By KEVIN C. JOHNSON > Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic | Posted: Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:16 pm | 1 Comment
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Sarah Conard
Saturday, July 17, 2010-- Lady Gaga performs at the Scottrade Center. Sarah Conard | freelance
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Lady Gaga's concert Saturday night at Scottrade Center was possibly a case of too much too soon, or at the very least proof bigger isn't always better.
Don't get me wrong -- Gaga greatly titillated her sold-out house of "little monsters" in attendance with her sparks-shooting bra, her latex bikini set, her flaming piano, her dedication to Missouri gay pride, and the late reveal of the heavily-tentacled "Fame Monster," which brought a well-designed sea creature to the stage.
There's nothing wrong with a greatly over-the-top spectacle like this one every now and again, especially since Madonna, Britney Spears and Janet Jackson are scarce around these parts.
But the pop phenomenon's Fox Theatre concert, which totally engulfed the Fox's stage in January, remains legend, an early contender for concert of the year. A surprisingly dulled edge ultimately overcame Saturday's concert, despite an entirely revamped production on a bigger platform and Gaga's attempts at shock.
But you can't knock Gaga for trying.
Gaga based her current "Monster Ball" tour around the thread of her trying to make her way to the Monster Ball, a place she explained she created to "set you free," where her fans have a place to go where all the real freaks are kept outside.
The irony there is that ultra conservatives would argue Gaga and her 'little monsters" fans, who came out full force in all sorts of colorful drag, were the actual freaks.
But it was Gaga's job to make the often shunned feel at home, and she milked her love of gays dry throughout the night, to huge applause.
Her journey to the Monster Ball easily mirrored Dorothy's trek to Oz in many ways, with a gay twist naturally. The parallels -- the twister, a Glinda the Good Witch-like dress, her eventual meeting of the actual Monster at the end -- were fun to note.
Gaga opened the concert not unlike her earlier show, performing "Dance in the Dark" from "The Fame Monster" from behind a transparent screen while she struck various poses atop a staircase.
The funky city-scape set, including staircases, platforms, neon, and a discarded taxi cab with a hood that opened to reveal her piano, changed throughout the night. So did Gaga's outfits, ranging from a sexy nun's habit to something possibly inspired by the Muppets to a curtains-and-rod ensemble borrowed from an old Carol Burnett skit.
In route to the Monster Ball, she and her large dance troupe performed "The Fame" album songs such as "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "Paparazzi," "Money Honey" and "Boys Boys Boys," her gay pride celebration which came with her male dancers dressed scantily. "LoveGame" was set inside a subway car, a good effect for a moment.
"Telephone," a song with Beyonce from Gaga's follow-up "The Fame Monster," came with a mock phone call from Beyonce. "She's always interrupting my big moment," she joked.
Other songs from the superior "The Fame Monster," performed in its entirety, included "Alejandro," "Teeth," and "So Happy I Could Die," which sent her rising high above the crowd on a platform.
When Gaga decided to take the show down a notch to trot out a ballad, most notably piano ballad "Speechless," one could hear the concession stand calling out, despite the piano getting set afire during the song.
New song "You and I," which she said would be on her next album, may need to become more familiar before really registering.
Gaga kicked off the show-closing "Bad Romance" standing inside her signature rotating silver rings, before stepping out the rings to join her dancers to successfully deliver the tune's memorable moves.
Semi Precious Weapons, who opened for Gaga last time around as well, performed similar duties on the current tour. The band, led by the flamboyantly dramatic Justin Tranter, introduced the crowd to its new "You Love You" CD, and closed the set by tearing up an image of himself and throwing it at fans.
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