Lady Gaga Brings artRave: The ARTPOP Ball To Boston

Tessa Roy ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Assistant Editor

She’s weird. She’s a freak. She’s eccentric. She’s over the top. We’ve seen her dressed in bubbles, emerging from an egg, getting covered in green vomit, and performing countless other stunts that would make for too exhaustive a list to include in this article. No matter what you call her or think of her, it’s probably a given that Lady Gaga has caught your attention at some point in time. And her latest endeavor, artRave: The ARTPOP Ball, is no exception. Gaga brought all of her wild antics and elements to TD Garden in this exciting show full of seashells, venus flytraps, wigs, killer vocals, and a whole lot of confetti.

Colorful spotlights and electronic music set the scene before Gaga made her entrance. The arena lights never came on at the artRave, giving it the feel of…well, a rave (duh). It was pretty effective in building anticipation, too, as concertgoers could be heard asking each other, “Does this mean she’s coming out soon?” Thankfully, she didn’t keep her Little Monsters waiting too long. Within half an hour of her two openers (k-pop band Crayon Pop and DJ Lady Starlight) ending their sets, the artRave began. Gaga emerged from beneath the stage in a sea of confetti. Her sparkling bodice and wings shone bright in the blaring stage lights as cheers and screams of  “YAAAAAS GAGA” were heard from around the arena.

It was clear the ecstatic response to her grand entrance gave Gaga life. She strutted and danced her way across her expansive stage, interacting with fans and dancers along the way. But her confidence was not the only thing that stood out; Gaga’s live vocals are unreal. She never missed a note as she belted out “Poker Face,” “Applause,” “Alejandro,” “G.U.Y.,” and more of her hits during her two-hour set. The most impressive, though, was her stripped-down, piano-and-vocal-only rendition of “Born this Way.” She gave an emotional speech about the song’s message of unconditional love for oneself and each other, saying “It’s a serious thing to feel like you don’t belong, isn’t it?” She then sang purely from the heart, passion behind each lyric.

The artRave had a general admission section, so fans were close enough to the stage to throw gifts and love-proclaiming letters at Gaga’s feet. She took the liberty of reading them to the arena, and granted a few requests for backstage visits. One fan was lucky enough to join her onstage during the encore number, the power ballad “Gypsy.” Gaga, who performed the song in a stunning white dress and long blonde wig, even gave the fan a similar wig and a sparkling pink coat and hat ensemble to rock onstage. The exciting moment was a perfect way to close out the show and leave lasting memories in the minds of all who attended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHKXFXXUe-A

Many claims have been made about the artRave and about Lady Gaga in general. The one that is made most often, the assertion that Gaga and her artRave are flops, is the one furthest from the truth. Every single available seat in TD Garden that night was filled, and plenty of her other artRave dates sold out within minutes. Take her recent show in Quebec, for one, where there were 90,000 people in attendance. Does that really constitute a “flop?” Gaga may not be the star she used to be or as shocking as she once was. But she will always have a loyal fan base that respects her immensely. She is a genuine artist with an infectious sense of freedom, an artist who has never tried to increase her appeal by changing who she is. And why should she? She was born that way, baby.

The artRave is ongoing. Visit Lady Gaga’s website for more info.