Lady GaGa Live at the Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise Fl. April 12, 2011

For those unfortunate enough to be around me for the past year listening to my brew-ha-ha about Lady GaGa coming in concert I have excellent news: I broke down and bought myself a ticket. Obviously all the begging and pleading in the world did no good, never mind the fact that both of her sold out shows here in South Florida are the week of my birthday (Lady Ga Ga turned a ripe 25 herself a couple of weeks ago). A-hem, you were all supposed to chip in and buy me a ticket! No matter, I did not shell out the $210 a piece for floor seats. I fly economy and dropped $70. I am therefore metaphorically sitting in the nosebleeds seats right above the parking lot. She should be about an inch tall from my perspective. I forge on undaunted; thank God for large screens and binoculars. Right from the onset of my arrival I could tell this wasn't going to be a typical evening. The crowd waiting patiently outside was as colorful as the woman we had all come to see. There were a lot of men in various forms of dress and dresses; the women some scantily clad in lingerie, GaGa type gear including leather, lace, rhinestones, high heels and fishnets. We were taking pictures of one another and with each other. The crowd burst into a thunderous roar as the doors opened five minutes early. This was definitely going to be the party of the year. Nothing was off limits; there were no walls to break down or reasons to hide. After all, as per Lady GaGa herself, we were all born this way. On with the review.

17,000 or so '˜little monsters' and myself came together to see the sold-out show of a lifetime, or so I hoped. Would GaGa live up to the hype and be the best concert I had ever seen? Better than Elton John, Paul McCartney, or Madonna? Possibly yes? If you want fire, smoke, pyrotechnics, a sparkling bra, forget the Hollywood action flick, come to a GaGa show. Those 500 or so folks that shelled out the big bucks and stood on the floor obviously had the best view in the house. I don't know how thrilled they were standing the entire night, the floor was general admission, but they certainly seemed to be having the time of their lives. It looked like one huge mosh pit. The extravaganza scheduled to start at 8:00 P.M. did start on time. Unbeknownst to the faithful, or at least myself, there were two opening acts and Lady GG herself was running at half hour late. The first act I stayed for: a DJ whom also seemed to be a performance artist. He was unannounced and I can't seem to get a definite identification. The other act I didn't. Semi Precious Stones was the band. I don't know if they were good or bad but I do know they were loud. Lady GG didn't descend upon the stage until 9:45. Once she did begin there was no turning back. Add in eight or so costume changes (sorry Lady GG Cher's got you beat with 19) in a two hour show and you've got the makings of a record breaking evening. This tour dubbed '˜The Monsters Ball 2011,' certainly lives up to the hype. GaGa commanded the stage like general on the battlefield. Shouting out orders to Fort Lauderdale to get up and dance and '˜whip your dicks out!' I don't think she was only referring to the men in the audience. The backdrop set and stage props changed intermittingly during the evening and played extremely well with the entire song list. The dancers, all muscular, scantily dressed, were so tightly in step with Lady GG that one couldn't take your eyes off them. Bob Fosse couldn't have done a better job with the choreography.

Lady GaGa's initial entrance onto the Bank Atlantic Center stage was exactly what you would expect. An elaborate stage drape that went from floor to ceiling coupled with a projection reminiscent of a strippers tantalizing dancing silhouette: WHAM! She's arrived. Dressed in a purple jacket, matching bustier, long yellow hair and black knee high stiletto boots it was clear GG was taking no prisoners. Thankfully there were two screens on both sides of the stage. I had one eye on them most of the evening. The crowd already on their feet soaked her up like a sponge in the desert dropped into a bucket of water. The set list was the perfect combination of old songs and new. Her interaction with the audience was appropriately placed; most likely carefully rehearsed, and yet seemed as natural as air. No surprise here but the '˜F' bomb was dropped more than a couple times during the course of the evening. There were discussions of self-empowerment, bullying, advocating for gay rights, self-expression and following your dreams. All the things she holds near and hear to heart. It wasn't a sermon in the classic sense but she got her point across loud and clear. The faithful hung on every word, followed every movement and probably counted every time she blinked her eyes. The demographic of the crowd was not a surprise. Every age group was represented and loud. Kids as young as six or seven all the way to grandparents had '˜their paws up' tonight. This was an extravaganza of the highest caliber. The Queen of Pop/Rock is in the building.

Her blood drenched studded bikini number certainly made me stop and take notice and would make Madonna and Alice Cooper proud. Come on admit it, you would have gawked too. Another change came when she embarked off a subway car wearing a plastic see-through dress with strategically placed white X's and nun's cornette. One musical segment that stopped everyone in their tracks was her straddling the top of the piano, balancing on one leg, hitting the keys with her stiletto heel, then lighting the piano on fire. I don't think Elton or Billy Joel has ever tried all of that in the course of one song but I'd love to see them try.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady GG's real name), I've got one message for you: I'm hooked, cooked, and baked for the night. Your incredible vocals were right on par and far better than I expected live. Your six piece band was excellent and never missed a beat or growling guitar solo. Your cannibalism, celebrity eating monster (which was very cool by the way), and exploding bra with matching crotch sparklers made my pulse rise and my body dance. When you unabashedly asked '˜Do you think I'm sexy?" smeared in blood, the crowds response "Yes," was deafening. Thanks for thinking we were sexy too. Your version of "Teeth," was a sight to behold. Reeling in provocative sexual poses with a dancer, Madonna's rolling around on a bed simulating masturbation during "Like A Virgin," comes to mind ("Truth Or Dare," movie). Your rant on singers who lip sync through their shows was humorous and noted. I have to hand it to you honey; you are one of the best I've seen. The sheer entertainment value of the evening was well worth the ride. Not to mention you have the songs to back it up. You kicked them into gear like a finely tuned race car. The solo piano version of "Born This Way," which morphed into the new ballad "You and I," (which was dedicated to Clarence Clemmons from Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band whom as in attendance) was beautifully exquisite, an obvious homage to Elton John and the piano. The songs which really stood out for me and seemed to receive the wildest response were "Telephone," "Alejandro," "Poker Face," "Paparazzi," and "Bad Romance." The final encore was the turbo charged dance version of "Born This Way." Lady GG you had me at '˜Hello.' Thanks for the birthday gift of a lifetime.

Your little monster,

TM