The Monster Ball Tour

Last updated

The Monster Ball Tour
World tour by Lady Gaga
Monsterballtourgaga.png
Promotional poster for the tour
Location
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • North America
  • Oceania
Associated album The Fame Monster
Start dateNovember 27, 2009 (2009-11-27)
End dateMay 6, 2011 (2011-05-06)
Legs7
No. of shows
  • 120 in North America
  • 64 in Europe
  • 15 in Oceania
  • 4 in Asia
  • 203 total
Box office$227.4 million ($308 in 2023 dollars) [1]
Lady Gaga concert chronology

The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her first EP, The Fame Monster (2009), the concert largely comprised songs from that recording as well as Gaga's debut album, The Fame (2008). The tour visited various arenas and stadiums, performing over 200 shows between November 2009 and May 2011. With the tour separated into three respective North American and European legs, as well as visiting Australia, New Zealand and Japan, The Monster Ball is the highest-grossing tour for a debut headlining artist in history. [2]

Contents

Described as "the first-ever pop electro opera" by Gaga, the tour was announced in October 2009, after an originally planned joint concert tour with rapper Kanye West was abruptly cancelled; instead, Gaga's own Monster Ball officially began just four days after the release of The Fame Monster, in November 2009. An updated version of the show was created after only a few months of touring due to the singer's concerns that the original had been rushed-through during its initial stages. The stage for the original show looked like a "frame", similar to a hollowed-out television set.

As The Fame Monster dealt with topics of overexposure and toxic celebrity culture, including the paranoia Gaga herself had experienced, the main theme of the shows became personal growth and human evolution, while elements of the originally planned tour (with Kanye West) were retained in some parts. From 2010 on, the shows took on a "Big Apple" theme, telling a story in which Gaga and her friends are lost in New York City and must find their way to the "Monster Ball". Both versions of the show were divided into five acts, with an encore finale. Each section featured Gaga and her dancers in new outfits, performing music relating to the theme of each respective act; acts were separated by video interludes.

The tour received positive reviews, with critics praising Gaga's live vocals, musicianship, and the theatrics of the show. The Monster Ball was also a commercial success, with high demand for tickets creating multiple-date extensions to the itinerary. The Monster Ball ultimately grossed an estimated US$227.4 million from 203 reported shows, attended by an audience of 2.5 million. At the 2010 Billboard Live Music Awards, Gaga won the Breakthrough Performer Award as well as the Concert Marketing & Promotion Award. HBO recorded a special of The Monster Ball during Gaga's February 2011 shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City; interspersed with backstage footage and interviews, Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden aired on HBO in May 2011 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 21 of that year.

Background

Rapper Kanye West and Lady Gaga initially planned to launch a joint tour in October 2009, known as Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga. [3] Amid negative response to his controversial outbursts at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, West declared that he would take a hiatus from his music career. [4] Nevertheless, the complete schedule for Fame Kills was released, with the tour set to begin on November 10, 2009, in Phoenix, Arizona. [5] Shortly afterwards, the tour was officially cancelled without any explanation. [6] Gaga addressed the situation at Billboard 's annual Women in Music luncheon, where she cited creative differences as the reason for the tour's cancellation. [7] In an interview she stated, "[Kanye] is going to take a break, but the good news is, I am not." [8]

Lady Gaga Monster Ball 2009 DITD.jpg
The Monster Ball Tour - City Scene.jpg
The original and the revised shows began with a club remix of "Dance in the Dark". In the original show (left), Gaga appeared behind scrim lighting, while the revised show (right) presented a New York City night scene.

After assuring the public that she would be embarking on her own tour, Gaga officially announced the Monster Ball Tour on October 15, 2009. It was originally planned to debut in London in early 2010, but ended up kicking off on November 27, 2009, in Montreal. [9] [10] Rapper Kid Cudi and singer Jason Derulo were confirmed as the supporting acts for the tour, with Cudi supporting Gaga from the beginning of the tour, and Derulo joining from December 28, 2009. [9] [11] The official poster for the tour featured Gaga in Versace 676 sunglasses and wearing a gyroscope around her called "The Orbit", which she first wore on the October 3, 2009, episode of Saturday Night Live . The contraption was designed by Nasir Mazhar in collaboration with Gaga's own creative production company, Haus of Gaga. [8] [12] The tour's sponsor of the American leg was Virgin Mobile USA, who introduced the "Free I.P." program which offered free show tickets to fans who volunteered their time to homeless youth organizations. [13]

Development

Original concept

Monster Ball Just Dance.jpg
Lady Gaga performing Boys Boys Boys.jpg
The performance of "Just Dance" on the original show (left) had Gaga coming out from a white cube, while "Boys Boys Boys" was performed in a red leather bikini (right).

In an interview with Rolling Stone , Gaga explained that she wanted to put together an expensive looking, beautiful show which would be affordable for her fans. [10] She asserted that the tour was a "pop-electro opera" because the theatrics and story elements interwoven within it played out like an opera. According to her, the design of the show was innovative and forward in terms of creativeness. Gaga wanted to change the shape of the stage and designed one with Haus of Gaga that was "essentially a frame with forced perspective, and the frame is put inside the stage." [10] The stage had a triangular inset, like a diamond, and everywhere the show took place, the dimensions were measured in such a way that the box fit any stage. "So no matter where I go, my fans get the same experience. So often you go into theaters and there's ambient light flying in from all sorts of places, and the audience is in different spots, and the stage is in different shapes and lengths and widths and depths, so this is a way for me to control all the light and all of the different elements of the show", she added. [10]

The show revolved around themes of evolution, as well as her paranoias represented on The Fame Monster. While developing the tour Gaga spoke about original sin and demons inside human beings; [14] "So we talked about growth, and that led us into this kind of scientific space, and we started talking about evolution and the evolution of humanity and how we begin as one thing, and we become another." [10] This theme of monsters and evolution played a part in the fashion for the tour, which according to Gaga was "another level from where we were with the Fame Ball. [...] It's going to be a truly artistic experience that is going to take the form of the greatest post-apocalyptic house party that you've ever been to." Although Gaga stated that she was inspired by the things she and West were doing with the Fame Kills tour, she concluded that she did not want to use any of the things that they had designed together. Later, she said that Fame Kills was "the great lost tour", but confirmed that some of the elements of it were incorporated into The Monster Ball. [10]

In an interview with MTV News, Gaga further described the tour:

"I begin as a cell and I grow and change throughout the show. And it's also done in what now is becoming my aesthetic, which is, you know, it's part pop, part performance art, part fashion installation—so all of those things are present... It's a story, it's me battling all my monsters along the way. I'm playing all the music from The Fame, all the music from The Fame Monster. And the stage that I designed with the Haus [of Gaga] is a giant cube that sits. Imagine you were to hollow out a TV and just break the fourth wall on a TV screen. It forces you to look at the center of the TV. It's my way of saying, 'My music is art.'" [15]

For the performance of "Paparazzi", Gaga had collaborated with her Haus of Gaga creative partner Matthew "Matty Dada" Williams. She had a different vision for it in the beginning. Dada thought that Gaga should wear her hair braided, which Gaga had never done before. Dada's explanation for the concept was the look of Rapunzel, the fairy-tale character. He felt that "it's something people deeply understand. And when you're wearing sunglasses on a scaffolding piece with a giant alien dancing behind you, I promised [to Gaga] it's not going to look like Rapunzel.'" [16]

Revamped concept

The Monster Ball - LoveGame revamped3.jpg
File-The Monster Ball Tour - Telephone4.jpg
On the revamped show, "LoveGame" was performed (left) decked in a nun's habit, and dancing inside a subway coach. During "Telephone", Gaga danced to the choreography seen in the song's video (right).

