So happy i could die...Lady Gaga

The Monster Ball Tour 2010

Sydney Entertainment Centre

4/5

The crowd: A good mix of all ages and different people. The gays were plentiful, but so were families and kids. They were also very enthusiastic. I saw Gaga for the first time live 2 years ago in a tiny club on Oxford St in Sydney. The entire place was packed out, but she had JUST launched with her debut single 'Just Dance', so i wasn't expecting a major crowd filler, i was wrong. There were people pouring out of the doors, fans already dressed up in costumes, and people going nuts to see her on stage. At her new Arena show, it was the exact same atmosphere, except this time, there were THOUSANDS of fans, instead of hundreds. It was great to see how big she's gotten in such a short period of time, and the rabid loyalty and appreciation the fans showed her was really great to see.

The only downside to my "crowd" experience, was having a bunch of loud mouthed toothless red necks sitting behind us the entire show. They kept quiet while Gaga was on stage, but during the opening act [which was very....overtly gay and sexual, lol] they kept yelling and screaming at how vile the whole thing was. Honestly, what ARE rednecks DOING at a Gaga show? did they not expect to see poofery????? go the fuck home.

Opening act: Semi Precious Weapons opened the show. I've only heard of these guys by name, and Gaga used to open for them YEARS ago when she was a teenager performing in clubs for the first time. The band itself was full of flamboyant members, with the main singer wearing no pants, stocking and heels, which at one point he REMOVED on stage to change into some new clothes. They were pretty entertaining to watch, and the music itself actually wasn't too bad. They sang thrashy style rock, i'll definitely check out their album.

The show: The lights dimmed and the crowd went absolutely mental as a screen was lowered over the stage and black and white footage of Gaga jumping in slow motion was shown. A heavy dance beat played over the footage, and it was obvious this was going to be a pretty loud opener. As the synths to Dance In The Dark kicked in, everyone lost their minds. Gaga appeared on top of a stair case behind the screen [which was semi transparent] and all you could see was her silhoutte as she sang the song, it was an AMAZING opener which set the mood for the rest of the night.

As soon as the first song was finished, we got kicked into the first few bunch of performances. She sang a brand new song called Glitter and Grease, which i loved [can't wait to hear a studio version], when Just Dance came on the crowd lost their minds as they danced around, everyone was standing. Beautiful Dirty Rich followed, then The Fame and to finish it up, she sang a random internet leaked song from 2 years ago called, Vanity. Don't know why it was included, but i liked the performance.

Another video interlude was played before the next segment, Gaga posing for a photoshoot while a woman vomited green spew on her. It ended with Gaga eating a bloody raw heart. The interludes in general were pretty cool throughout the show. LoveGame was the opener for the second act, another track everyone really got into. Boys Boys Boys was dedicated to "her gay boys", Money Honey followed, and then Telephone was blasted into the crowd. The choreography for Telephone was GREAT, i still wish it was show cased better in the music video.

The atmosphere was taken down a notch when Gaga sat at her piano and sang Brown Eyes and Speechless. Although the songs were slow, i was surprised to see how much everyone got into them. Although it's hard not to when Gaga is singing the shit out of the tracks while thrashing at her piano. Her voice is FANTASTIC live, so strong. The highlight from that section was when she stopped singing the chorus to Speechless, and let the crowd sing it to her while she played the piano, the entire Arena sang it perfectly in sync, it was a great moment to let fans really connect with her. She loved it.

As a tornado descended onto the stage, Gaga returned wearing her wacky 'Living Dress', which looked like some sort of angelic fairy robotronic outfit. It moved, opening and closing as she was lifted into the air and sang So Happy I Could Die. One of my favourite performances from the night. She looked amazing on stage wearing that.

As the show entered it's last act, Gaga churned out Monster [another highlight], Teeth [hot dancing], Alejandro [nicely set up, but a bit of a let down], and Poker Face [crowd went mental over it, obviously].

Before Gaga left the stage, she came out for 2 more song. Paparazzi, which was the most memorable performance of the night, with a GIANT monster puppet appearing on stage as she sang the song. I've only seen one picture of the monster, so i wasn't sure how it would look in motion. It looked REALLY cool. I loved it. The final song of the night, Bad Romance, was a bit of a let down, mostly because Gaga wore a metallic dress which seemed to really limit her movement, so she wasn't able to really give it her all for the finale. Still, the crowd loved it and the song itself is great. For me though, Paparazzi seemed to be the proper goodbye.

Overall: A really fun concert with a lot of love in the room. The first half of the show was a little stronger than the second half, but as a whole product it was nicely put together and very ambitious.

