Sarah Fennelly| Staff Writer
Lady Gaga brought the Artrave to Dublin’s 3Arena on Friday 17th October. This tour accompanied the release of ‘Artpop’, and album which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. Her loyal fan base was out in full costume, creating an incredible atmosphere before the show, despite the rain.
The first opening act was the disappointing Breedlove, the hook of whose first song was “I’ll meet you at sex o’clock in the morning”. He was promoting ‘The Magic Monday EP’ co-released with Chew Fu. The reaction from the audience was polite but unenthusiastic, partly due to the fact that he was on a bare stage with a screen behind him hiding Gaga’s arrangement. He made an effort to interact with the crowd but there was a collective sigh of relief when he left the stage.
Next was the talented Lady Starlight. She has toured with Lady Gaga before on the Monster Ball Tour, The Born This Way Ball Tour and, of course, ArtRave. She came onstage in a vintage style floral printed dress and, with little introduction, went straight in to the music. The set was enjoyable and definitely contributed to the building atmosphere of excitement, although it seemed to be enjoyed more by the college-aged Little Monsters than the school-children and parents.
Gaga’s entrance was, predictably, spectacular. The stage was set with strange futuristic looking structures, all white, accompanied by a piano that looked like a cluster of white crystals. She wore a bejewelled leotard and a giant set of angel wings and the effect was exactly what she intended. The show, as expected, featured several costume changes, the most memorable of which was Gaga wearing nothing but a black bald cap and fishnet stockings while bending over to show the audience… everything.
She maintained a strong connection with the audience throughout, risking alienating some when she told anyone who was just there “to hear the hits” to “GET THE F**K OUT OF HERE!”. She sang hits from ‘ArtPop’ as well as several other sings from other albums such as The Edge of Glory, Bad Romance and Just Dance. The highlights were the slow acoustic songs. She brought one shell-shocked fan onstage with her to perform a stripped-down version of Born This Way, accompanying herself on the crystal piano. As per the whispered request of her fan, she dedicated the piece to Patches.
Another highlight was her performance of Dope, the closing track of ‘ArtPop’, a song about addiction and weakness. She spoke before about how she has suffered from addiction, depression and anxiety in the past, putting her darker feelings into her music as a way of putting it into her past, and bringing herself into her future. She thanked fans for their belief in her dreams before launching into the beautiful and soulful rendition.
She closed with Gypsy, another track from ‘ArtPop’. At the end of a long and strenuous concert, her voice, so often accused of being over-produced, was incredible. She hit every note impeccably and sounded better than any recording. Fans hoping for an encore were disappointed, but it would be impossible to leave this concert feeling in any way cheated. Incredible production, stunning costumes and an outstanding performance from Gaga.