In December 2009, Gaga revealed that she planned to cancel the concept of the original shows of The Monster Ball Tour and start afresh. [17] She felt that the revamp of the show was needed as the original tour was constructed in a very short span of time. Gaga recalled that after West and she split up for this tour, she was unsure if she could get a show together in time, but nevertheless wanted to promote The Fame Monster. Hence she was able to put together "something that, in truth, I never would have done if I had a longer amount of time". [17] The revamp of the tour was planned from the arena shows in the United Kingdom from February 2010. "My team thinks I'm completely psychotic. But I don't fucking care what they think. [...] Well, just to give you an idea, the stage is about four times the size of the one we're on now and conceptually, it's completely different. One thing that has been lost over the past 10-15 years, in pop music, is the idea of showbiz. And this is definitely going to bring that back", clarified Gaga. [17] According to James Montgomery of MTV, the show recalled the Broadway performance musicals The Wizard of Oz (1939) and West Side Story (1961), the Broadway stage musical Metropolis (1989), and the television mini-series Angels in America (2003). [18]

During an interview with London's 95.8 Capital FM radio station, Gaga further elaborated on the changes in the show. She said that the show was constructed like a piece of musical theater. It also incorporated a number of contemporary and old musical pieces, some of them being re-recorded specifically for the show itself. [19] A new keytar was constructed for the show and was named Emma. The instrument was created by the Haus of Gaga and the singer said, "We have this new instrument that I brought to the Brits tonight, 'Emma', which is what I was playing on the stage. She's a hybrid from all these other instruments." [19] During an interview on KISS-FM with Ryan Seacrest, on his show On Air with Ryan Seacrest , Gaga explained that the concert tour was still called The Monster Ball, but it had become more of a musical and less of a concert. It had a New York theme at its core; telling a story where Gaga and her friends travel to The Monster Ball, but get lost. [19]

Concert synopsis

Pre-revisions

Monster Ball Egyptian outfit3.jpg
Lady Gaga performing Monster.jpg
In the original show, "Fashion" was performed in a gold, Egyptian-style outfit (left), while during the performance of "Monster" Gaga wore a black feathered jacket (right).

Beginning behind a giant, green, laser lit video screen featuring scrim lights, Gaga appeared in a bulb-covered futuristic silver jeweled jumpsuit [20] with matching eye makeup and mask and sang "Dance in the Dark" as dancers, dressed in white balaclavas and white jumpsuits, moved around her. [21] [22] The video screen, resembling an electric mathematical grid, was eventually lifted during the performance. [23] After the song, Gaga strapped a portable silver jeweled keyboard to herself and began to perform "Just Dance" while emerging from the inside of a white cube on a platform. [21] [22] This was followed by a brief video intermission and Gaga returned onstage in an off-white costume, that resembled an alien ecto-skeleton, while the dancers wore skeletal headgear. She started performing "LoveGame", which ended with Gaga pointing towards her groin. [21] [22] Flames appeared on the video screens, [24] as she got out of her ecto-skeleton outfit. After stripping down to a silver bodysuit she performed "Alejandro", and was carried by her crotch by one of her male dancers, and later lowered onto another one of them. [21]

The section was followed by a video interlude featuring snarling dogs and brooding ravens. [25] The performance of "Monster" began with Gaga emerging in a black feathered jacket and performing dance moves reminiscent of Michael Jackson as the backdrops featured a black bird's wings. [23] She continued with two songs from The Fame Monster titled "So Happy I Could Die" and "Teeth", after which she removed the feathered dress. Gaga then started performing the song "Speechless" on piano, and continued with an acoustic version of "Poker Face". [21] Rapper Kid Cudi joined her then to perform his song "Make Her Say" which contains a sample of "Poker Face". This segment was followed by the performance of "Fashion" and "The Fame", during which Gaga wore a gold Egyptian styled crown and matching body suit, [21] compared to the garment of a viking. Gaga crawled atop her piano during the follow-up songs "The Fame" and "Money Honey", [22] after which she returned to the stage, dressed in black vinyl and nearly nude in a red patent leather bikini, to perform "Boys Boys Boys", backed by a squadron of skinny and shirtless leather boys. [26] During "Poker Face", she wore a bondage inspired black leather dress with guns hanging from it and a hat made of muzzles, [27] and pumped her hands in the air while performing the song. [22] This was followed by Gaga sitting on a dentist's chair and spreading her legs during "Paper Gangsta". [21] Another video interlude followed, displaying arty poses of Gaga in gothic looks. [23]

She returned to the stage while wearing multiple donned braided extensions for "Paparazzi". Gaga was perched atop a railing and from each of her braids, a dancer was attached on the stage. A backdrop of stars were shown during the performance. [16] The performance ended with the railing taking Gaga high above the stage, where she faked her death. This was followed by "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" as she descended from the top—which signified her rebirth—amidst white lights and mechanical fog. [25] She wore a giant gyroscope around her, akin to "The Orbit" by Haus of Gaga. [27] The last song of the show was "Bad Romance" which she performed in an '80s-inspired white power suit with exaggerated high shoulders and high-waisted pants. [21] The show ended with a video of Gaga getting a heart-shaped tattoo on her shoulder, with the word "Dad" in the center of it. [23]

Post-revisions

Lady Gaga Speechless.jpg
So Happy I Could Die2.jpg
During the performance of "Speechless", Gaga's piano spouts flames (left), while during "So Happy I Could Die" she wore a white dress that could move on its own accord.

After revisions, the show was divided into four sections: City, Subway, Forest, Monster Ball and concluded with an encore. It began with a projected video onto a curtain—which contained images of Gaga doing a 360 degree jump—while a club remix of "Dance in the Dark" played. [28] Surrounded by violet light, her silhouette appeared on the curtain while she performed "Dance in the Dark". Once the curtain was removed and the chorus reached, the New York cityscape and neon lights were revealed. [29] Gaga gyrated on the set dressed in a "futuristic, angular, glitter ball suit". [30] After descending from her fire escape, she poked around in the hood of a dilapidated green Rolls-Royce [30] while performing "Glitter and Grease". Upon checking under the vehicle's bonnet, Gaga revealed a keyboard and began to play the opening notes of "Just Dance". Gaga then performed "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" while scaling various pieces of scaffolding [18] and subsequently "The Fame" where she rose from beneath the stage and played her keytar Emma, wearing a giant red cape. [28]

"LoveGame" saw the beginning of the Subway section, with Gaga wearing a translucent nun's habit, and a skeletal hand. [29] The song was performed with the aid of a gilded subway car [30] and a "disco stick" [18] while her next number "Boys Boys Boys" featured muscly male dancers cavorting in spandex shorts. [18] After a costume change, Gaga burst into "Money Honey" with an extended keytar solo after emerging from beneath the stage as the New York scenery disappeared around her. [18] As she walked towards the Glitter way, Gaga recalls when she was in jail and her friend Beyoncé bailed her out, thus performing the song "Telephone". [18] A piano is then brought in and Gaga goes into the song "Brown Eyes", after which she performs "Speechless" while the piano starts spitting fire. [30] [31] This segment also saw the performance of "You and I" in some of the shows; the song was later added to Gaga's second studio album, Born This Way . [32] During this song, she tells the audience about her life as a teen in New York, and how she became who she is today. Gaga and her friends then continue down the Glitter Way, and soon they run into an angel, who plays an angelic tune that summons a twister, taking them closer to the Monster Ball, but landing them in a strange place that they did not know. [29] Gaga sings "So Happy I Could Die", decked in a white dress, that moves on its own accord. [32]

The third segment begins with Gaga returning on the stage and singing "Monster", inside a forest with black, thornlike trees. [18] [32] Her dancers conglomerate around her near the end and Gaga reveals herself to be covered with blood. She then states that the thing she hates more than money is the truth and performs "Teeth", while introducing her band. [18] Gaga and her friends then find the Eternal Fountain, which pours out red colored liquid and Gaga explains that it bleeds for anyone. She starts singing "Alejandro" while jumping into the fountain and singing, as blood pours over her. [18] Gaga then returns and sings "Poker Face" on the cat-walk. After the performance, she and her friends find themselves in a dark place, and after some dialogue, Gaga's friends run off, leaving her alone to deal with the Fame Monster, a giant angler fish. [18] Gaga starts singing "Paparazzi" and eventually kills the Fame Monster by shooting sparks from her pyrotechnic bra and underwear. [29] [30] She then leaves for the Monster Ball and after appearing there, meanwhile fans assume the show is not over yet, suddenly Gaga appears on stage and performs the song, "Bad Romance" while standing inside a giant gyroscope. After the song, she says that she can do one more song for an encore to the audience. "Born This Way" is performed with Gaga singing with a hand microphone and wearing a plastic two-piece ensemble and during the bridge, she performs an organ solo of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. After the end of the song, she creates a monster paw with her dancers and finally the show is over as the curtain goes down. [30]

Critical response

Original show

Monster-ball-paper gangsta 03.jpg
The Monster Ball - Teeth revamped2.jpg
During the performance of "Paper Gangsta" on the original show, Gaga strapped her dancers to a dentist's chair (left). On the revamped show, Gaga was covered in fake blood for the performance of "Teeth" (right).