Gaga is a strong live act, her voice is great, her outfits are hilarious and the amount of buzz and excitement she was able to bring to the audience was impressive. She's described as a phenomenon, and last night, i finally saw her booming career in action. After only 2 years, to pull off the concert she put on last night and to have such adoring fans after such a small period of time, is really mind boggling to see. Behind all the costumes and wigs is an incredibly talented girl, who seems to live and breathe everything she does on stage. I'm proud to be a fan, she's the real deal. She's just a baby in the industry, but after seeing her last night, it's obvious she can stand her own ground with her established peers who've been around for 10-20 years.

I look forward to seeing her again.

PS: Can't remember which song it was for, but at one point she opened a track while playing on her GIANT guitar keyboard. It was fucking badass.

Britney Spears
The Circus Tour 2009
Acer Arena
2.5/5

The crowd: Absolutely INSANE. The loyalty of her fans was OBVIOUS during the show. I've NEVER been to a show with SO MUCH screaming and devotion. It was nice to see, especially after endless media reports about walk outs and upset fans. It was clearly only a small percentage of people who didn't enjoy the show, because from what i saw, most people seemed to have a blast.
The crowd was the most interesting one iv'e seen so far at an Arena tour [besides GaGa's crowd]. SO many poofs and SLUTTY girls, lol, but in a good way!
The female fans were awesome, the crowd was filled with Barbie doll look a likes, some in Britney costumes, others practically in their undies and heels. Even the fat girls bleached their hair and put on the pinkist skirt they could find. Had a tranny sitting in front of me too.

Opening act: Well known Aussie female Dj, Dj Havana opened the show. Cool set up, hot girl, jumping around in her tiny undies and stilettos. Set the mood for the type of show we were about to see.

The show: Firstly, the set up for the tour was done well. The entire stadium glowed pink [gay], and they had sprayed the entire arena with her perfume. I felt like i was sitting inside Britney's vagina or something, was cute :). Once Dj Havana finished her set, they had a big 25 minute countdown to Britney's arrival. It was the PERFECT crowd warmer, because once we got to that last minute, lawd oh lawd, lol, that crowd fucking lost their minds. GREAT way to start the show.

Britney started with Circus, then worked her way through Piece of Me, and a couple of other songs. It was exciting seeing her. She's SO famous, and because i've been a fan for years, i couldn't help but get a few butterflies inside my tummy. I wasn't going nuts though, it just didn't call for it.

As we approached the middle of the show, things got a bit more interesting. Me Against The Music was GREAT. Best performance of the night, they utilized the stage the most during that. The stage was a bit tricky to navigate at times i noticed. There were some songs where she'd just have oher back to us for an entire song. It left you feeling a bit "um.....hello bitch, i'm over here!".
Other stand out moments were Do Something and Get Naked. The dancing in get Naked was really good, and Britney seemed into it. Breathe On Me was funny. The guy they dragged up on the stage looked pleased with the fact that Britney was shimmering her hips in front of him. He was some big jock, he looked REALLY excited in the pants region. I think he was straight, lol.

Other parts of the show i liked were the videos shown. The opener with Perez was done well, so was the Sweet Dreams mask party video.

Now for the not so great stuff.

Miming. This is the first "live" act i've seen mime a show, and it will be my last. I was obviously aware of what i was in for going in, and that's fine, i still chose to go. After going through the experience though, i can't say i got too much out of seeing someone lip every song on stage.
The main problem is the CONNECTION. When you mime a song, there's NO connection with the audience. I don't care if the song is only about shaking your ass!, if you sing it live, it puts a bit of conviction behind it, and it makes me enjoy it more. I don't mind a bit of miming during parts of songs where choreography comes in. But at least sing the majority of it live so i can actually connect with you on SOME level during the show. With Britney, there was nothing like that there. The show felt like it was on auto pilot, and she felt a million miles away.

Another thing, audience interaction. I don't expect ALL acts to sit and chat with the crowd like Pink does. I'll admit, it's a GREAT way to really make an audience feel close to you if you acknowledge there presence in some way, but it's not desperately needed. Britney had ZERO interaction with us. She said "Hello Sydney" and then "Bye Sydney". That was it. She just wasn't............"there". And i don't mean in a "drugged out" way. Her energy levels were good most of the time and she looked like she was having fun, but it was like watching a robot "do her thing" and then leave.

The tour design was nicely done, but i also think at times it was a bit too much. It felt like the performances were DROWNING in the lights and special fx. I wanted to see Britney, not smoke bombs and flying chairs for 5 minutes while Britney dances at one end of the stage where i couldn't see her past the pretty lights. It was overkill sometimes, and i wished she'd PULL BACK some of the sets to allow us in a bit more.

The miming, the lack of audience interaction, the veil of visual effects............it all worked to make her feel like she was a million miles away on that stage. It was just empty.

