Lady Gaga at the ACC in T.O. Sunday night. (WENN.COM)

TORONTO - Lady Gaga lived up to the title of her song, Glitter and Grease, as she brought her highly theatrical Monster Ball Tour to the Air Canada Centre Sunday night for the first of two back-to-back shows.

A muted if dramatic opening featured the 24-year-old pop-dance diva perched on the top of a staircase, projected in silhouette onto a curved video screen in front of her, for 'Dance In The Dark.'

She was later revealed to be wearing a purple leather jacket with oversized shoulder pads, sunglasses, a leopard print body suit and black leather boots for the follow-up song, 'Glitter And Grease.'

But it wasn’t until a fluorescent yellow car (matching her current hair colour) was revealed on the stage floor below - along with a dozen dancers and a band, and neon signs lit up all over the stage scaffolding - that the show finally sprang to life during her mega-hit 'Just Dance.'

Gaga even opened the car roof to reveal a synthesizer inside for her to play and ventured out onto her catwalk leading to a circular stage in the middle of the crowd on the floor.

“What is The Monster Ball really about?” asked one of her male dancers named Posh, who was cross between Grace Jones and Dolph Lundgren in appearance.(Didn’t they date?)

“Well, Posh, The Monster Ball will set you free!” she said defiantly.

“Tonight, in Toronto, we’re going to be super freaky monsters,” she added while holding up a white bra thrown on stage. “I created it so that fans would have a place to go. All you gotta do is follow the glitter. May tonight be your liberation!”

Gaga’s followers, who she calls her Little Monsters, in turn chanted her name, screamed at the smallest and largest gestures, and generally sang, clapped, and danced along in a fierce demonstration of their connection to her.

She followed up the car-as-a-sythesizer prop with the arrival of a subway car that heralded the beginning of another show highlight, 'LoveGame,' which saw her change into a white nun’s habit and clear rubber dress.

More unique looking costumes (and synthesizers for that matter) would follow, including a red cloak with pointy shoulder pads, a black slicker with a studded black bikini beneath, an avant-garde bridal gown with butterfly wings and a long train, and a white fringe outfit that was a cross between Cousin It and something you’d find on a curtain rod.

The House Of Gaga - her equivalent of Andy Warhol’s Factory art, fashion, film and music scene - are sure keeping busy.

Lady Gaga even called a lucky fan in the crowd before her hit, 'Telephone,' and brought her down to the front to see the show closer.

“Do you know that Canada is the first place to believe in me? They called me up and said 'Just Dance' just went No. 1 in Canada,” she said. “So you started the whole f---ing thing.”

She finally took a break to play on a regular piano - even if it was on fire - for 'Speechless,' which she wrote about taking care of her father, who underwent heart surgery last year, and previewed a new rockier ballad about love called 'You And I.'

Other highlights included 'So Happy I Could Die,' which saw her in the spectacular bridal outfit on a rising platform at the end of her catwalk, the Michael Jackson-inspired dance moves and bloody ending of 'Monster' which ended with her saying: “Do you think I’m sexy?” and her current hit, 'Alejandro,' that included a gold statue of Jesus above a cande-lit fountain with flaming wings on stage in which she bathed herself.

She kind of a cross between Madonna, Alice Cooper and Judy Garland.

Also strong were the show-ending final trio of 'Pokerface,' 'Paparazzi' (featuring the “flaming boobies” bra she wore at last year’s MuchMusic Video Awards and the actual Fame Monster on stage) and 'Bad Romance,' with her enclosed in a silver sphere and pointy silver dress and headpiece.

The 24-year-old New Yorker - real name Stefani Germanotta - first brought The Monster Ball to the ACC last November in support of her 2008 debut, 'The Fame' - inspired by her breakup with heavy metal drummer Luc Carl who People.com is reporting she’s seeing again - and its 2009’s follow-up 'The Fame Monster.'

She’s already got a third album ready to release in early spring 2011.

“It’s the worst feeling ever,” said Gaga on Sunday night. “I just want to play it for you, but I can’t.”

Escorted to a seat near the sound board right before she started was British music legend Elton John who played Copps Coliseum in Hamilton on Saturday night.

The dynamic duo famously played pianos opposite each other during the 2010 Grammy Awards.

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SET LIST:

Dance in the Dark

Glitter and Grease

Just Dance

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich

Vanity

The Fame

LoveGame

Boys Boys Boys

Money Honey

Telephone

Speechless

You and I

So Happy I Could Die

Monster

Teeth

Alejandro

Poker Face

Paparazzi

Bad Romance