The original version of the tour received generally positive reviews from critics. Jane Stevenson from Toronto Sun gave the concert four out of five stars and said that Lady Gaga came across as a "confident, colourful, and campy performer. [...] Gaga's success was evident with slick-looking videos, lights, elaborate costumes, dancers, and yes, a band, even if her stage was sometimes left dark as she left to make numerous changes." [21] T'Cha Dunlevy for The Gazette noted that the performance was lacking—adding that the show never reached its peak until the end, when Gaga performed the "real rendition" of "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance". "Better late than never", Dunlevy concluded. [22] Aedan Helmer from Jam! magazine said that "At first blush, it might seem the real driving force behind Gaga's meteoric rise to fame is her hand-picked cadre of costume and set designers—dubbed Haus of Gaga—who seemingly know no bounds when it comes to pushing the envelope of haute couture and the theatre of the absurd. [...] But what really sets Gaga apart from the middling masses of lip-synching Britney clones and Idol wannabes is her pure, unadulterated musical talent. [...] The Lady can sing." [33] Theatre critic Kelly Nestruck, while writing for The Guardian , said "While The Monster Ball has nothing on the great operas or the golden age of musical theatre, Lady Gaga's 'electro-pop opera' is at least twice as entertaining and infinitely fresher than any stage musical written over the last decade." [27] Lauren Carter from Boston Herald praised the show saying "[Gaga] only has two albums under her belt but who cares? Every song feels like a hit, and Gaga-as-star is already taking on Madonna-like proportions. [...] After [the show] at the Wang Theater, fans could justifiably walk away thinking Lady Gaga is crazy, brilliant or both." [24] Jeremy Adams from Rolling Stone reviewed the performance at Wang Center in Boston and said that "Throughout the evening, Gaga [..] aimed for a kind of pop theatricality that might potentially cement her burgeoning status as performance artist." [23]

Aidin Vaziri of San Francisco Chronicle said that "During her 90-minute performance—not so much a live concert as a meticulously choreographed spectacle—Lady Gaga also evoked Kanye West with the futuristic set, Britney Spears in her heavy-lidded stage movements, Courtney Love with her interminable between-song monologues highlighted by four-letter squelches and—who else?—Madonna for, oh, just about everything else." [34] Jim Harrington from San Jose Mercury News felt that the show would have been better technically if around thirty minutes were lessened from it. [20] James Montogomery from MTV reviewed the concert at San Diego and said that "[Gaga] powered through and turned the San Diego Sports Arena into a raucous, delightfully raw discotheque." [25] Writing for the Las Vegas Sun , Joe Brown observed that "Lady Gaga out-Cher-ed Cher, made Cirque du Soleil and Britney's 'Circus Tour' look like county fair carnivals, and made New Year's Eve in Las Vegas anticlimactic." [26] Los Angeles Times writer Ann Powers avouched that the tour was "an invigoratingly ambitious show, executed with vigor by its star and her expressive dancers." [35] Jon Pareles from The New York Times said that the tour always provided "something worth a snapshot: a sci-fi tableau, perhaps, or a skimpy, glittery costume. The more her image gets around, the better Lady Gaga does." [36]

Revamped show

Monster-ball-alejandro2.jpg
The Monster Ball Tour - Forest Scene.jpg
The performance of "Alejandro" on the original show portrayed sexual innuendo between Gaga and her dancer (left), while on the revamped show, she took a bath in a fountain, reminiscent of the one at Bethesda Terrace (right).

The revamped concerts were also met with critical acclaim. Mark Savage from BBC Online reviewed the first of the revised performances in the United Kingdom. Savage described the concert as a hugely ambitious, terrifyingly loud show, "spread over four acts and held together by a flimsy 'narrative' about Gaga and her dancer friends trying to get to a party." He was also impressed that the entire spectacle was put together in just four weeks. [30] MTV's James Montogomery reviewed the first North American performance of the tour in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He said that the tour was "packed with more wattage than an overheated power plant and more costume changes than a thousand Vegas reviews, it's the kind of show that leaves you with wide eyes, ringing ears, aching limbs and absolutely zero chance of making it to work in the morning." [18] New York Daily News writer Jim Farber expected that the theatricality of the show might have obscured the songs, but instead felt that Gaga's voice was perfect and the concert actually "pushed Gaga a long way towards her obvious goal – to be the queen of this pop moment." [32] Glenn Gamboa from Newsday said that Gaga "built her monster-sized fame on knowing how to create a spectacle and then having the substance to back it up. For every coat made of Kermit the Frog dolls or headdresses that covered her face in red lace, there was a stomping disco anthem or tender piano ballad to match. That back and forth is the centerpiece of her Monster Ball Tour." [37] Dan Aquilante from the New York Post was critical of the show, calling it "scripted, silly, and tired, right down to Gaga's patter." He added that the 15 costumes Gaga wore during the two-hour plus gig were "more successful helping her cement the notion of an erotic and exotic otherworld." [28] Writing in the Telegram & Gazette , Craig S. Semon was appreciative of the show, calling it "an out-of-this-world blast and end-of-the-world blow-out that must be seen to be believed." [29]

Rick Massimo, reviewing the concert for The Providence Journal , wrote that as a musical theater, the Monster Ball was not that exciting, but "that leaves the music, and when you lay two hours of her songs end-to-end, it's easy to see the vision, the intelligence and a serious songwriting talent at work." [31] Jay N. Miller from The Enterprise was impressed with the show, saying that the music was somewhere between industrial disco and house music with a rock edge, but "always danceable". [38] Philip Borof from Bloomberg Television reviewed the concert in New York's Madison Square Garden and found it average, calling the crowd decked in various costumes as the "most entertaining". [39] Toronto Star 's Ben Rayner appreciated the show, exclaiming "hot damn, that was one hell of a show Gaga brought to the Air Canada Centre Sunday night and suddenly it doesn't seem redundant to add one more voice to the Lady Gaga choir." [40] Mariel Concepción from Billboard felt that Gaga "may be best known for her gaudy outfits and over-the-top stage shows, but at her hometown headlining debut at Madison Square Garden last night, the pop phenomenon proved she's a regular girl at heart." [41] The Seattle Times staff writer Marian Liu declared that as "one of the most anticipated touring acts of the year, [Gaga] stimulated the crowd's senses on Saturday night in a way few artists can. She brought spectacle and backed it up with soul." [42] The Guardian journalist Alexis Petridis reviewed the opening show of the European leg, and commented that "it takes a certain je ne sais quoi to open your show doing something that looks suspiciously like mime on a rickety metal staircase while wearing an outfit with shoulderpads the size of the deck on a small aircraft carrier." [43]

Commercial reception

Monster-ball-paparazzi.jpg
Lady Gaga with The Fame Monster.jpg
For "Paparazzi", Gaga developed a Rapunzel-inspired performance on the original show (left), while the revamped show featured a giant Anglerfish as the Fame Monster, with Gaga trying to kill it (right).