Overall, as a fan, i had a decent time. She's got some great songs under her belt, and some of the performances were nicely done. What made the night was the crowd atmosphere and the music. As a touring act though, i can't say Britney left any sort of lasting impression on me. I wish i could say she did, but she didn't. I saw the show, and pretty much didn't think about it by the time i got to my car in the car park. I suppose that's what you get when everything she has to offer on stage is so.........."false".

I've been following her career for 10 years, and i'm still a big fan. I'm glad i can at least say i saw her ONCE in my life, just for the thrill of it. Would i ever see her again though? No. I wouldn't.

Sorry Britney, but..............after seeing her fellow pop friends like Pink, Beyonce and GaGa [who only had a shitty club stage may i add], Brit just ISN'T in the same league on stage. At all. In any way shape or form.

Whew Chald!Beyonce
I Am... Tour 2009
Acer Arena

First the opening acts....

Jessica Mauboy: Yay!!! Australia's new r&b Princess had the biggest moment of her career nabbing the chance to open up for a megastar like Beyonce. She was great on stage, very energetic and even threw in a song i didn't expect to hear [To The Floor]. The girl is screaming for her own show! i'm sure it'll happen in due time. JESSICA!!!!

Flo Rida: Unfortunately for Beyonce, the build up to her show was ruined by the this dull and randomly put together opener. The first thing that confused me was Flo's entrance....for the entire part of the first song i didn't even realize he was on stage. There were 2 guys rapping, dressed the same and wearing caps, i'm supposed to tell these mongs apart???? Anyway, eventually he revealed himself properly, and i can't say i was impressed, the guy looked boring on stage. Taking his shirt off didn't heighten much of the performance either since the guy is about as sexy as an old shoe. Another strange thing about his opener was how he organized his songs. He only sang a minute and a half of most of the tracks, and would then stop to talk to the "lovely ladies", or give away something.........like TOWELS! What was with the fucking towels? he just kept signing them and throwing them to everybody, haha! he even gave away a giant gold necklace, it was so fug, lmao.
Anyway, thankfully it came to an end soon after his uneventful entrance, and i was able to stop rolling my eyes.

Beyonce: I've seen a few live shows this past year, and even though the shows have been GREAT and the acts have been VERY well know, there's just something different about seeing someone so other worldly famous like Beyonce.
She made a nice dramatic entrance, lights, smoke, a sexy silhouette, and then BANG! she kicked right into her first song quickly. It was Crazy In Love, the crowd was absolutely insane, stomping and screaming for her. She was hair flipping and hip shaking her ass off like crazy. If she pumped her crotch and threw her hair about anymore, i thought she was going to break a limb, it was great. She threw out a few more songs [including Freakum Dress, woo!] and her dancers finished off the first part of the show dancing and popping to Get Me Bodied.

She slowed it down after that with Smash Into You, and a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria. She was dressed in some sort of white wedding dress, and it looked so magical on stage. They toyed with a lot of lighting in the show. They kept trying to make her glow like some sort of Goddess on stage, it looked cool. Her voice was really powerful live, she sang the tracks beautifully. She finished off that section with one of my favourite moments of the night, Broken Hearted Girl. The performance itself was very straight forward, but i love the song and she sounded great.

Sasha Fierce makes her first appearance soon after this. There was a great video interlude featuring a robotic Beyonce and a cheetah. I heard Sweet Dreams was left off the set list for some of her shows and i was hoping mine wouldn't be one of them, sadly it was. It played during an interlude for a minute and that's all i heard from it. It's a shame, it's a big hit here atm and the crowd went crazy when it started playing. It didn't matter soon though because once DIVA kicked in, my brain melted a little. The bass line on that track has always been hot, but hearing it live was really awesome. She popped her pussy so hard in this part, it might be my favourite part of the show for me. To my surprise she also sang Radio, which i also liked.

Throughout the night, Beyonce did her trademark sweat soaked towel giveaways, haha! It was such a random thing to do, but the crowd go ape shit for it, so i can see why she does it. Sometimes she'd be singing so hard, that she'd snatch a towel from the crowd and furiously slam her face with it and then she'd throw it back to the fan and he'd get hit in the face with it, LMAO!!!!! it was fucking awesome. Bitch needs a towel!!!!!!

She had some really great video interludes being played between segments. My favourite was the one that appeared before Baby Boy. It featured Beyonce tossing a coin in an empty cave [i think that's where she was], and the coin landed on the side that featured Sasha's face. Then Sasha showed up taking the moment from poor B and walking off onto the stage. Loved it.
Soon after that Beyonce was floating over the crowd from some wires and preparing for a Destiny's Child medley, which she finished off with a few other solo songs like Check On It and Video Phone.

After this she slowed it down again to sing Listen from her movie Dreamgirls, and then she sang her own version of At Last to video footage of President Obama. Nice moment, the audience really loved it.

