To confine Lady GaGa under the pop music umbrella is a crime- she defies classification.
Sure, she’s got some candy sweet cuts that find themselves on regular rotation, for which tweens and teens alike go crazy for, but listen to her entire album (The Fame, Interscope/2008) and the complexities of this performance artist are slowly revealed.
The music is layered thick but not too heavy, the lyrics simple yet witty and intelligent. Her music tells a story- her live performance takes you on a ride.
Monday night brought the Lady and her entire Haus of GaGa to Seattle’s Showbox Theater. The spot was packed, with a line stretching three quarters of a city block well before doors were scheduled to open.
The show began with Chester French, a band that cannot be forgotten simply because they said their name every 35 seconds. They sang an original or two, then covered a popular No Doubt song, which seemed like the easy way to get the crowd going.
French was followed by the more poised, entertaining and talented The White Tie Affair. The Seattle crowd loved these Chicago natives, chanting lyrics that drowned out lead singer Chris Wallace. They were a strong opening act that could have done even more with longer stage time.
As for Lady GaGa herself, what can be said? The packed house was for her and she didn’t fail to entertain. She was mesmerizing, confident; everything one wants in a live concert- she brought and then some, complete with backup dancers, props and 4 costume changes. Her show is ambitious and proves she is the real thing- she isn’t make-believe, or fake. Her voice is authentic- she can sing and highlighted her talent with a few songs of just her and the piano; her musicality is clever to say the least.
For an artist who just released her first album less than a year ago, GaGa is on fire- her show is brilliant, and promises to get better with time. The only detraction was the length. Doors opened at 8:00 and the show started at 9:00. GaGa went on at 10:40 and was off the stage by 11:30 though she did return for an encore. It is possible that the powers that be underestimated Lady’s Seattle debut, but tickets to the one night show were gone 10 minutes after they went on sale. Everyone in the theater knew every word to every song- these were die hard fans. While the intention may have been to leave them wanting more, it instead came dangerously close to making fans feel they didn’t get what they came for. The recipe for success is simple: More Lady GaGa.
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