As soon as the dates for the show were announced, there was high demand for tickets. As sponsor of the North American Monster Ball Tour, Virgin Mobile customers had access to presale tickets. Bob Stohrer, VP of Marketing for Virgin Mobile USA said "We are excited to take our partnership with Lady Gaga and The Monster Ball Tour to another level. [...] We'll also build on our partnership around combating youth homelessness and continue to enhance the tour experience for fans and our customers." [44] Shows in the first leg of the tour were sold-out completely, prompting Live Nation Inc. to announce that Gaga will return to the U.S. in February 2011 for another run of U.S. dates. The 2011 dates for the North American Monster Ball Tour were announced as starting from February 19 in Atlantic City, with ten arena dates confirmed through April 18. [45] Additional shows were announced, and Semi Precious Weapons collaborated with Gaga until the tour ended. Live Nation Entertainment's global touring division, headed by chairman Arthur Fogel, held the reins as promoter/producer of the Monster Ball tour. [45]

Fogel commented on Gaga's lack of experience in a tour and said that it was an opportunity for her. "As an artist with that kind of talent and vision emerges, it creates a lot of excitement, and ticket sales worldwide demonstrate that people are really excited to see the show. Over the course of the next many months we're trying to play to as many people in as many places as possible", Fogel added. "It's an across the board home run." [45] Demands increased and another additional six dates were added to the announced itinerary. [44] The Monster Ball sold-out shows in Toronto, Vancouver and San Jose who were compelled to add second dates in each city. In Los Angeles, to ensure that concert goers had the best possible access to tickets, a second performance was announced prior to the onsale of the first shows, and both Staples Center concerts were completely sold out. [44] Billboard estimated that by the time the tour wraps up in 2011, it would have grossed close to US$200 million worldwide. [45]

The ticket money from the final performance at Radio City was donated for the Haiti earthquake relief. Gaga announced on the rescheduled show at Elliott Hall of Music on January 26, 2010, that about US$500,000 was collected for the relief. [46] At the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards, Gaga won the Breakthrough Performer Award, as well as the Concert Marketing & Promotion Award, the latter being an acknowledgement of her partnership with Virgin Mobile. [47] Billboard also placed The Monster Ball Tour at position four on their Year-end Top 25 Tours of 2010. They reported that the tour had grossed US$116 million from 122 shows, with an audience of 1.3 million. [48] By the end of the year, Pollstar announced that the tour had earned a total of US$133.6 million from 138 shows, making her the only woman to be placed in their list of the Top 10 Tours of 2010. [49] Yet, for all the success of the tour, the first extension of The Monster Ball Tour almost bankrupted Lady Gaga, she told The Financial Times it left her $3m in debt. [50]

The top grosser of The Monster Ball Tour were the two concerts at the Bell Centre in Montreal, which collectively earned over US$10 million. [51] By amassing an audience of 111,060 from two shows, the performances at the Foro Sol in Mexico City attained the largest audience of the tour. [51] Gaga's show at the United Center in Chicago became the highest-grossing concert of the third American leg; it earned an estimated US$1.8 million from 15,845 sold seats at a February 28, 2011 performance. [52] The largest crowd, however, came from the Nashville market with 14,925 present at the Bridgestone Arena performance on April 19. The tour continued its presence in the Atlanta market on April 18, 2011, where she performed to 10,864 people at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The third American leg concluded in Uniondale, New York with a sellout crowd of 13,195 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on April 23, 2011. [53] At the conclusion of 2011, The Monster Ball Tour grossed over US$70 million from 45 shows. [54] By May 2011, the tour had grossed a total of US$227.4 million from the 200 reported shows, drawing an audience of 2.5 million, making it the highest-grossing tour in history by a debut headlining artist. [55]

Broadcast and recordings

Monster-ball-bad romance.jpg
The Monster Ball - Bad Romance revamped10.jpg
Both the performances of "Bad Romance" on the original (left) and the revamped (right) shows featured a giant gyroscope.

HBO filmed a special of The Monster Ball Tour during Gaga's February 21–22, 2011 shows at Madison Square Garden. [56] The special, titled Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden, aired on HBO on May 7, 2011, and Sky1 on May 21, 2011, in the United States and the United Kingdom respectively. [57] [58] Prime showed the special in New Zealand on June 2, 2011. [59] [60] The special showed the whole of the Monster Ball Tour, and some backstage footage, which was shown in black-and-white. It ended with another black-and-white backstage scene where Gaga and her backup singers perform "Born This Way" a capella.

After its broadcast, the special received critical acclaim; critics praised Gaga's performance, but doubted her sincerity during her on-stage rambling and in pre-concert scenes. The special was nominated for five honors at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special; Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special; Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special; Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special (Single or Multi-Camera); and Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special. [61]

A video album was released for the special and includes extra footage like a capella performances and photo gallery. The 5.1 surround sound of the release utilized DTS-HD Master Audio and new technology to provide the viewer an optimum experience of watching the live concert. [62] Emphasis was given on the main music and the vocals sung during the concert, while adjusting them against the screaming and the cheering of the crowd. [63] The release was a commercial success, reaching the top of the DVD charts in the United States, France and Italy and the top-ten in other nations. [64] [65] [66] It received double platinum certifications in Australia and France, while in the United Kingdom, it was certified gold. [67] [68]

On April 9, 2020, the Lady Gaga media site GagaFrontRow shared a direct screen recording of the Philadelphia show on September 14, 2010. This is the first full version of the concert ever released to the public since the HBO special and subsequent DVD removed many elements of the show, including half of the first song "Dance in the Dark". The full concert is available to watch on YouTube. [69]

Set list

Original show

This set list is representative of the show on November 28, 2009. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour. [21]

  1. "Dance in the Dark"
  2. "Just Dance"
  3. "LoveGame"
  4. "Alejandro"
  5. "Monster"
  6. "So Happy I Could Die"
  7. "Teeth"
  8. "Speechless"
  9. "Poker Face" (piano version)
  10. "Fashion"
  11. "The Fame"
  12. "Money Honey"
  13. "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"
  14. "Boys Boys Boys"
  15. "Paper Gangsta"
  16. "Poker Face"
  17. "Paparazzi"
Encore
  1. "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)"
  2. "Bad Romance"

Revamped show

This set list is representative of the show on August 11, 2010. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour. [70]

  1. "Dance in the Dark"
  2. "Glitter and Grease"
  3. "Just Dance"
  4. "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"
  5. "Vanity"
  6. "The Fame"
  7. "LoveGame"
  8. "Boys Boys Boys"
  9. "Money Honey"
  10. "Telephone"
  11. "Brown Eyes"
  12. "Speechless"
  13. "You and I"
  14. "So Happy I Could Die"
  15. "Monster"
  16. "Teeth"
  17. "Alejandro"
  18. "Poker Face"
  19. "Paparazzi"
Encore
  1. "Bad Romance"

