“I never imagined that at a club in New York City, this many people would come,” Lady Gaga gushed to a screaming, sold-out crowd at Terminal 5 on Saturday (May 2), before adding with a smile, “But you still throw beer on me.”
The New York club scene, and beer throwing, is nothing new to the 23-year-old Gaga (real name: Stefani Germanotta) who has been performing throughout the underground circuit for years. But on the heels of her successful debut album, “The Fame” (Interscope/Universal) and hit singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” it’s only recently that she can reap the benefits of her hard work.
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For Gaga, that means performing her show–her way–in all its campy glory. The notoriously blonde-wigged and pants-less singer donned little more than funky suit tops, mini leotard dresses and a clear plastic bubble outfit throughout the set, all the while delivering cheeky, if not borderline lewd, banter in between songs. (In reference to Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s gambling-themed remix of “Poker Face,” Gaga joked, “It’s a song about sucking my boyfriend’s d*ck. Kanye was absolutely wrong.”)
All this is, of course, what fans have grown to love and expect from the singer; “The Fame” is littered with such innuendo as “bluffin’ with my muffin” and riding a “disco stick,” which when seen performed live adds to the album’s delightfully tacky appeal.
Electro-pop songs such as “Just Dance” and “Lovegame” and the playful romp “Boys Boys Boys” were among the night’s biggest hits, but Gaga’s vocal prowess proves she’s more than a robotic, backing-tracked pop star. A stripped-down, piano-based version of “Poker Face” highlighted the strength behind her vocals–as did a new song she tried out that was ostensibly about sex, though she claimed “it’s really about vibrators”–and the fame-obsessed ballad “Paparazzi” showed how adept she can be with her range.
From her chart success, Lady Gaga has proven herself to be an of-the-moment pop sensation. Dig deeper, and it’s clear she’s versatile and talented enough to have staying power. Gaga is not one to hog all this fame and success for herself, though. Upon receiving a plaque at the end of the show for “The Fame” reaching certified Gold status (presented to her by Streamline Records President Vincent Herbert), she turned to the crowd, thanked everyone and said, “I can’t wait to see all of you famous, too.”
Here is Lady Gaga’s setlist:
“Paparazzi”
“Lovegame”
“Beautiful Dirty Rich”
“The Fame”
“Money Honey”
“Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)”
“Poker Face” (acoustic)
“Future Love” (new song)
“Just Dance”
Encore:
“Boys Boys Boys”
“Poker Face”