At this point the show had been going for a while and once the backdrop on the stage started playing a whole collection of YouTube clips of people dancing to Single Ladies, the crowd went fucking mental, and we knew we were about to see the big finale. The clips were hilarious, and once Beyonce came on stage, NO ONE was sitting down. EVERYONE was dancing or standing. At one point, Beyonce urged the women to "put cho hand in his face!" and all the women were flipping their hands all over, lmao! It was a true SISTA HOOD moment.

Once Single Ladies wrapped we knew she had an encore. After a short break she returned to a roaring audience for Halo. It was nicely done, but something a little unexpected happened. At one point earlier in the show, i noticed [on one of the big projection screens scanning the crowd] a little girl who looked like she had cancer. She didn't have a lot of hair, and she was right at the front of the stage. Beyonce stopped the song and made an announcement on stage about the girl, she asked the girl if she wanted to come up, and she did. The little girl introduced herself as Chelsea. She looked about....5 years old, and she had the sweetest face and voice. Beyonce then dedicated the rest of Halo to her. Beyonce was on her knees next to her, hugging her and singing, Chelsea was singing along, and when Beyonce started changing the words to "Chelsea, we can see your Halo", the girl started to cry, and so was EVERYONE in the audience. It was a really touching moment and the whole audience was just silent and in tears. I really had to hold myself back because i was getting really emotional. Chelseah seemed to love the dedication though and it was a beautiful way to end the show, even if it was slightly depressing.
After that, the show was done.

Beyonce was amazing live. She seemed really happy with the crowd reaction to the show. At one point, she started singing Irreplaceable, and she only got through about 30 seconds of it. The rest was sang PERFECTLY insync by the whole crowd, she looked SO impressed, haha. Nice moment.

She's a superstar.

Funhouse!P!nk
The Funhouse Tour 2009
Acer Arena

As some of you may know, Pink has become a bit of an Australian icon. Her fans are OBSESSED here, they're RAVENOUS when it comes to buying her albums and seeing her shows. Her last tour here was a huge success, and from what Pink said, she didn't expect it to happen again for her next tour.............um, boy was she wrong, lmao!!!!!!
I laugh because it's hilarious just how insanely huge her current show has become. It originally started at 10 shows [or something around that number] and eventually built up to 20, 30 and now 58 shows in total! Every second person in this country has gone to see her live, and i felt if i didn't make the effort to go catch the show myself, i'd regret it.

I managed to score tickets to her SECOND LAST show of the tour, and after attending it last night, i'm SO glad i got the opportunity to go. The show was AWESOME!. I knew it's be good, i've seen her live on TV and i knew she had the personality to easily carry a concert under her own name. The show exceeded expectations though, and i was blown away by how good it all was!
I unfortunately had to sit through nearly an hour of Evermore performing [booooring], and the show itself took a couple of hours to finally start, so there was a lot of fucking around. Once it began though, it was fucking kick ass!
Pink came rising out of the stage on a giant rig, spinning around in her feather dress and started singing 'Bad Influence'. It looked great and it was a cool way to start the show. She kicked into 'Just Like A Pill', 'Who Knew' and 'You + Your Hand' soon after. A couple other tracks were done, but i've gone a bit blank over which ones they were.
Funnily enough, my 2 favourite moments from the show didn't even include her OWN songs. It was two covers she did. My favourite was her version of The Divinyls "I Touch Myself". She was withering all over a red sofa, while rubbing her pussy and having hands pop out around her and rub her body all over. It was REALLY sexy. She also did a kick ass cover of a Led Zeppelin song, i wasn't familiar with the song itself, but the performance was incredible. She has a GREAT voice!

Another nice moment of the show was when she slowed things down a bit and sang a few ballads. 'Glitter In the Air', 'I Don't Believe You' and a beautiful version of 'Family Portrait'. She also got a chance to talk to the audience which was really cute. She had gifts thrown at her, and she also told us her parents were in the audience that night. If anyone wants to know WHY Aussies have fallen in love with her so much, this was the part of the show that showed you why. She's incredibly like able as a person, she's funny, charismatic and came across very genuine. The audience loved her.

By the time we got to the end of the show, she'd knocked out a few more songs and sung a Queen cover. My 3rd favourite performance of the night was for 'Sober'. Pink was suspended in mid air as she swung and flipped her way through the song. It was fucking awesome! and she even managed to sing well while being upside down most of the time.
She wrapped it up soon after that with 'Funhouse', 'Get The Party Started' and a cover of 'Crazy'. That last cover was the only mild low point for me, she should have replaced it with one of her own songs imo. But whatever, it was still great.

If i had free tickets to see her last show tonight, i'd go again. It's amazing that after 57 shows in the same country, she can still get up on stage and look like she's have the time of her life and perform like it was her first time. The crowd was WILD, and even more diverse than i expected. I had a grandma in front of me headbanging her way throughout the whole thing, lol. It was heaps of fun!