Gaga’sperformance Thursday night at a near-capacity Bradley Center had dueling objectives:to provide the spectacle expected of the eccentric pop star, but also tohumanize her, breaking down the wall between the woman and the entertainer. Attwo hours long, there was plenty of time to do both. Outlandish costumes,rotating set pieces, arty video sequences, musicians dressed like living“Guitar Hero” avatars, chiseled dancers, fake blood and a literal fame monsterfilled the stage, but Gaga offset these theatrics by addressing the crowdextensively between songs, often in the empathetic tones and personal anecdotesof a motivational speaker. She twice assured the crowd they could be whoeverthey wanted to be.
“Iwasn’t very cool in high school,” she confided. “In fact, I used to get madefun of every day … I was just like you, sitting in the audience, watching somefucking slut who I wanted to be.” It’s a difficult pitch to make, a ubiquitouspop star sympathizing with outsiders and outcasts, but it had weight comingfrom a woman taunted by vitriolic rumors that she’s a hermaphrodite, and it wasappreciated by an audience eager to fly its freak flag. Fans arrived costumedin wigs, boas, face paint, wings and yellow caution tape.
Gagamade repeated, extended calls for gay rights and tolerance. After solicitingdonations for a charity for homeless LGBT youth, promising to matchcontributions up to $25,000, she phoned a gay audience member from the stageand complemented his courage. Later she introduced a bisexual backup dancer,likening him to Jesus in that he loves everybody. These interludes slowed thepace of a concert that was already chatty, but they also gave the performance asense of purpose. Few singers of her stature so thoroughly commit themselves toa cause on stage.
Ofcourse, Gaga’s interest in gay culture extends beyond politics. “They used totell me my music was too gay and I would never fill an arena,” she gloated,rallying her bare-chested dancers for a joyfully frivolous routine set to “BoysBoys Boys.” “All my Milwaukeegays!” she shouted. “This one’s for the boys! Gay pride!”
