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Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
8:00 PM 23rd November 2014
arts

Gig Review: Lady Gaga - Sheffield Arena

 
Combining art and popular culture has been part of pop music over the years, notably in the 1970's with acts such as Roxy Music and Queen and in the 1980's with groups like The Pet Shop Boys. It is only recently that pop music has seen this being back in vogue with Lady GaGa.

Billed as the Art Rave tour the gig is a very diverse and entertaining show in which she has put her heart and soul into and has given a lot back to her fans with its lavish stage production.

The stage set looks like a giant sandcastle sculpture like you would see on a Mediterranean beach, walkways extended into the audience so that everyone can feel close up to her.

She rises out of the stage with what looks like a giant spider on her back "You look magnificent tonight, Sheffield" she informs the fans "Tonight is all about artistic liberation and freedom".

In the first 30 minutes of being on stage she has had 3 costume changes: there is a lot going on with her dancers and band all being prominent throughout the performance.

It is easy to forget how many hits she has had - Just Dance, Poker Face and Paparazzi (where she looks to have an octopus on her back) all show her commercial side.

Her recent foray into different styles of music such as the duet album she recorded with Tony Bennett has had an influence on the show as she slows down the pace with some slower jazzy numbers. On the track Dope she apologies to her best friend about messing up when he was maid of honour at her wedding.

There are plenty of props during the show; she is seated on a big metal hand as she performs Do What U Want. Her vocals sounded magnificent throughout.

She invites a fan up on stage with her during an acoustic version of Born This Way as the fan had handed her a moving letter during the gig. We get the cover version of the Sonny Bono hit Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) where she wears a Cher wig and red jacket.

She is an adept musician, she plays piano and guitar intermittently throughout the gig and she clearly appreciates her fans as she interacts with them. Ending the gig with Bad Romance and Applause it had been a concise and eventful performance that proved that unlike some of her other female contempories, Lady GaGa is an all round talented performer. Excellent.