![\"Lady](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/lady-gaga-mayhem-ball-rio-2025-billboard-1800.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe pop icon kicked off a string of six dates at the Madison Square Garden on Friday night (Aug. 22). <\/p>\n
\t8\/23\/2025\t<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tLady Gaga performs at Copacabana Beach on May 3, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKevin Mazur\/WireImage<\/p>\n
\n\tDorothy Gale famously said that \u201cthere\u2019s no place like home.\u201d But Lady Gaga<\/a> put it a bit more succinctly on Friday (Aug. 22) night: \u201cI\u2019M HOME, NEW YORK CITY!!\u201c<\/p>\n \n\tMother Monster touched down in New York City on Friday for her first live performance there in just over three years since she took MetLife Stadium by storm with The Chromatica Ball in 2022. But arguably more important was the setting. For the first time in more than 10 years, Gaga returned with a vengeance to Madison Square Garden \u2014 the site of previous tours like the Monster Ball and ArtRave \u2014 for the first of six shows she\u2019s set to play as part of her globe-spanning new tour The Mayhem Ball. <\/p>\n \n\tFor just over two hours, Gaga kept her fans\u2019 energy high as she powered through a masterful set of world-dominating hits, beloved B-sides and a plethora of her latest songs off of March\u2019s Mayhem, all while delivering a high concept, artfully-crafted live show that embraced the chaos and theatricality of live performance. <\/p>\n \n\tGaga even gave fans at the show a surprise performance of \u201cHair,\u201d her beloved Born This Way B-side as a special treat for the fans in her hometown. \u201cNew York, you made me a star, you raised me,\u201d she told the screaming crowd at MSG. \u201cThank you so much for always believing in me \u2014 it\u2019s good to be back home.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBelow, Billboard takes a look back at the seven best moments from Gaga\u2019s first show back home at Madison Square Garden for The Mayhem Ball.<\/p>\n \tA Night at the Opera<\/p>\n \n\tGaga has never been shy about her love of larger-than-life performance art, and The Mayhem Ball is not an exception. In fact, among all of Gaga\u2019s globe-trotting tours, this one likely is the most interested in the artifice of the show itself \u2014 along with giving you an opportunity to watch Mother Monster perform the hits live, you\u2019re getting a story alongside it. <\/p>\n \n\tThat story, much like the album this tour was inspired by, sees Stefani Germanotta in a soul-wrenching battle with the monster of her own creation, Lady Gaga. Throughout the different acts of this rock opera (the gothic proscenium adorning the stage, along with the bits of scripted dialogue Gaga recites in between, give The Mayhem Ball the vibe of an actual narrative musical), different sides win out. But in the end, the two sides of Gaga fuse into one glorious whole as she finds the beauty in her own personal chaos. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tJustice for \u2018Artpop\u2019<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Gagachella was heralded by everyone as an all-time great performance at the annual festival, some Little Monsters were left wanting when Gaga did not perform any of the tracks off her weird and wild 2013 album Artpop. But those fans will be delighted to know that Gaga heard their protests and added two Artpop tracks to the setlist for The Mayhem Ball. <\/p>\n \n\tFirst, Gaga lit up the Garden with a truncated performance of Artpop opener \u201cAura,\u201d immediately prompting fans to squeal along with her as she raved that \u201cEnigma popstar is fun,\u00a0she wear burqa for fashion.\u201d But one of the most energetic reactions from the crowd on Friday night came when Gaga launched into a high-energy rendition of \u201cApplause,\u201d as the entire arena screamed the lyrics along with her. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tThe (Big) Apple of Her Eye<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Gaga remained largely on-script for most of the show, she could not hold back the tears. After giving a heartfelt rendition of her smash-hit \u201cDie With a Smile,\u201d a stunned Gaga looked into the crowd as her fans cheered her on, before launching into a heartfelt speech about what it meant for her to finally be back in her hometown. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI know that it\u2019s me standing up here, but you\u2019re all standing in here with me, you know what I\u2019m saying? I feel so honored to be here tonight at Madison Square Garden,\u201d Gaga said, while fans held up signs, including one that welcomed the \u201cItalian girl from New York\u201d back home. \u201cI\u2019m sure you can tell if you listen to the music that I am from here. Everything about my artistry, I think, was born in this town.