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An infectious illness that has been spreading over Australia the past few weeks as megastar Lady Gaga has been wowing audiences across Australia on her Monster Ball tour. From impressionable young girls, to their fretful parents and back - if you don't have Lady GagaFever, there'll be at least five people that you know who do.
Unexpectedly, a Wollongong show was announced after demand stretched beyond the capital cities - and in spite of picking Wollongong's biggest venue for the event, it was possibly the most intimate show of the entire Monster Ball. The WIN Entertainment Centre is around the same size as the Hordern Pavilion for those of you playing at home.
Coincidentally enough, that very venue was where the original Sydney shows were scheduled for - in turn, presenting us with an insight as to how those shows might have gone ahead had the country not been infected with the aforementioned fever. As you may have heard from anyone who's attended, the show is an absolute feast for the senses that is almost guaranteed to leave any pop fan satisfied. Even the naysaying, dragged-along fathers crack a smile!
The doors were opened to a flurry of fans, who were greeted to a stage partly shrouded in mystery by fancy curtains, whilst the front part of the stage was littered with mics, amps and instruments. Four stick-thin figures then proceeded to pick up said instruments, plug in to said amps and rock out with what they were provided of said stage.
Within seconds, the quartet were tearing through a song that sported a loud major-chord riff and the opening lyrics "Well, I can't pay my rent/but I'm fucking gorgeous". The song was Semi Precious Weapons - which happened to also be the name of the band.
Hailing from the area explicitly referred to as "New York Motherfucking City", the band tore through narcissistic, sassy rock & roll for their allocated half-hour which alienated some of the confused Gaga fans, but delighted those with a bit more of an open mind. Their up-tempo, shout-along numbers sounded like what might happen if AC/DC's Young brothers got in a barroom brawl with the band Poison after calling Bret Michaels a poofter - in other words, meat-and-potatoes rock & roll that had no qualms with elaborating on just why the people playing it were so awesome.
Bottle-blonde frontman Justin Tranter was hilarious to watch as he did his best Mick Jagger struts and interacted with the mixed reaction of the crowd - "The gentlemen in the front row who are booing," he announced three songs in, "will be booing even harder when I fuck their girlfriends!" Sure, they weren't for everybody amongst the five thousand strong, but the band's pomposity - matched with a handful of ridiculously catchy tunes - kicked off the evening's proceedings with enough spark to sustain interest and even pick up a handful of new fans. [Editors note: this reminds me of when Har Mar Superstar opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers!]
Ever played The Waiting Game? Gaga has, and she thought it would be a great idea to let everyone play along for about forty minutes after Tranter and co. screamed their final goodbye. It wasn't fun for us, but our patience would ultimately be rewarded back tenfold. Kicking into The Fame Monster's "Dance in the Dark" as her opener, Gaga performed two-thirds of the song behind a curtain, her shadow cast out by lights, her body shifting positions only when the chorus impacted. A bizarre way to introduce yourself to your screaming audience, given; but nonetheless an effective one.
The second she appeared in clear view, and the siren synth intro of "Just Dance" wailed over the P.A., there was simply no turning back. We were but putty in the palm of the domineering ringleader Gaga, a sight to behold as she danced about the stage in perfect choreography and singing her diamond-studded heart out. Surprisingly, however, for all the fanfare we had just witnessed, we weren't even at the Monster Ball yet. There was, apparently, quite a way to go.
The premise of the show is that Gaga and her friends (the backing dancers and us, the fans) are all on our way to the Monster Ball - a magical place where you can be anyone or anything you want to be, as Gaga herself explains, and "all the freaks are locked out". We are "the Monsters", a tag that we take up with pride on our journey to the Ball. With the car broken down, however, the troupe take to the subway, and get lost along the way - thus encountering a deep, dark world that is ruled by The Fame Monster (a Cthulhu-like character that swallows Gaga whole at one point, during "Paparazzi"). Okay, so the concept was only loosely held together, but that extra theatrical layer just made the show even more exciting. It drew us closer to Gaga as a performer - we shrieked when she shrieked, danced when she danced and so forth. We became entirely involved with the show, which is what any great popstar needs to do in order to tear through the veneer of artificiality and make the fully established connection between them and their fans.
Indeed, the connections came thick and fast. The gay boys squealed at their dedicated song of "Boys Boys Boys", one of The Fame's catchiest numbers. Meanwhile, "Poker Face" summoned possibly the biggest ovation of the evening - a quick scan of the room would result in finding next to no-one in a still position as the song delivered its plentiful hooks and thudding dance rhythm. Musically, however, it was "Speechless" that brought Gaga closest to the crowd, as she sat at the piano, powering out what is easily her most emotional song with strained, tearful vocals and a soaring singalong from her adoring Monsters. Dealing with the life-threatening illness of her father, all the evidence you needed that Gaga is an artist and performer above all else was presented at the centre of that very stage - even with the front of the goddamn piano on fire.
Really, there was so much that went on during The Monster Ball that it's hard to recall every highlight. Therein lies why the show has been such a success: the audio was a snapshot of everything mainstream pop music is currently doing right, the visuals a thrilling, eccentric accompaniment. All of this is the vision of Gaga, who has obviously put a world of time and effort into the show. Her detractors and censors will still have their rants and moans reserved for any move that Lady Gaga makes; but really, after the tour has finished, you'll be quick to find that the only ones left as non-believers will be the ones who did not attend the shows themselves.
You have been warned - the Monsters have taken over.
