Put your paws up for Gaga Chromatica Ball, Lady Gaga’s new concert film which has finally dropped! The film documents Lady Gaga’s career-defining September 2022 performance at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium. With plenty of highlights to remember this stellar show by, make sure to tune into the full stream for free, now available in New Zealand on ThreeNow here.
Here are our top moments! *Spoilers ahead*
The absolutely hit-stacked introduction
No pop music lover could deny the opening melody of ‘Bad Romance’, which cuts through the stadium in Gaga Chromatica Ball so intensely, it would send shivers down any viewer’s spine. Gaga plays statue on a sci-fi style spinning platform, before the saga gets even better by following up ‘Bad Romance’ with the one-two punch of ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Poker Face’. All these years into her career, Lady Gaga is still paying tribute to the early moments that made us fall in love with her.
Gaga’s moving performance of ‘Born This Way’
Lady Gaga has impressively balanced traditional musicianship with out-of-this-world pop experiences throughout her career. No number in Gaga Chromatica Ball reflects this better than ‘Born This Way’. Kicking off the iconic song at a slow, dramatic pace alone at the piano, Gaga uses the song as a jumping point for a deeply earnest speech reminding us all we are “Capital P perfect, baby”, before building to a bombastic choreographed finale. In an age where LGBT+ rights are more threatened than ever, ‘Born This Way’ shows Gaga owning her identity with total power and confidence.
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The political message of ‘Angel Down’
Gaga never shies away from making a statement. In Gaga Chromatica Ball, Joanne deep cut ‘Angel Down’ replaces the original setlist mainstay ‘1000 Doves’. ‘Angel Down’ mourns the prevalence of violence in American society. It’s a perspective more poignant than ever in the 2024 landscape, made all the more haunting by the gnarled, dark tree roots covering the piano, where Gaga sits on a chair that appears to be made of human bones.
Telling the ‘A Star Is Born’ story as a praying mantis
Gaga’s unique position in the music industry straddles two almost exclusive demographics, from the jazz and ballad-loving audience of middle America to her younger queer dance-pop fans. Melding the two could make for a nearly insurmountable challenge on a stadium tour like this. But Gaga perfectly adds her classic twist of weirdness to the mellower sounds of her ‘A Star Is Born’ tunes. Rocking a purple praying mantis costume complete with bug-like goggles, Gaga delivers beautifully emotional renditions of ‘Shallow’ and’ ‘Always Remember Us This Way’. With her raw vocals and delicate piano playing, you’ll be stunned how intimate she manages to make the 52,000 person venue feel.
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Lady Gaga’s terrifying take on Alice
Contrary to the Chromatica album’s colourful, fluorescent aesthetic, its accompanying tour leans into the strange harshness of brutalist architecture, best articulated by the theatrical ‘Alice’. Strapped down to a cement gurney in a red outfit that calls to mind images of meat in a factory, Gaga performs as if screaming for help, battling through her journey as she swears to “keep looking for Wonderland” in spite of the real world’s horrors.
Attending the church of Gaga for ‘Babylon’
The Chromatica album closer ‘Babylon’ transforms on tour into a gospel-inspired high note. This bright, house-influenced number positively shimmers with queer joy, as Gaga and her talented team of dancers pay tribute to ballroom culture in glistening gold outfits. Even better, the finale sees Gaga don a dramatic choir robe, taking us to church with the song’s explosive testament to pushing through life’s battles.
The true rockstar encore
The sheer drama and danceability of ‘Stupid Love’ and ‘Rain on Me’ as the Chromatica Ball closers would leave the audience with enough of a thrill, but Gaga comes back for her absolute rock star moment with the encore ‘Hold My Hand’. This song taken from Top Gun: Maverick becomes a declaration of love to the crowd of Little Monsters. Gaga leaps through the flames (both metaphorically and very literally!), belting out this empowering anthem that reminds her fans they’ll always be by each other’s side.
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Gaga Will Be Back
Like a Marvel superhero, Lady Gaga teases her return to the pop music landscape in the final moments of Gaga Chromatica Ball. Over a slinky dance beat, Gaga promises to “Dance in the shadows”, hinting at a Michael Jackson-esque new sound that she describes in interviews as “Nothing like anything I’ve ever made”. It’s hard to wait for AG7 with a teaser this enticing. We’ll have to keep streaming Gaga Chromatica Ball to tide us over before new music hits the airwaves!
