on stage at Lady Gaga’s concert, taken by ©La Chipie de Paris
Finally, whether or not you choose to go along with the madness with which Lady Gaga expresses herself, you have to look at two things objectively: while certain songs, such as Judas, generate an atmosphere of collective hysteria, the show can seem subdued at times, with Alejandro and even Paparazzi failing to have the desired effect. In fairness, this is undoubtedly due to the venue, as it’s difficult to keep 75,000 people hyped up for close to two hours. On the other hand, and it’s without doubt the most important point of all, her fans – her little monsters – have enjoyed a night of pure craziness, with some going as far as to say that it was “the best concert of their lives”.
Photo of Lady Gaga on stage by ©La Chipie de Paris
Were you there or have you already seen Lady Gaga in concert? Tell us about it in the comments section!
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