How good was Lady Gaga at Coachella opening night of Weekend One?
Take a look at these headlines:
Lady Gaga's Coachella Set Was So Earth-Shattering That People Are Saying She Changed Pop Music Forever, And I've Never Agreed More In My Life - Buzzfeed
Lady Gaga proves she’s music’s greatest kook in campy Coachella thriller - LA Times
Lady Gaga Outdoes Herself With a Coachella Spectacular That’s Equal Parts Freaky and Hearty - Variety
Lady Gaga’s Coachella Headlining Set Was a Genius Commentary On Fame - Billboard
Everywhere you look you'll read rave reviews of the night one headliner who gush over her passion, creativity, intricate production, crazy ass choreography, and detail-orientated fashion choices.
Some called it the best set of the 25 Coachellas - beating the standard bearer, Beyoncé, who stole the crown from Daft Punk and sashayed down the runway with it onto the stage.
I'm not here to choose winners or losers, but I can say what impresses me is Gaga did that with a courageous setlist, particularly in a festival, where 30% of the songs had never been heard live before.
Mother blew them away with the new stuff. She asserted her dominance as 11 of the 14 tracks from her latest offering, MAYHEM, provided the soundtrack.
That is not easy. That is not recommended. But if you're the main monster you purport to be, that is the way.
Broken up into four acts - which, let's be honest - helps with the costume changes and brief breaks; Gaga pulled from just four of her 10 releases, weaving the hits with rarely performed deeper cuts, alongside a heavy dose of the latest album that was released a mere month ago.
Experts would argue that at a festival, especially one where fans are buying a three-day wristband, you shouldn't barrage the crowd with brand new tunes because odds are they weren't there to primarily see you. You should save that sort of set for a smaller venue where everyone is clearly there for you.
Others, like me, would argue, dance with who brung ya.
Lady Gaga is who she is because she is wild and weird and over-the-top and ever-changing and risky and risqué and a leader, not a follower.
If she is going to play Coachella, she's going to use that enormous stage as the largest canvas to paint on. And that's what she did. And yes, it appeared she took a page from Beychella by turning the opportunity into a spectacle intended to awe one and all.
It was high art, operatic, vulnerable, inspirational, colorful, mesmerizing, campy, and fun. At 39 years-old, Gaga is completely comfortable at showing off the mastery of her craft, and adorably in love.
Her confidence radiates as she strutted around as if all 100,000 fans were there to see her and her alone. She acted as if all the wristband holders had waited patiently in the sweltering heat all day and night to celebrate the new album with her, and would not only know the new songs, but were anticipating their first breaths.
And through her overly-dramatic costumes, some of which were callbacks to her cutting edge fashion trends of the past, she assumed even those watching on their couches would know the reference points, and smile quietly at home.
Like Kendrick's halftime show earlier this year, it was clear everything was laid out mindfully, purposely, and with a narrative in mind, which even the Guardian UK called, "a thrilling all-timer of a performance."
One huge difference: Lamar had 13 minutes to properly destroy Drake, while Gaga was allotted two hours to rock the latest chapter of her story.
Often you could hear her breathing heavily, reminding you that as you were dipping your chips into the salsa, she was out there busting her ass.
Throughout the night she blessed the fans with sweetness, "I love you"s and wise words.
Halfway through the performance, before breaking into "Alejandro," she said standing in one of the windows reminiscent of Lana Del Rey's stage last year - except even more dramatic, "I love you so much. I wanted to make a romantic gesture to you this year in these times of mayhem.
"I've decided to build you an opera house in the desert for all the love and all the joy and all the strength you've given me my whole life," she said.
So did she become the standard for epic Coachella headliners?
Not sure if she planned it this way, but one fun thing Oscar winners do after they get their statue - they head to In N Out.
Gaga did just that... and even posed with a fan while waiting for her double double.
After she plays weekend two on Friday, she'll take a breather before her Mayhem Ball Tour kicks off with a pair of shows in Las Vegas.
Come September she heads off to Europe. Tickets available on Mother's website. Get them while you can.
Lady Gaga’s The MAYHEM Ball 2025 Dates
NORTH AMERICA
Wed Jul 16 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Fri Jul 18 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Wed Aug 06 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Thu Aug 07 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Fri Aug 22 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Sat Aug 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Tue Aug 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Sun Aug 31 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
Mon Sep 01 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
Wed Sep 10 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Thu Sep 11 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Mon Sep 15 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Wed Sep 17 – Chicago, IL – United Center
EUROPE/UK
Mon Sep 29 – London, UK – The O2
Tue Sep 30 – London, UK – The O2
Thu Oct 02 – London, UK – The O2
Tue Oct 07 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Sun Oct 12 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena
Mon Oct 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena
Sun Oct 19 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum
Mon Oct 20 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum
Tue Oct 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi
Wed Oct 29 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi
Tue Nov 04 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena
Wed Nov 05 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena
Sun Nov 09 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
Tue Nov 11 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis Arena
Thu Nov 13 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena
Fri Nov 14 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena
Mon Nov 17 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
Tue Nov 18 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
Thu Nov 20 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
