Orlando Fans Were Born This Way

Lady Gaga is arguably one of the most prolific and accom­plished musicians of the recent decade. So, when I had the op­portunity to see her live at the Amway Center last Friday, I jumped at the chance.

Though tickets were very costly ($70-$100 just for third tier seats), I was determined not to miss what was said to be one of the biggest events of the year.

After I got to the show, the arena was ripe with anticipation by the fans, all waiting for Gaga to come out. The show started a little late, with the group Semi Precious Weapons biding time as her opening act. They were not bad, but if you had never heard of them or their music (as I had not), then to hear them for the first time was somewhat funny.

With lyrics and a sound only describable as “Filthy Glamour” rock, the band was comparable to Ke$ha, only a bit less pop-like and with half the charm. But, for an opening act, they did manage to get the crowd pumped for the main at­traction of the night.

When Lady Gaga came onto the stage everyone in the stadium went insane! Lady Ga­ga’s concert is set up as a four act show in which Gaga and her friends are all on their way to the “Monster Ball.” Many ob­stacles stand in their way as her music lays as the backdrop for the story.

The actual showmanship of the event was remarkable, with amazing wardrobes and spec­tacular choreography. The only downside for me was my view of the set. The farther left or right you sat, the harder it was to see the full show, and with only fairly small monitors to the sides of the stage facing toward the front, you were somewhat out of luck if you had one of those seats.

The most amazing aspect of the show, though, was her musical performance. It is not often that I get to say this about an artist, but Lady Gaga is far more outstanding live than on CD or MP3. As she exclaimed to the audience in the middle of her show, Lady Gaga does not lip-sync, and the most she ever does is sing alongside a back track, yet even in this circum­stance, she has such a powerful voice that it is very distinguish­able.

During her performance of “Teeth,” when she went to each band member and, in such a commanding tone, sings “SHOW ME YOUR TEETH,” goose bumps ran up my arm. Of course, her hits, from “Poker Face” to “Bad Romance,” were well received and both the acoustic and album versions of “Born This Way” were stellar. She even performed the single “You + I” from her new album for the first time live.

One of the biggest surprises of the night, though, was the re­veal of her album cover for her new CD Born This Way, which she showed to the Orlando au­dience before going public with it to fans a few hours later. This, coming on the tails of her new single “Judas” being released, was a big double whammy for fans.

Lady Gaga is a fantastic performer in all senses of the term, and her show was worth every penny. She knew what the fans wanted and delivered on their expectations. While some may have hoped for a specific song or two to be played, ev­eryone agreed that the show knocked them off their feet. Gaga joked during the concert that if her career did not work out she “could always be a prin­cess at Disney World.” As out­rageous as that would be, I do not think this star will have to worry about making a career change anytime soon. But even if she did, I think we would all welcome her with open arms.