Notes

Shows

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening act, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue
DateCityCountryVenueOpening actsAttendanceRevenue
North America [75] [76]
November 27, 2009 Montreal Canada Bell Centre Kid Cudi
Semi Precious Weapons 		12,013 / 12,832$564,821
November 28, 2009 Toronto Air Canada Centre 12,265 / 12,265$619,497
November 29, 2009 Ottawa Scotiabank Place 7,645 / 7,645$375,875
December 1, 2009 Boston United States Wang Theatre 7,056 / 7,056$385,924
December 2, 2009
December 3, 2009 Camden Susquehanna Bank Center 7,143 / 7,143$291,295
December 9, 2009 Vancouver Canada Queen Elizabeth Theatre Kid Cudi
Semi Precious Weapons		8,220 / 8,220$479,149
December 10, 2009
December 11, 2009
December 13, 2009 San Francisco United States Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 17,000 / 17,000$840,960
December 14, 2009
December 17, 2009 Las Vegas Pearl Concert Theater ———
December 18, 2009
December 19, 2009 San Diego San Diego Sports Arena 9,904 / 10,681$445,680
December 21, 2009 Los Angeles Nokia Theatre L.A. Live Kid Cudi
Semi Precious Weapons		20,559 / 20,559$944,680
December 22, 2009
December 23, 2009
December 27, 2009 New Orleans Lakefront Arena —6,217 / 6,217$262,015
December 28, 2009 Atlanta Fabulous Fox Theatre Jason Derulo
Semi Precious Weapons		8,897 / 8,897$489,849
December 29, 2009
December 31, 2009 Miami Knight Theater 9,365 / 9,365$445,933
Miami Beach Fontainebleau Miami Beach ———
January 2, 2010MiamiKnight TheaterJason Derulo
Semi Precious Weapons		 [a] [a]
January 3, 2010 Orlando UCF Arena 6,753 / 6,785$283,886
January 7, 2010 St. Louis Fox Theatre 4,236 / 4,258$278,885
January 8, 2010 Rosemont Rosemont Theatre 12,712 / 13,032$610,177
January 9, 2010
January 10, 2010
January 12, 2010 Detroit Joe Louis Arena 16,084 / 16,648$750,090
January 13, 2010
January 20, 2010 New York City Radio City Music Hall 23,684 / 23,684$1,360,515
January 21, 2010
January 23, 2010
January 24, 2010
January 26, 2010 [b] West Lafayette Elliott Hall of Music 5,765 / 5,765$198,893
Europe [75]
February 18, 2010 Manchester England Manchester Evening News Arena Alphabeat
Semi Precious Weapons		16,764 / 16,909$759,233
February 20, 2010 Dublin Ireland The O2 25,194 / 25,194$1,225,970
February 21, 2010
February 22, 2010 Belfast Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena 10,038 / 10,038$426,986
February 24, 2010 Liverpool England Echo Arena Liverpool ——
February 26, 2010London The O2 Arena 33,636 / 33,636$1,564,080
February 27, 2010
March 1, 2010 Glasgow Scotland Scottish Exhibition Hall 4 ——
March 3, 2010 Cardiff Wales Cardiff International Arena
March 4, 2010 Newcastle England Metro Radio Arena 10,607 / 10,802$466,898
March 5, 2010 Birmingham LG Arena 14,750 / 14,750$666,516
Oceania [75] [78]
March 13, 2010 Auckland New Zealand Vector Arena Semi Precious Weapons23,084 / 23,936$1,056,840
March 14, 2010
March 17, 2010 Sydney Australia Sydney Entertainment Centre 35,460 / 35,460$2,533,140
March 18, 2010
March 20, 2010 Newcastle Newcastle Entertainment Centre Alphabeat
Semi Precious Weapons		7,182 / 7,225$527,770
March 23, 2010 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena Semi Precious Weapons39,299 / 39,299$2,679,010
March 24, 2010
March 26, 2010 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre 25,222 / 25,476$2,065,210
March 27, 2010
March 29, 2010 Canberra AIS Arena 4,990 / 5,058$328,569
April 1, 2010 Perth Burswood Dome 18,383 / 22,891$1,746,560
April 3, 2010 Adelaide Adelaide Entertainment Centre 9,186 / 9,791$629,515
April 5, 2010 Wollongong WIN Entertainment Centre 5,183 / 5,746$349,420
April 7, 2010SydneySydney Entertainment Centre [c] [c]
April 9, 2010MelbourneRod Laver Arena [d] [d]
Asia [79]
April 14, 2010 Kobe Japan Kobe World Kinen Hall Far East Movement ——
April 15, 2010
April 17, 2010 Yokohama Yokohama Arena
April 18, 2010
Europe [75]
May 7, 2010 Stockholm Sweden Ericsson Globe Semi Precious Weapons26,213 / 33,853$2,460,767
May 8, 2010
May 10, 2010 Hamburg Germany Barclays Arena7,010 / 10,500$600,688
May 11, 2010 Berlin Uber Arena8,263 / 13,304$729,435
May 15, 2010 Arnhem Netherlands GelreDome XS 20,371 / 34,561$1,687,606
May 17, 2010 Antwerp Belgium Sportpaleis 31,818 / 31,818$2,483,340
May 18, 2010
May 21, 2010 Paris France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 31,474 / 31,552$2,763,340
May 22, 2010
May 24, 2010 Oberhausen Germany König Pilsener Arena 9,074 / 11,113$828,477
May 25, 2010 Strasbourg France Zénith de Strasbourg 10,869 / 10,869$1,031,874
May 27, 2010 Nottingham England Trent FM Arena ——
May 28, 2010BirminghamLG Arena14,153 / 14,968$1,477,280
May 30, 2010LondonThe O2 Arena34,159 / 34,176$3,057,250
May 31, 2010
June 2, 2010ManchesterManchester Evening News Arena23,563 / 23,563$2,247,800
June 3, 2010
June 4, 2010 Sheffield Motorpoint Arena ——
North America [75] [80]
June 28, 2010MontrealCanadaBell CentreSemi Precious Weapons16,036 / 16,036$1,686,050
July 1, 2010BostonUnited States TD Garden ——
July 2, 2010
July 4, 2010 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall 13,335 / 13,335$1,824,963
July 6, 2010New York City Madison Square Garden 45,461 / 45,461$5,083,454
July 7, 2010
July 9, 2010
July 11, 2010TorontoCanadaAir Canada Centre——
July 12, 2010
July 14, 2010 Cleveland United States Quicken Loans Arena 16,044 / 16,044$1,719,165
July 15, 2010 Indianapolis Conseco Fieldhouse ——
July 17, 2010St. Louis Scottrade Center
July 20, 2010 Oklahoma City Chesapeake Energy Arena
July 22, 2010 Dallas American Airlines Center 25,955 / 28,073$2,965,424
July 23, 2010
July 25, 2010 Houston Toyota Center ——
July 26, 2010
July 28, 2010 Denver Pepsi Center
July 31, 2010 Phoenix US Airways Center
August 3, 2010 Kansas City Sprint Center 14,209 / 14,209$1,497,528
August 6, 2010 [e] Chicago Grant Park —80,000 / 80,000$17,251,715 [75] [81]
August 11, 2010Los Angeles Staples Center Semi Precious Weapons29,211 / 29,593$3,532,782
August 12, 2010
August 13, 2010Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena ——
August 16, 2010 San Jose HP Pavilion
August 17, 2010
August 19, 2010 Portland Rose Garden 13,149 / 13,149$1,386,255
August 21, 2010 Tacoma Tacoma Dome ——
August 23, 2010VancouverCanada Rogers Arena
August 24, 2010
August 26, 2010 Edmonton Rexall Place 28,282 / 28,282$2,794,870
August 27, 2010
August 30, 2010 Saint Paul United States Xcel Energy Center ——
August 31, 2010
September 2, 2010 Milwaukee Bradley Center
September 4, 2010 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills
September 5, 2010 Pittsburgh Consol Energy Center
September 7, 2010Washington, D.C. Verizon Center 14,528 / 14,528$1,646,434
September 8, 2010 Charlottesville John Paul Jones Arena ——
September 14, 2010 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 30,487 / 30,487$3,299,707
September 15, 2010
September 16, 2010 Hartford XL Center ——
September 18, 2010 Charlotte Time Warner Cable Arena
September 19, 2010 Raleigh RBC Center
Europe [75] [82]
October 13, 2010 Helsinki Finland Hartwall Arena Semi Precious Weapons20,848 / 20,848$1,917,300
October 14, 2010
October 16, 2010 Oslo Norway Oslo Spektrum 19,000 / 19,000$1,900,000
October 17, 2010
October 20, 2010 Herning Denmark Jyske Bank Boxen 11,000 / 11,000$1,342,000
October 26, 2010DublinIrelandThe O237,676 / 37,676$3,943,342
October 27, 2010
October 29, 2010
October 30, 2010BelfastNorthern IrelandOdyssey Arena——
November 1, 2010
November 2, 2010
November 5, 2010 Zagreb Croatia Arena Zagreb 16,968 / 16,968$1,484,755
November 7, 2010 Budapest Hungary Budapest Sports Arena 13,000 / 13,000$1,105,000
November 9, 2010 Turin Italy Torino Palasport Olimpico ——
November 11, 2010 Vienna Austria Wiener Stadthalle 11,100 / 11,100$1,331,953
November 14, 2010 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion 27,200 / 27,200$3,025,800
November 15, 2010
November 17, 2010 Prague Czechia O2 Arena 17,000 / 17,000$1,400,000
November 19, 2010 Malmö Sweden Malmö Arena ——
November 22, 2010AntwerpBelgiumSportpaleis31,941 / 31,941$2,772,040
November 23, 2010
November 26, 2010 Gdańsk Poland Ergo Arena 15,000 / 15,000$1,350,000
November 29, 2010 Rotterdam Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy ——
November 30, 2010
December 2, 2010 Lyon France Halle Tony Garnier
December 4, 2010 Milan Italy Mediolanum Forum
December 5, 2010
December 7, 2010 Barcelona Spain Palau Sant Jordi
December 10, 2010 Lisbon Portugal Pavilhão Atlântico 16,000 / 16,000$1,400,000
December 12, 2010 Madrid Spain Palacio de Deportes ——
December 16, 2010LondonEnglandThe O2 Arena33,222 / 36,800$4,770,997
December 17, 2010
December 20, 2010 [f] ParisFrancePalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy31,374 / 36,151$2,912,633
December 21, 2010 [f]
North America [84]
February 19, 2011Atlantic CityUnited StatesBoardwalk Hall Scissor Sisters 13,492 / 13,492$1,609,752
February 21, 2011New York CityMadison Square Garden28,949 / 28,949$3,211,580
February 22, 2011
February 24, 2011Washington, D.C.Verizon Center15,080 / 15,080$1,670,331
February 26, 2011PittsburghConsol Energy Center14,713 / 14,713$1,554,415
February 28, 2011Chicago United Center 15,845 / 15,845$1,801,457
March 1, 2011 Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena 11,992 / 11,992$1,227,096
March 3, 2011TorontoCanadaAir Canada Centre16,488 / 16,488$1,887,085
March 4, 2011 Buffalo United States HSBC Arena 15,512 / 15,512$1,580,602
March 6, 2011OttawaCanadaScotiabank Place14,250 / 14,250$1,515,657
March 8, 2011BostonUnited StatesTD Garden14,361 / 14,361$1,525,663
March 10, 2011 Columbus Schottenstein Center 13,229 / 13,229$1,369,378
March 12, 2011 Louisville KFC Yum! Center 17,270 / 17,270$1,678,962
March 14, 2011DallasAmerican Airlines Center13,546 / 13,546$1,369,067
March 15, 2011 San Antonio AT&T Center 14,257 / 14,257$1,462,754
March 17, 2011 Omaha Qwest Center Omaha 15,313 / 15,313$1,606,232
March 19, 2011 Salt Lake City EnergySolutions Arena 14,385 / 14,385$1,313,005
March 22, 2011 Oakland Oracle Arena 15,913 / 15,913$1,563,797
March 23, 2011 Sacramento ARCO Arena 14,285 / 14,285$1,302,951
March 25, 2011Las VegasMGM Grand Garden Arena14,119 / 14,119$1,712,826
March 26, 2011PhoenixUS Airways Center14,166 / 14,166$1,386,115
March 28, 2011Los AngelesStaples Center14,883 / 14,883$1,555,784
March 29, 2011San Diego Viejas Arena 9,655 / 9,655$1,147,055
March 31, 2011 Anaheim Honda Center 13,026 / 13,026$1,380,353
April 4, 2011 Tulsa BOK Center Semi Precious Weapons13,710 / 13,710$1,322,897
April 6, 2011 Austin Frank Erwin Center 12,904 / 12,904$1,295,938
April 8, 2011HoustonToyota Center13,412 / 13,412$1,401,330
April 9, 2011New Orleans New Orleans Arena 13,513 / 13,513$1,392,998
April 12, 2011 Sunrise BankAtlantic Center 13,398 / 13,398$1,442,679
April 13, 2011Miami American Airlines Arena 14,695 / 14,695$1,573,090
April 15, 2011Orlando Amway Center 13,451 / 13,451$1,460,286
April 16, 2011 Tampa St. Pete Times Forum 15,134 / 15,134$1,506,017
April 18, 2011 Duluth Arena at Gwinnett Center 10,864 / 10,864$1,173,392
April 19, 2011 Nashville Bridgestone Arena 14,925 / 14,925$1,485,607
April 22, 2011 Newark Prudential Center 14,809 / 14,809$1,500,885
April 23, 2011 Uniondale Nassau Coliseum 13,195 / 13,195$1,393,404
April 25, 2011MontrealCanadaBell Centre16,417 / 16,417$1,765,492
April 27, 2011ClevelandUnited StatesQuicken Loans Arena14,857 / 14,857$1,499,897
May 3, 2011 Guadalajara Mexico Estadio Tres de Marzo Semi Precious Weapons29,047 / 29,047$2,559,232
May 5, 2011 Mexico City Foro Sol 111,060 / 111,060$6,699,708
May 6, 2011
Total1,583,999 / 1,598,857 (99.04%)$137,346,115

