‘With Lady Gaga, I know that I’m not going to be judged’
Lady Gaga fan John Samson is one of the 50,000 fans seeing the singer in Manchester this week and he’s gone all out on his outfit(Image: Paton Yates Photography (@patonyatesphotography)/John Samson (@chef_johnsamson))
For the next two nights in Manchester, Lady Gaga will captivate and transform close to 50,000 fans to the Mayhem Ball.
The renowned singer will perform at Co-op Live on Tuesday and Wednesday (October 7 and 8) as part of the only UK dates on the tour outside of London. It comes following the release of her sixth album, Mayhem, which features the hits Abracadabra and Die With A Smile.
Amongst the rafters of ‘Little Monsters’ in attendance will be private chef and content creator John Samson. Originally from South Africa and now living in Oxford, John will be attending night two of the Manchester shows and it will mark only the second time in 14 years he has seen his idol. As expected, he’s planning to make up for lost time.
“I’ve only seen her once, because she has only performed in South Africa once and that was in 2011!,” John tells the M.E.N. “I lived in Thailand for a bit, and she never came there either until after I left. So it’s been 14 years of waiting to see her again!”
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Lady Gaga will play Co-op Live in Manchester on October 7 and 8(Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
John, who has worked as a private chef for three years now, says he has been a life-long fan of the singer, and stumbled across her music randomly and just became ‘wowed right away’.
“I remember actually auditioning for a theatre role and Paparazzi was the song we had to dance to in the audition,” he recalls. “It had just come out at the time and I learned the choreography for it and I was just like ‘who is this singer?’. I just fell in love with her ever since then.”
When it comes to Manchester as the location for his next chance to see the singer live in action, he admits it was just purely by chance – becoming the only show he could manage to secure tickets for.
“I remember one random ticket just popping up on my screen and I just couldn’t believe it,” he explains. “I was like, ‘is this actually happening?’. I actually went out of the room afterwards and screamed out into the universe to say thank you. That’s how crazy it was to me.”
John Samson has worked as a private chef for the last three years(Image: Paton Yates Photography (@patonyatesphotography)/John Samson (@chef_johnsamson))
John said he has come up with his own outfit for the event and even booked out a professional photoshoot to showcase it. He says that the design pays homage not only to the singer’s latest work, but also to how she uplifts her fans and makes them feel like they can be their authentic selves.
Explaining his outfit, John says: “It’s quite a nice ensemble. A lot of it is made up of items from Shein, but it’s really cool. It’s got some straps across the chest, and it’s pretty open. It’s then like a skirt at the bottom.
“To go with it, I’ve gone with a feather neckpiece and some boots. It’s actually quite simple, really, but I think it’s really effective. It looks great. It kind of plays into the Mayhem of things, I think.
“It’s dark, it links to the Wednesday theme because she was just in that show, and also has a bit of BDSM about it. I was just trying to hone in on what ‘Mayhem’ was to me. It’s mysterious, high fashion and I think it’s also appropriately Gaga.
“At first, I didn’t think I was going to wear a costume or anything but then I was like, wait, this is Lady Gaga I’m going to see. She would be so disappointed in me if I didn’t, even though she has no clue who I am!”
Private chef John Samson has said Lady Gaga gives him the chance to fully embrace himself(Image: Paton Yates Photography (@patonyatesphotography)/John Samson (@chef_johnsamson))
It’s not just chef John who’ll be dressing up for the Manchester shows, either. A number of other fans have teased their own looks on social media, some which have been created from scratch weeks in advance. Recent research found that 31% of people cited the singer as a fashion icon and inspiration, with 29% also saying she has influenced how people dress at concerts more than any other artist.
A number of other fans have teased their own looks on social media, some which have been created from scratch weeks in advanced. A survey from viagogo also found that 29% of people see outfits at gigs are a way to reflect their personality, whilst another 21% said it made them feel connected to a wider fan community.
For the Lady Gaga shows in London and Manchester, viagogo has teamed up with fashion rental app By Rotation, curated by celebrity stylist Rhea Francois, on the world’s first Born To Rotate concept store. It give fans the chance to rent out Gaga-worthy outfits from top brands at a discount price, including dresses and shirts, as well as bags and shoes, that take inspiration from the singer’s career.
Speaking about why he loves Gaga so much, John says he has many reasons. But, ultimately, it’s how she makes him feel that he can be himself especially in a time when people can be so easily judged or discriminated for how they look.
Lady Gaga is bringing the Mayhem Ball to Manchester this week(Image: Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation)
“I’ve been to many other concerts before and most of the time, I just felt like I wasn’t comfortable with dressing how I fully wanted to,” he explains. “I felt like I might be judged, or something might happen.
“But with Lady Gaga, I know that I’m not going to be judged. I think people will actually embrace and enjoy what I’m wearing. I just feel comfortable doing it and that’s why I want to do it.
“It’s a safe space. I’m going to be with people who are just like me, and who are into the same things I am. We’re all there to see Lady Gaga. I’m just going to be in my element and I’m not going to let anyone stop me.”
John says he hasn’t managed to completely avoid spoilers for The Mayhem Ball but believes the real aspect of the show will only fully come to life in front of him. Asked what fans seeing Gaga for the first time can expect from one of her shows, he says it’s all about the sheer talent and the production value up on stage.
‘I’m just going to be in my element and I’m not going to let anyone stop me'(Image: Paton Yates Photography (@patonyatesphotography)/John Samson (@chef_johnsamson))
“Honestly, if I could see one person live for the rest of my life, it would be her,” he says. “She just gives everything – she gives drama, she gives vocals, she’s just amazing. She’s 40 years old and she’s doing a show like this. It’s full-on, she’s really stepped things up.
“I have seen some videos of the Mayhem Ball online, but one of my friends went to see her in London and she said the videos don’t demonstrate what it’s like in real life. They said the energy is just different to what you see online.”
John, who says he has been posting Lady Gaga dance videos online once a day in the bid she will one day come across his channel so he can cook for her (“it’s not happened yet, but I’m manifesting it will one day!”), says that seeing Gaga live has often given people in attendance a sense of purpose and belonging.
“Lady Gaga is all about being yourself and she promotes the ability to express yourself however you wish,” he says. “She makes you feel that you really can be whoever you want to be.
“There’s no judgement, she’s taught her community and the people that follow her that you were born this way, so she wants us to embrace it, be ourselves, and express ourselves however we want. And that’s exactly what I’ll be doing in Manchester. I can’t wait!”
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