Lady Gaga returned to Montreal on April 25th for her fourth overall show and told the crowd that she’ll been taking a little break after this – which shouldn’t really come as a surprised to her monsters. The Monster Ball, which began in Montreal on November 27, 2009 will conclude later this week in Mexico after a whopping total of 201 shows. The concert was re-imaged in January 2010 as the original tour was constructed in a short time span after Kanye West dropped out of the joint, “Fame Kills” tour following his Taylor Swift outburst at the MTV VMAs. Set in New York, the “pop-electro opera” tells the story of Lady Gaga and her friends who get lost while trying to find the “Monster Ball.”
The wait between the opening act, Semi Precious Weapons, and the main show seemed like an eternity. This was a good opportunity to scope out the mixed crowd. Many were in costume – most notable included a mother/daughter duo who were dressed as two different incarnations of Lady Gaga, as well as a few with black and white skeleton face paint, as seen the “Born This Way” video. Nearing 10 p.m., frustrations were felt all across the crowd. Someone in particular mentioned that he was “fed up” and that “When Celine Dion was scheduled to come on at 8 p.m., she came on stage at 8:03 p.m.” Just as he and his friend left, the lights went dark and the crowd began to cheer in excitement as the curtain-screen lit up and the instrumental opening of “Dance in the Dark” began to play. Luckily, what would follow for the next two hours would be the furthest thing from a Celine Dion concert.
The show was split into five parts (four “acts” and the encore): City, Subway, Forest and Monster Ball. The performances of non-singles like “Teeth,” “Monster” and “Boys Boys Boys” were just as spectacular as the big hits like “LoveGage,” “Paparazzi,” “Alejandro,” and “Poker Face.” Gaga made it clear that she did not lip-synch. The acoustic piano version of “Born This Way” enabled Mother Monster to showcase her impeccable vocal range. The lack of a live Beyonce during “Telephone” wasn’t a big deal for fans and many attributed “Bad Romance” as their favourite performance. Costume changes were done quickly as gothic graphics kept the viewers occupied in between the acts.
Lady Gaga revealed mid-way through the show that she wouldn’t be performing her latest single, “Judas” because she didn’t want to mess with the current show’s choreography but the fans can look out for the performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show later in the week — the song later played as the crowds left the packed Bell Centre with the single’s artwork on display.
Lady Gaga emit so much positive energy and made it clear that everyone was welcome to the Monster Ball. When the show came to an end past midnight, the crowd left satisfied and even forgot all about the hour-long wait.
For photos of Lady Gaga’s concert at Montreal’s Bell Centre, click here. Lady Gaga presents The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden will air on Saturday, May 7 at 9 p.m. on HBO Canada. The 2-hour special was filmed during Lady Gaga’s hometown stops on February 21 and 22. “Born This Way,” will be released on May 23. Lady Gaga will next appear in Canada on June 19 when she performs at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto.