Personnel

Original shows (2009–10)
Revised shows (2010–11)

Credits and personnel as per The Monster Ball Tour (original and revised show) booklets.

Notes

  1. 1 2 This score data is combined from the two shows held at the Knight Center on December 31, 2009 and January 2, 2010 respectively
  2. ↑ Originally scheduled for January 14, 2010, but was postponed due to exhaustion and dehydration. [77]
  3. 1 2 This score data is combined from the three shows held at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on March 17, March 18, and April 7 respectively
  4. 1 2 This score data is combined from the three shows held at the Rod Laver Arena on March 23, March 24, and April 9 respectively
  5. ↑ The August 6, 2010 show was a part of the 2010 Lollapalooza.
  6. 1 2 Both shows in Paris were originally scheduled for October 22 and 23, 2010, but were rescheduled due to security measures. [83]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Gaga</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1986)

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influential figure in popular music and regarded as a pop icon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just Dance (song)</span> 2008 single by Lady Gaga featuring Colby ODonis

"Just Dance" is the debut single by American singer Lady Gaga. She co-wrote the song with Akon and his producer RedOne. It also features vocals from Colby O'Donis and was released on April 8, 2008, as the lead single from Gaga's debut studio album, The Fame. The song was written by Gaga in 10 minutes as "a happy record." "Just Dance" lyrically speaks about being intoxicated at a club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful, Dirty, Rich</span> 2008 promotional single by Lady Gaga

"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" is a song by American singer–songwriter Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It was released as a promotional single from the album on September 16, 2008. Written by the singer and its producer Rob Fusari in 2006, it is an uptempo dance-pop and disco-funk song that makes heavy use of synthesizers. The lyrics focus on Gaga's experiences as a struggling artist in the Lower East Side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poker Face (song)</span> 2008 single by Lady Gaga

"Poker Face" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It was released on September 23, 2008, as the album's second single. It is a synth-pop song in the key of G♯ minor, following in the footsteps of her previous single "Just Dance", but with a darker musical tone. The main idea behind the song is bisexuality and was a tribute by Gaga to her rock and roll boyfriends. The song's lyrics feature various sexual innuendos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fame Ball Tour</span> 2009 concert tour by Lady Gaga

The Fame Ball Tour was the debut concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga, in support of her debut studio album The Fame (2008). North American shows began in March, followed by dates in Oceania and a solo trek through Europe. Dates in Asia soon followed, as well as two performances at England's V Festival and two shows in North America that had been postponed from April. Gaga described the tour as a traveling museum show incorporating artist Andy Warhol's pop-performance art concept. Tickets were distributed for charity also. Alternate versions of the show with minimal variations were planned by Gaga to accommodate different venues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LoveGame</span> 2009 single by Lady Gaga

"LoveGame" is a song released by American singer Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). Produced by RedOne, the track was released as the album's third single in North America and Europe and the fourth single in Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden after "Eh, Eh ". "LoveGame" was also released as the fourth single in the United Kingdom, after "Paparazzi".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paparazzi (Lady Gaga song)</span> 2009 single by Lady Gaga

"Paparazzi" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It was released as the album's fifth and final single by Interscope Records. Gaga wrote and produced the song with Rob Fusari. The song portrays Gaga's struggles in her quest for fame, as well as balancing success and love. Musically, it is an uptempo techno-pop and dance-pop ballad whose lyrics describe a stalker following somebody to grab attention and fame.

