You Had to Be There: Chromatica Ball
By R. J. F.
The stadium was bouncing when Lady Gaga hit the stage, and it didn’t quit for two hours of a passionate performance.
78 degrees and 81% humidity, not exactly great weather for an outdoor concert, but I wasn’t going to let that slow me down. I fulfilled another bucket list artist to go see perform live when I attended Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball concert at Dodger Stadium last weekend, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since.
When Gaga released Chromatica in 2020, pretty much everything was still shut down. There were no live concerts going on, sporting events were limited, even going out to eat had several restrictions in place, so it was going to be a while before she could hit the road to tour with that album. When shows were announced for her Chromatica Ball tour, I jumped at the opportunity to buy a good ticket because I figured this might be a once in a lifetime type of opportunity, and I’m so glad that I did!
Photo by R. J. F.
I have always known that Gaga is a phenomenal performer. Watching various clips from previous concerts, TV performances, and her 2017 Super Bowl Halftime Show has highlighted her stage presence, but seeing her do it live is no comparison to the televised performances. I’ve been to countless shows and concerts in my life, but I can easily say that this was the best concert I have ever been to. Every little detail of the show was insane. I keep telling people that it was like going to a large scale art installation where I was constantly intrigued by one thing or another.
The video pieces in between costume changes, the geotracked wristbands that lit up at various times during the show according to where you were in the stadium, perfectly executed choreography, the costumes themselves, the light shows and fire elements during the concert, and even the fireworks at the end were all intense and intentional. I keep thinking about the fact that Gaga is involved with every facet of the show, and how all of these concepts came from her own creativity and desire to put on a spectacular performance for her fans. Again, the best concert I’ve ever attended!
Photo by R. J. F.
She opened the show with “Bad Romance” and the entire stadium physically moved like there was an earthquake. I’m not going to lie, I was frightened that the place was going to collapse from everyone jumping up and down and dancing with reckless abandon. I had to remind myself to trust the engineering of the stadium because of how much movement was happening. There were times when I was trying to take videos and I couldn’t because my arm couldn’t steadily hold my phone in place. She went through a range of her previous hits such as “Poker Face” and “Just Dance”, did a bunch of songs from Chromatica (duh), and even some songs from the movie A Star is Born. The crowd was singing and dancing along to everything, and loving every second of her infectious energy.
Besides all the show-womanship of the dancing, lights, and video elements, I was the most impressed with her minimal use of backing tracks for her vocals. Everyone knows that pop stars use backing tracks when they are performing live, especially if they’re dancing. People such as Britney Spears, Madonna, Janet Jackson, etc. all frequently use the help of this because singing and dancing at the same time, while still sounding good is extremely difficult. Gaga, on the other hand, was on a totally different level. There were some pre-recorded backing vocals, but it was minimal and mostly during the chorus parts. She sang live and sounded mostly impeccable for her two hour show. I mean, damn, that shit is impressive! I walked away from that concert with more respect for her as a performer than I thought was possible.
