TORONTO - Those Little Monsters sure love their Mama.
Thousands of Lady Gaga’s fans braved the worst snow storm in Toronto in five years to see Mother Monster’s Born This Way Ball at the first of two stops at the Air Canada Centre on Friday night.
Sure there were more than a few empty seats due to Nemo, as they called Friday’s blizzard for some bizarre reason, but those who did make it out saw the 26-year-old mega-pop star put on a monster show for the most part.
She was even dressed like an alien cloaked in an elaborate black headress that kept her face from the audience for the first couple of songs as she emerged from a pink lit castle, which her band was largely hidden in, with her dancers all around her as they walked around the large catwalk.
Then she really made the mother of all entrances, sorry about the pun, wearing a flesh coloured dress and literally clawing her way out of a womb between a pair of splayed legs for the song, Born This Way.
Anyone in the crowd who ever wanted to have children, may have just rethought it at that particular moment.
“Canada you are the future,” she declared. “Lets all go crazy! I missed you!”
What followed were many costume changes, lost of choregraphed dance moves, props like a bed and motorcyle, not to mention her long, striking, biohazard green hair that was often tied up in a bun.
“Tomorrow, I wish you the worst Lady Gaga hangover of your life,” she said. “Your vomit will be the colour of my hair.”
Truer words were never spoken.
Later Gaga later upped the ante costume-wise as she changed into a white white brimmed hat and dress that appeared to move on wheels and increased her height during the tune, Bloody Mary, emerged from that egg she made famous on the Grammys red carpet a few years ago in a white mini mouse outfit for Bad Romance; brought back the meat dress for Americano, stood inside a meat grinder for Poker Face, and even sat on a meat couch for Alejandro.
You can’t say the girl lacks ideas even if they did seem a bit all over the place at times.
“I am not an alien! I am not a woman! I am not a man! I am not human! And I’m not a creature of your government Canada,” she proclaimed about 40 minutes into the show. “When they ask who is Lady Gaga, you tell them that I am you!’
Then there was a long dramatic pause.
“I will suck the life and the ideas out of every monster in Toronto tonight. I will finally be able to invade the earth as your pop star. Will you stand by me?”
But man can she sing as she more than proved alone with her piano on You and I, possibly the best song of the night.
Certainly the one that made the biggest connection with her fans.
And when she called a Little Monster in the crowd named Mark and invited him and his party backstage for a drink after the show, you could feel the envy in the room.
Gaga also made good use of the pink palace - which often obscured her too much - during Just Dance as she wandered around it dressed up in a pink hat, dress and played a pink keytar and then let her long hair go free during Love Game and Telephone on the catwak.
“Do you remember when you first heard this song first?” she asked of Just Dance. “I do because it went no. 1 in Canada first. It changed my life and so did you.”
There was also a cool-looking multi-coloured Electric Chapel after Lady Gaga’s song of the same name.
And when she pulled seven fans in different colourful outfits on stage to join her for Marry the Night, you’d think the nuptials were real they were so excited.
“C’mon kids, let’s paint the town black!” she said as they obediently followed her around the catwalk before all disappearing together down a hatch at the front.
Only five years ago “she was a waitress in New York,” as she pointed out from the enormous stage.
And just look at her now.
She said of fame: “I had no idea what was on that other side of door - it was you little monsters.”
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