Let me start by saying I already know I’m going to get a lot of flack for this article. Most of you reading this probably aren’t going to like what I have to say but it’s my job as a critic to be honest so that’s exactly what I’m doing. Deal with it.
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Lady Gaga
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Lollapalooza - Parkways Foundation Stage
Chicago, IL
August 6, 2010
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The first day of Lollapalooza started bright and early. Fans awoke and lined up patiently outside the gates hoping to get a taste of one of the greatest musical events of the year. Lollapalooza has become a tradition in Chicago and for that we’re truly grateful, you can see it the eyes of everyone that attends.
But there was something different about this year. Superfans decked out like the various incarnations of Lady Gaga were lined up around the block well before the fest even started. Today they showed their true colors today was their day.
The day became like a large scale “Where’s Waldo” game, as superfans would pop up sporadically in various shows in crazy costumes. The crazier the costume the bigger the fan. But even that’s not quite right, the true diehards made their presence known in a big way. Staking out the Parkways Foundation stage just after the doors opened hundreds and later thousands spent the whole day parked in front of the stage.
Typically this kind of devotion is admirable, cute even, but someone that hardcore is bound to have a problem with a day’s worth of music that isn’t their beloved icon. Four other acts played the Parkways Foundation stage before Gaga came on all of which were wildly different. During Balkan Beat Box you could see the fans making an attempt to try something new and it sort of worked. But by Devo there seemed to be a sort of inner protest going on in the crowd. Many of the younger fans didn’t like the avant-garde music but refused to leave for fear of losing their spot. It wasn’t uncommon to hear things like “they’re sooo old!” and “I don’t get his music at all, why are they still on stage?” In situations like that they must remember that they are the guests of the people who actually want to see the current band play and to give them the respect they deserve.
Needless to the show, closing out the first day of Lollapalooza, had a lot of hype around it. I felt it my duty to check it out, on principle alone. If you’ve turned on the radio in the last year you’re at least remotely aware of Lady Gaga at this point. Her songs have become international sensations and she has very quickly taken on the status of superstar. I wanted to find out why.
I placed myself about halfway up the stadium close enough to the stage to see but far enough away that there was an easy exit so I could avoid the plethora of people on their way out after the show. By the time she took the stage everyone was cramped up tight and ready for the magic to begin.
I have to admit I was…bored. I tried to like Gaga I really did but it was as if she was intentionally making the show a little hard to watch. The first song of the night “Bad Romance” was mimed by Gaga behind a large curtain showing only her silhouette. Every couple of lines into the song she would make a harsh movement and the crowd roared in applause. Is it really that easy to get applause? I could do that.
I kept expecting something to happen and it never did. She remained behind the curtain for the entire duration of the song. At a certain point I wondered if it was even her or just some stand in, behind a curtain it was impossible to tell. Once she finally did come out every female in the audience freaked out.
Gaga, born Joanne Germanotta, has had a long career in the music industry. She wrote her first ballad when she was 13 years old, attended the Tisch School of Arts at New York University and has written for some of the biggest names in the industry. Yet I can’t shake the feeling that her live act is all style and no substance.
Comparisons to Madonna are inevitable. From the dance choreography to the tone of her voice while she sings, she’s as close to a Madonna clone as modern music has seen in a long time. But rather than embrace it she seems to be attempting to call herself a revolutionary and I just don’t see it.
“I created the Monster’s Ball so everyone can be who they want to be, I created it for all you freaks out there,” said Gaga to the audience Friday night. It sounds like she sees herself as a Marilyn Manson type singer when she’s really not. In fact she’s the opposite end of the musical spectrum. Her music is played in some of the hottest, trendiest nightclubs in the world and her fans will never be mistaken for outcasts.
The hypocrisy continued when she announced about halfway through the show “I hate money!” she screamed to the audience more or less out of the blue. [Insert awkward silence here] she has TONS of money and isn’t exactly a philanthropist.
It’s my job to be honest to my readers. I do it for the good of the musician and for the benefit of the fans. I fully expect a lot of backlash from this article but so be it. Just because someone is a pop star does make them good. Gaga is bursting with talent but she wastes it on catch phrases and heavily scripted shows. If she’s looking to make a true name for herself, one that will last into the next decade, she’s going to have to learn a little spontaneity and tone down the preaching during the show.
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Great Article
Written by Guest on 2010-08-09 19:44:40
 I'm a fan of Gaga although she is a little weird at times but I thought your article was colorful and funny. You Rock! |
What is the point of this article?
Written by Guest on 2010-08-10 11:38:34
Hey Jordan, you are entitled to your opinions, but at least get your facts straight: the first song was "Dance in the Dark" and she performs behind a screen because the song is about a girl who can only have sex in the dark because she's self-conscious about her looks. Oh and you also have her real name wrong (fact checker anyone???) You seriously call yourself a writer? I was there and I was loving every minute of it (along with the other 80,000 people). And she does hate money, she spends it all on her live show and her costumes--the woman doesn't even have a house or a car for God's sake! She is revolutionary for pop music, people like you are just too critical. I'd like to see Britney or Miley put on a better show... get a clue asshole. |
Flavor of the month
Written by Guest on 2010-08-10 16:40:41
This act has "pretentious" and "flash in the pan" written all over it. |
Thank you.
Written by Guest on 2010-08-13 19:32:25
Correction: Her first name is Stefani, not Joanne!
Otherwise, I have to applaud you on this article- though the last 4 paragraphs especially- for saying what needs to be said but too many Gaga fans want to crucify you for. Last time I checked, Lady Gaga is not immune to criticism.
"Her music is played in some of the hottest, trendiest nightclubs in the world and her fans will never be mistaken for outcasts."
I'm glad you mention this, as I have been saying it forever, and wish other people would get it. She has millions of fans around the world. If wearing wacky, expensive designer clothing, sequin masks, glamorous makeup and other fashion oddities (cigarette shades) makes you a freak, I am severely uncertain of what that makes the REAL outcasts.
I went to the Monster Ball show and had a great time. But I couldn't help feeling out of place with all the pretty patygoers. She fails to realize that that this is who she caters to, and not some kind of "freak" as she loves to boast. She's also quite pretentious. She said she's writing her next album to be the voice of the generation. Noble, but her complacency is astounding. Legends aren't made- they become.
Look, I'm a fan. But seriously Gaga, give it a little time before you laud yourself so highly. |
Written by Guest on 2010-09-21 10:54:22
This article is so poorly written, I can't even.
Did you even bother to research anything about Lady GaGa at all? You sound like a damn fool. |
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