<i>The Fame Monster</i> 2009 studio album reissue by Lady Gaga

The Fame Monster is a reissue of American singer Lady Gaga's debut studio album, The Fame (2008), and was released on November 18, 2009, through Interscope Records. Initially planned solely as a deluxe edition reissue of The Fame, Interscope later decided to release the eight new songs as a standalone EP in some territories. The decision was also because Gaga believed the re-release was too expensive and that the albums were conceptually different, describing them as yin and yang. The deluxe edition is a double album featuring the eight new songs on the first disc and The Fame on the second disc. A super deluxe edition was released on December 15, 2009, holding additional merchandise, including a lock from Gaga's wig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Romance</span> 2009 single by Lady Gaga

"Bad Romance" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). Gaga wrote and produced the song with RedOne. Following an unauthorized demo leak, Gaga premiered the song's final version during the finale of Alexander McQueen's 2010 Paris Fashion Week show in October 2009 and released it as the lead single from The Fame Monster later that month. Musically, it is an electropop and dance-pop song with a spoken bridge. Inspired by German house and techno, the song was developed as an experimental pop record. Lyrically, Gaga drew from the paranoia she experienced while on tour and wrote about her attraction to unhealthy romantic relationships.

"Speechless" is a song by the American singer Lady Gaga from her extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009). The song was written by Gaga to convince her father to undergo open-heart surgery for his malfunctioning aortic valve and remind her younger fans to appreciate their parents. "Speechless" is about Gaga's fear of death. A rock power ballad, the song has elements of 1970s rock, blues rock, glam rock and country music.

"So Happy I Could Die" is a song from American singer Lady Gaga, taken from her second major release and her third EP, The Fame Monster (2009). It was written by herself, Nadir "RedOne" Khayat, and Nicolas "Space Cowboy" Dresti, with production helmed by RedOne. Inspired by Gaga's fear of what she described as the "Alcohol Monster", the song is about the influences of alcoholism, and also explores several sexual themes in its lyrics as well as liberalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance in the Dark</span> 2010 single by Lady Gaga

"Dance in the Dark" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It is about a woman who prefers to have sex in the dark as she is insecure in her body. Having met such women while working on the MAC AIDS Fund, Gaga said that the song is not about freedom, but rather the assurance that she understood their feelings. A Europop track, it contains retro and new wave music influences, and begins with a stuttering introduction. It includes a spoken interlude, where Gaga lists famous dead people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alejandro (song)</span> 2010 single by Lady Gaga

"Alejandro" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). Written and produced by Gaga and RedOne, it was released on April 20, 2010, as the third single from the EP. Interscope Records intended the track "Dance in the Dark" to be the EP's third single after "Alejandro" initially received limited airplay, but Gaga insisted on the latter. A synth-pop track with Europop and Latin pop beats, it opens with a sample from the main melody of Vittorio Monti's "Csárdás". The song was inspired by Gaga's fear of men and is about her bidding farewell to her Latino lovers named Alejandro, Roberto and Fernando.

"Monster" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third EP, The Fame Monster (2009). Inspired by her "Fear of Attachment Monster", the record was produced by Nadir "RedOne" Khayat, and written by Gaga, RedOne and Space Cowboy. Gaga had explained that "Monster" describes her fear of sex and relationships, and described the lyrics as being in love with the bad boy all the time, but instead of running away, one keeps going back to the same person. She added that the fear in "Monster" erupted from her need to have a stable relationship. Incorporating the usage of heavy bass lines, descending keyboard lines and "massive" choruses, "Monster" contains zombie-like metaphors and a reference to Gaga's debut single "Just Dance".

"Teeth" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga. The track appears on The Fame Monster (2009), her second major release and her third EP. The song was written by Gaga, Taja Riley, Pete Wyoming Bender, and Teddy Riley, and produced by Gaga and Teddy Riley. It has an oral theme and has been called a "perverse" march and an ode to sadomasochism. "Teeth" peaked at number 107 on the UK Singles Chart and received a mixed reception from critics. Gaga performed the song during The Monster Ball Tour (2009–2011) and her 2017 Coachella set. In 2013, Riley sued Gaga for US$500,000 and punitive damages over the songwriting credits, saying he was not given 25 percent of royalties as he had been promised.

<i>Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden</i> 2011 concert film

Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden is a 2011 concert special which documents the February 21 and 22, 2011 shows of American singer Lady Gaga's worldwide concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour. Filmed at Madison Square Garden in Gaga's hometown of New York City, the two-hour special was directed by the singer's choreographer Laurieann Gibson and produced by HBO. It was first broadcast on the channel on May 7, 2011, a day after Gaga's last date of The Monster Ball Tour. The special was released on November 21, 2011, on DVD and Blu-ray by Media Blasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Born This Way Ball</span> 2012–13 concert tour by Lady Gaga

The Born This Way Ball was the third concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga, in support of her second studio album Born This Way (2011). The tour visited every populated continent, and was ranked as the fifth highest-grossing tour of 2012 by Pollstar. The tour grossed $22.5 million in 2013 according to Pollstar's year-end chart from the 18 dates played, bringing the Born This Way Ball Tour's total gross to $183.9 million from 98 dates. The tour was well received by critics who praised the stage design, Gaga's vocal abilities and different expressive messages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga</span> Canceled 2009–10 concert tour by Kanye West and Lady Gaga

Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga was a planned co-headlining concert tour by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West, and singer Lady Gaga. For the tour, which would have supported West's fourth album 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and Gaga's The Fame Monster EP (2009), the pair conceived a production that would unite their different musical audiences. The tour was scheduled to run from November 2009 to January 2010, but was canceled after public controversy regarding West's interruption of Taylor Swift's Best Female Video speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Shortly after the cancellation, Gaga embarked on her own tour, The Monster Ball Tour, while West went on to make his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, released on November 22, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ArtRave: The Artpop Ball</span> 2014 concert tour by Lady Gaga

ArtRave: The Artpop Ball was the fourth headlining concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga. Supporting her third studio album Artpop (2013), the tour ran from May 4, 2014, to November 24, 2014. The tour dates included cities where Gaga had canceled shows of her previous Born This Way Ball tour after suffering a hip injury. The ArtRave tour was preceded by a seven-day residency at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York.