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tThe pop superstar also shared a vulnerable story with fans about a conversation she had backstage with her backup dancer China Taylor, where she said that she felt like she needed to fight through her first performance at MSG. \u201cWhen I\u2019m in New York, I fight,\u201d Gaga said. \u201cBut she said something really special to me. She said, \u2018Sometimes, you don\u2019t have to fight, you just have to show up.’\u201d And show up Gaga did. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tA \u2018Hair\u2019-Raising Performance<\/p>\n \n\tTo go along with her moving speech to the crowd, Gaga also revealed that she had \u201cprepared something special\u201d for the audience at MSG on Friday. For the first time since her Born This Way Ball wrapped in 2013, Gaga gave a stirring rendition of \u201cHair,\u201d her anthem of self-empowerment off her 2011 album Born This Way. \u201cI\u2019m sure that all of my albums could not have been made without New York, but I am sure this album would not have been made without New York,\u201d a tearful Gaga declared. \u201cThis is for all of you, and all your dreams; for maybe sometimes, no more fighting, and just showing up.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tSat at an upright piano at the end of a catwalk, Gaga led the crowd in a choral-like chant of the song, as she offered up the song\u2019s central \u201cprayer,\u201d promising that she and by extension her audience would \u201cdie living just as free as my hair.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tThe \u2018Mayhem\u2019 of It All<\/p>\n \n\tWhile other albums like The Fame and Born This Way were given their proper shine throughout the evening, this was The Mayhem Ball after all \u2014 the songs of Mayhem provided the central backbone for the evening\u2019s performance. Kicking off the show with a rousing rendition of \u201cAbracadabra,\u201d Gaga weaved her way through almost every song on the album (only \u201cDon\u2019t Call Tonight\u201d and \u201cBlade of Grass\u201d didn\u2019t make appearances during the evening). <\/p>\n \n\tThere were a number of standouts among the crowded field of Mayhem tracks. Her gothic, high-camp performance of \u201cKillah\u201d saw the audience join her in a deeply cathartic scream; both \u201cPerfect Celebrity\u201d and \u201cDisease\u201d saw Gaga thrashing around a sandbox onstage; and after running through \u201cGarden of Eden\u201d early in the show, Gaga looked shocked as the audience gave her a minutes-long standing ovation for her unwavering commitment to the performance. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tPutting the Queer Community on \u2018the Right Track\u2019<\/p>\n \n\tIn the nearly two decades that she\u2019s been making music, Gaga has never been one to be shy about her unapologetic love for the LGBTQ+ community \u2014 and that certainly did not stop on Friday night. Gaga spent the show giving nods, but subtle and overt, to the people who helped make her the superstar that she is.<\/p>\n \n\tSometimes, that meant ceding the stage to ballroom dancers, who cut up the catwalk in between Acts I and II. Other times, it saw Gaga engaging in some not-so-subtle symbolism, as her gigantic flowing train lit up with the colors of the rainbow during her excellent rendition of \u201cPaparazzi.\u201d But of course, Gaga had to make sure that the crowd knew exactly what she was trying to say; before launching into a rousing rendition of \u201cBorn This Way,\u201d Gaga made her point clear. \u201cWe are here for the queer community, do you hear me?\u201d Gaga yelled into the crowd. \u201cThis show was made with love for you, because we need the world to love right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tAnd the Crowd Goes Wild<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Gaga was undoubtedly the star of her own show, you could not help but feel the presence of her biggest fans in the crowd that evening. Little Monsters stalked the halls of MSG dressed in their best Gaga drag, ranging from simple, Mayhem-inspired looks, to full-blown recreations of the characters from Gaga\u2019s \u201cAbracadabra\u201d video. <\/p>\n \n\tFor her part, Gaga made sure the fans felt the love on Friday night, too. Along with giving the crowd a new addition to the setlist and a heartfelt speech, Gaga also spent the entirety of \u201cVanish Into You\u201d performing an impromptu meet-and-greet with fans on the floor. As she walked by her cheering crowd, Gaga stopped to sign vinyls and posters, accepted flowers, blew kisses and even put on a red track jacket handed to her by one of her admirers. As she walked up the catwalk, the whole stadium got to see the loving message embroidered on the back of Gaga\u2019s new coat: \u201cMonsters Never Die.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tThe Daily\t\t<\/p>\n A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry<\/p>\n \t\tBy providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>.\n
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