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Lady Gaga- Speech about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell/Crowd Phone Call/Telephone
I already wrote a VERY lengthy review of Lady Gaga’s show at Lollapalooza so I will keep this brief, but I saw her in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and left significantly more impressed with her show. Part of that is probably because I was in the front row (if you look at the video, you can see me on the far right doing some bad white boy head-bobbing and fist-pumping from 5:40-5:50 and at a few other points), but objectively some of the flaws in the Lollapalooza show were less prevalent last night.
The bass was turned waaaaay up, which made the remixes in the interludes much better. The opening Dance In The Dark remix, which samples the Vandalism remix of Finally by CeCe Peniston, was particularly impressive, to the point that I spent a decent amount of time yesterday trying to find the official version of it and that my sister forced me to hear her singing the only two lines from Finally that she knows all day. Overall the interludes were still sub-par, but that one’s a keeper. There were fewer inspirational speeches as well, replaced by Gaga talking about repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (even if her speech was awkward, it’s nice to have a pop star who stands for something again), the VMAs and her next album. The phone call bit was good at our show because of the girl actually being able to sing opera well, I’m not sure if it would annoy me at other shows but it worked Tuesday. There was one other moment in all her talks that made me laugh, whether Gaga meant it how I interpreted it or not, when she said “I hate the truth most of all, I’d rather have a giant dose of bullshit any day so…I love you too.” and then ended her speech.
Musically, the show was largely the same, with the addition of So Happy I Could Die being the only change, although it was a welcome one since that’s one of my favorite Fame Monster tracks. Unfortunately that was performed high on a platform with no dancing due to a ridiculous silver angel costume so it wasn’t as good as I had hoped, but the costume itself was pretty awesome. Gaga’s voice was rough at points, but in general the vocals were quite good and more relaxed than in Chicago. A few of the songs were improved with the addition of the catwalk and more choreography, especially Beautiful Dirty Rich, which was weak at Lolla but better here because of a jungle gym-esque structure that Gaga and the dancers climbed around and performed much of the song on. Money Honey was also better since she was able to move around to a few different platforms and jam with the band for part of the song instead of being stationary like before. The bigger spectacle kept their weakness musically hidden, and made both performances more interesting.
I felt last night’s show was stronger due to some small and subtle improvements, most of which are usually in the regular non-festival show. The flaws from the earlier performance are still there, but they’re covered up better and now I have more faith that Gaga knows what works and what doesn’t in her catalog/performance and will adjust her future shows accordingly.
P.S. The “Little Monster Zone” VIP package is pricey ($185) but worth it if you’re a big fan. You’re pretty much guaranteed front row, and the merchandise they give you, which includes an exclusive tote bag, towel, and necklace as well as Lady Gaga sunglasses, would sell for about $80-90 judging by the ridiculous prices of other merchandise at the show.
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Tori Amos- Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen cover, live 2005)
I was bruised and battered and I couldn’t tell what i felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
I saw my reflection in a window, I didn’t know my own face
oh brother, are you gonna leave me wasting away
on the streets of Philadelphia
Oh right, Tori Amos covers classic rock week isn’t finished yet! Remember how I said there was a Springsteen cover coming? Here it is, in all its glory, rescued from the drum machine and synthesizer hell that defined the original instrumental. Tori’s vocal here is also more emotive than Springsteen’s original (notice how she tends to do that to anything with a gruff male vocal?) although his understated delivery has its merits as well. In the original the vocalizations read to me as “ay-ay-ay, ay-ay-ay” and are just providing background sound, whereas Tori’s versions turns it into an “I-I-I”, a stutter of emotion delivered different ways as the song progresses.
If I’m completely honest, this isn’t one of Tori’s best covers or one of Springsteen’s best songs, but there’s another reason this song is important to me. The first time I saw a regular Tori Amos concert was in Philadelphia in 2005, which is when she did this cover. It was the first and last time she performed that song, something unique and special just for that night. This song to me represents the best part of the live music experience: when something unexpected, new, or unusual happens and you’re just blown away by it. It’s not necessarily what you came for, but it’s what you leave the show remembering. Surprises and unique moments are what can’t be replicated outside of a live setting, and sometimes the vibe and what made the moment special can only work if you’re there. Luckily that time I was. (Special shout-out to Steph, who went to this show with me as a last minute favor so I didn’t have to go with my dad.)
ain’t no angel gonna greet me
it’s just you and i, my friend