References

  1. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ↑ Waddell, Ray (May 5, 2011). "Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour Breaks Record for Debut Headlining Artist". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  3. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (September 11, 2009). ""Fame Kills Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga" Tour: First Dates". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
  4. ↑ Callahan-Bever, Noah (November 2010). "Kanye West: Project Runaway". Complex . Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  5. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (September 15, 2009). "Kanye West, Lady Gaga Announce Full Slate of "Fame Kills" Dates". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
  6. ↑ Montogomery, James (October 1, 2009). "Kanye West/ Lady Gaga's Fame Kills Tour Canceled". MTV. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  7. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (October 2, 2009). "Lady Gaga Says Decision To Cancel Kanye West Tour Was 'Mutual'". MTV). Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Vena, Jocelyn (October 6, 2009). "Lady Gaga Says Kanye West Is 'A Good Person'". MTV. Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Herrera, Monica (October 15, 2009). "Lady Gaga Announces 'The Monster Ball'". Billboard . Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hiatt, Brian (October 21, 2009). "Inside The Monster Ball: Lady Gaga Reveals Plans for Ambitious New Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  11. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (October 20, 2009). "Exclusive: Jason DeRulo To Tour With Lady Gaga". MTV. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  12. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (October 3, 2009). "Lady Gaga Fights Madonna, Debuts "Bad Romance" on "Saturday Night Live"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Virgin Mobile USA to present 2009/2010 Monster Ball Starring Lady Gaga". Lady Gaga's Official Website. Interscope Records. November 23, 2009. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour: The Concept". MTV. November 4, 2009. Archived from the original on November 8, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  15. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (November 6, 2009). "Lady Gaga Plans To Battle Her 'Monsters' During Monster Ball Tour". MTV. Archived from the original on November 11, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  16. 1 2 Powers, Ann (December 13, 2009). "Frank talk with Lady Gaga". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 13, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  17. 1 2 3 Montogomery, James (December 23, 2009). "Lady Gaga Reveals Details Of Revamped Monster Ball Tour For 2010". MTV. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Montogomery, James (June 29, 2010). "Lady Gaga Goes The Distance At Montreal Monster Ball Tour Kickoff". MTV. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  19. 1 2 3 Dinh, James (February 18, 2010). "Lady Gaga Dishes On Revamped Monster Ball Tour". MTV. Archived from the original on February 20, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  20. 1 2 Harrington, Jim (December 14, 2009). "Review: Lady Gaga thrills S.F. crowd with strange, sexy show". San Jose Mercury News . Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Stevenson, Jane (November 29, 2009). "Lady Gaga puts on a Monster show". Toronto Sun . Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dunlevy, T'Cha (November 28, 2009). "Concert review: Lady Gaga romances Bell Centre crowd, Nov. 27". The Gazette . Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Adams, Jeremy (December 2, 2009). "Live Review: Lady Gaga Brings Her Pop Theatricality to Boston in First U.S. 'Monster Ball' Show". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  24. 1 2 Carter, Lauren (December 2, 2009). "Lady Gaga bares her 'Teeth,' 'Poker Face'". Boston Herald . Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  25. 1 2 3 Montogomery, James (December 19, 2009). "Lady Gaga Brings San Diego A Feast For The Eyes And Ears". MTV. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  26. 1 2 Brown, Joe (December 18, 2009). "Mutant showgirl: Lady Gaga touches down in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Sun . Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  27. 1 2 3 Nestruck, Kelly (November 30, 2009). "Lady Gaga's Monster Ball, reviewed by a theatre critic". The Guardian . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  28. 1 2 3 Aquilante, Dan (July 8, 2010). "Lady Gaga performs tame show at Madison Square Garden". New York Post . Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Semon, Craig S. (July 3, 2010). "Lady Gaga's 'Monster Ball' a pop-spectacle triumph". Telegram & Gazette . Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Savage, Mark (February 19, 2010). "Lady Gaga: The Monster Ball meets Manchester". BBC (BBC Online). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  31. 1 2 Massimo, Rick (July 6, 2010). "Lady Gaga a mix of music, visual fantasy". The Providence Journal . Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Farber, Jim (July 6, 2010). "Lady Gaga's concert at Madison Square Garden is a nod to expressionism, 'Oz'". Daily News . New York. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  33. ↑ Kratina, Al (November 29, 2009). "Concert Review: Lady Gaga Scotiabank Place, Ottawa". Jam! . Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  34. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (December 14, 2009). "Music review: Lady Gaga vamps. Sings, too". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on December 18, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  35. ↑ Powers, Ann (December 22, 2009). "Live review: Lady Gaga at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 25, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  36. ↑ Pareles, Jon (January 21, 2010). "Lavish Worlds, and the Headwear to Match". The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 30, 2017.
  37. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (July 6, 2010). "Plenty of spectacle, substance at Lady Gaga's NYC show". Newsday . Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  38. ↑ Miller, Jay N. (July 2, 2010). "Lady Gaga doesn't disappoint crowd at TD Garden". The Enterprise . Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  39. ↑ Borof, Philip (July 6, 2010). "Lady Gaga Does Piano by Foot, Charms 'Monsters' in N.Y. Concert". Bloomberg Television. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  40. ↑ Rayner, Ben (July 12, 2010). "Lady Gaga does Madonna one better at Toronto's Air Canada Centre". Toronto Star . Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  41. ↑ Concepción, Mariel (July 8, 2010). "Lady Gaga / July 6, 2010 / New York (Madison Square Garden)". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  42. ↑ Liu, Marian (August 22, 2010). "Review: Lady Gaga proved she's a spectacle with soul in Tacoma show". The Seattle Times . Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  43. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (February 18, 2010). "Lady Gaga: Weirdly wonderful, with shoulderpads". The Guardian . Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  44. 1 2 3 "Virgin Mobile Presents The Monster Ball Tour Starring Lady Gaga" (Press release). PR Newswire. March 22, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  45. 1 2 3 4 Conception, Mariel; Herrera, Monica (August 18, 2010). "Lady Gaga's 'Monster Ball' to Gross Nearly $200 Million Worldwide". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  46. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (January 27, 2010). "Lady Gaga Says She Raised $500,000 For Haiti Relief". MTV. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  47. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (November 4, 2010). "U2, Gaga, Metallica, Swift Win Big at Billboard Touring Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  48. ↑ "Top 25 Tours 2010". Billboard. December 13, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  49. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (December 29, 2010). "Bon Jovi, AC/DC, U2 Top World Tours Of 2010". MTV (MTV Networks). Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  50. ↑ Stephen Fry (May 27, 2011). "Lady Gaga takes tea with Mr Fry". The Financial Times.
  51. 1 2 "Billboard Boxscore: Current Scores". Billboard. May 28, 2011. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  52. ↑ "Billboard Boxscore: Current Scores". Billboard. March 12, 2011. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  53. ↑ Allen, Bob (April 28, 2011). "Hot Tours: Kenny Chesney, Lady Gaga, The Allman Brothers Band". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  54. ↑ "Top 25 Tours of 2011". Billboard. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on December 27, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  55. ↑ Waddell, Ray (December 8, 2011). "Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour Breaks Record for Debut Headlining Artist". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  56. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (February 15, 2011). "Lady Gaga Announces HBO Monster Ball Special". MTV. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  57. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (February 15, 2011). "Lady Gaga Announces HBO Monster Ball Special". MTV. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  58. ↑ "Lady Gaga Presents...(Entertainment,2011)". TV Guide . Sky1. Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  59. ↑ "Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden". Prime.
  60. ↑ "Lady Gaga coming to Prime TV". Classic hits FM. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011.
  61. ↑ "Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden". Emmy Awards. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  62. ↑ Kauffman, Jeffrey (December 19, 2011). "Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  63. ↑ "Lady Gaga Electrifies Fans with the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden Blu-ray Disc in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound" (Press release). Dolby Laboratories. November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  64. ↑ Grein, Paul (November 30, 2011). "Week Ending Nov. 27, 2011. Albums: Buble Wins A Squeaker". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on December 23, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  65. ↑ "Classement officiel des ventes de DVD Musicaux" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. November 21, 2011. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  66. ↑ "DVD Musicali: Classifica settimanale dal 21/11/2011 al 27/11/2011" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. November 27, 2011. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  67. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 DVDs". Australian Record Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  68. ↑ "British video certifications – Lady Gaga – Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden" (Enter Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select DVD in the field By Format. Click Go). British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  69. ↑ Lady Gaga Monster Ball Video Feed Philadelphia 14 September 2010 on YouTube
  70. ↑ Morden, Darryl (October 14, 2010). "Lady Gaga -- Concert Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  71. ↑ "New Music : Lady Gaga – Living on the Radio". The Guardian. October 7, 2010. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  72. ↑ Ziegbe, Mawuse (July 11, 2010). "Lady Gaga Racks Up Three EMA Wins". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  73. ↑ Robbie Daw (February 21, 2011). "Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'Born This Way' On Her Monster Ball Tour For The First Time". Idolator. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  74. ↑ "Lady Gaga Unveils Bilingual 'Americano' In Mexico". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  75. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tour dates for The Monster Ball Tour:
  76. ↑ Box office score data:
  77. ↑ "Lady Gaga Cancels Indiana Show, Collapses Due to "Exhaustion"". Rolling Stone . January 15, 2010. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  78. ↑ "Lady Gaga announces Australian tour". The Sydney Morning Herald . Associated Press. September 3, 2009. Archived from the original on September 21, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
  79. ↑ De Nicola, Christina (September 23, 2010). "Far East Movement party 'Like a G6′". The Miami Hurricane. University of Miami. Archived from the original on January 19, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  80. ↑ North America box score:
  81. ↑ North America box score:
  82. ↑ Europe box score:
  83. ↑ "Lady Gaga postpones Paris 'Monster Ball' shows due to strike". Independent.co.uk . October 20, 2010.
  84. ↑ North American box score data:
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.