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In anticipation of the ArtRave tour stopping off in SA, Current associate editor Bryan Rindfuss and I weighed out the pros and cons of Lady Gaga. I chose the anti-Gaga, devil on the shoulder position. And after seeing the spectacle last evening at the AT&T Center, I knew I lost brutally. Germany vs. Brazil bad.
Gaga’s arena pop spectacle is a massive exercise in positive affirmation and ridiculously fun behavior. With costume changes and dancers in abundance, the ArtRave cruised towards two hours without a dull moment or botched move. Here’s some of the highlights and wild numbers from the tour.
[35 Photos of Little Monster Fans at Lady Gaga’s ‘ARTPOP’]
Best costume theme: Egyptian cartoon royalty/candy Afrofuturism for “Venus.” Runner up: Leather S&M for “Judas.”
Stage length: 110 feet of see-through lucite
Best stage prop: Metallic hand with purple witch nails that raises 15 feet in the air. Of course, it’s a chair for Gaga.
Non-dancing personnel needed: 17
Number of trucks needed to transport stage: 21
Best crowd moment: Someone threw a denim vest onstage with Gaga’s Artpop likeness on it. Though it worked so fluidly it could have been staged.
Most envious stage asset to use in real life: Drop down platforms, to exit out the bottom of any situation.
Best musical element: Gaga’s badass pipes.
Best Gaga quote: “Fuck you to all those assholes who said I couldn’t sell in Texas.”
Average revenue from ArtRave tour thus far: $995,197 per evening
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2014.