Lady Gaga performed at Co-op Live
Lady Gaga got emotional whilst talking to the crowd on the first of her two Manchester shows
It was a night of Mayhem at Co-op Live on Tuesday night (October 7) as Lady Gaga brought the dramatics to Manchester with an epic two-and-a-half-hour show.
Marking the first time the singer had performed in Manchester in 11 years and also the only shows in the UK outside of London on her current tour, the performance at the 23,500-capacity venue span 30 songs and featured theatrics and impressive costume changes throughout the night.
Gaga also took the opportunity to deliver a heartfelt message to the city, which she said she was ‘so happy’ to be performing in. In previous interviews, she has said how Manchester inspired a part of the creation behind her mega hit Born This Way.
During her rendition of the song, Gaga gave a shout-out to her LGBTQ+ fans by saying: “Where’s my queer community in Manchester? We’re all here for you, you hear me?
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Lady Gaga brought the Mayhem Ball to Manchester on Tuesday night, returning tonight(Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Liv)
“This show is for you. For your pride, your freedom, the way you look. You have been so special to me my whole life, my whole career.”
Later in the song, in-between a piano-led run of tracks, the singer doubled down on her love for the city as she paused for reflection – clearly tearful as the crowd rallied behind her with cheers.
“Thank you so much for buying a ticket to our show,” she said. “I’m so happy to be here, I feel so lucky, I’ve always had the best time when I come to Manchester. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s a lot of Little Monsters here, I can tell.”
In 2017, the singer revealed she had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness which can cause fatigue and pain. A year later, Lady Gaga was forced to cancel ten shows – including a gig in Manchester – due to the severe pain caused by the condition.
The Mayhem Ball is a tour-de-force through all of Gaga’s eras(Image: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for L)
Seemingly making reference to her battles, she added in Manchester: “We’ve been travelling the world with this show and every night that we come out here and perform, I always dig as deep as I can to find a new part of the story to share in all of this with you. I always thought the best thing I could out here was do my best.
“Sometimes, I just want to do so much, you know, but I always realise that the thing to do is to show up and do your best.”
Lady Gaga will play a second show at Manchester’s Co-op Live this evening (October 8) as part of the Mayhem Ball.
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