Lady Gaga, The O2 Arena, 25/10/2014

The past two weeks have been tough. Tougher than I had anticipated. Everything seemed to become uncertain quickly and life had been put on hold. Finally life seems to be returning to something more normal again which means I'm back! It was in the midst of all this that I saw Lady Gaga and it couldn't have been a more fitting time to go to such a gig.

I am a long time Little Monster. Lady Gaga has always been an inspiration to me and she exudes qualities which all human beings should take example from. She is innovative, original, creative, authentic, caring, honest and above all she is a star.

artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball is Gaga's latest worldwide tour. It sees her performing her 2013
album ARTPOP which is possibly her most experimental album to date. It expresses the marriage of art and popular culture and is full of meaning encased in neon dance beats. artRAVE is the perfect reflection of just that. Gaga's multi-armed perspex runway escaped the stage and filled The O2 Arena creating the perfect platform for the woman fans call Mother Monster to dance, to sing and to spread love and unity throughout the crowd. Her performance was as spot on as ever: her vocals crisp and breathtaking and her dancing sharp, but what is really captivating about Lady Gaga is how throughout it all, she can move a whole crowd emotionally.

Multiple times, Gaga stopped and gave speeches about how we should believe in ourselves and be ourselves and never give up. How we should spread love and be united and support one another. She bought a fan onstage who has been battling cancer for 8 years and sang Born This Way to her: it was a reminder to everyone that bravery is so important and that we are who we are and that is beautiful. Her words are always moving and are always important in rebuliding strength, not just to me,but to many fans, and that is what makes her shows special. They're not just a stunning theatrical showcase, they're an escape and an inspiration.

It was an insane show, not her best, it lacked the clear storyline she usually creates so well, but nevertheless, it was amazing. She performed pretty much all of ARTPOP and created some medleys from her previous albums, The Fame/The Fame Monster and Born This Way. She also performed Bang Bang, which features on her new album with Tony Bennett. This jazz number gave Gaga a moment to showcase her stripped back side, less costume and performance and more vocal, and it was nice to see that. Her costumes were as crazy and gorgeous as ever and her interlude remixes were definitely fitting for the tour's title. It was just another amazing live show and a reminder of why I, and millions of others, will continue to love Lady Gaga.

A video posted by Alice (@kell_soopreez) on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:39pm PDT

Setlist

ARTPOP
G.U.Y
Donatella
Venus
MANiCURE
Just Dance
Poker Face
Telephone
Paparazzi
Do What U Want
Dope
You & I
Born This Way
The Edge Of Glory
Judas
Aura
Sexxx Dreams
Mary Jane Holland
Alejandro
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
Bad Romance
Applause
Swine
Gypsy