What surprised me about this concert the second time around (yes, I've seen this concert 2 times... please no judgments) was the amount of religious imagery she presents to, what I assume is, her largely secular crowd. Well folks, maybe it was there the first time around and I missed it because of the sensory overload (or the drunk women dancing precariously close to my personal space) but I definitely saw a closer tie to religion in her DC concert compared with her one in NY. Granted, Lady Gaga's religions overtones include more Madonna than Ignatius, but they are present within nonetheless.
Let me break it down for those not crazy enough to see the spectacle for themselves.
1. Lady Gaga reveals herself in a "Flying Nun-like" habit... and in a bikini.
2. Lady Gaga performs in front of a crowd preaching tolerance towards others at the fringes of society (her charity of choice is for LGBTQ homeless & children)
3. Lady Gaga bathes in a replica of Bethesda fountain, complete with Angel statue spewing red water... and the statue is on fire
4. Lady Gaga bestows effusive compliments on "Jesus"'s love for both men and women... this takes a more suggestive tone when we consider that her almost naked bass player (with very long hair and washboard abs) is also named Jesus.
5. Lady Gaga stops her performance mid-song and dance in order to stop two audience members from fighting.
1. OK now for the nun outfit. I really don't have a comment about that except that she looked like Sally Fields in the "Flying Nun" series. Perhaps this was meant as a... nah I got nothin'.
2. Lady Gaga is nothing if not loyal to her fans. She peppers in inspirational thoughts and praises into the narrative of her concert. In DC she made open critiques about the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy in the American military. She frequently expresses her affection for those deemed weird or outside mainstream American society. The major theme of her brand (her music, her image etc) is ultimately about acceptance, and while sex sells her music, she seems to be making a directed effort in welcoming every type of person into her fold of devotees.
3. The Bethesda fountain angel was built (now in Central Park, NYC) to commemorate the Croton Aqueduct's giving NY reliably clean and potable water. The angel is said to be giving the water healing powers, referencing the Gospel of John Ch. 5 (I confess - I got this exact reference off of Wikipedia). Now in the concert, Gaga bathes in a replica of the Bethesda fountain... in red water. Red obviously evokes blood (not potable) but I think the imagery of Gaga baptizing herself in the "blessed water" is the real takeaway picture.
4. The Jesus reference was an obvious play off of a religious message... with a, er, highly erotic slant. Profane? Probably. But I think this was Gaga being tongue and cheek with not only her message of acceptance and forgiveness, but also the highly sexualized nature of her persona.
5. This was interesting. Gaga, in the middle of her dance / singing routine stopped the music in order to break up a fistfight which had broken out in the standing area in front of the stage. Letting aside her hawk-like perception, she took this moment (and she seemed genuinely concerned as far as I could tell from the jumbotron closeup) to preach about nonviolence and love. She did so while covered in fake blood, but hey - not all messages can be properly timed.
Well kids, this was my two cents. No Lady Gaga next time, I promise. I'll pick something a little more academic... maybe.
1. OK now for the nun outfit. I really don't have a comment about that except that she looked like Sally Fields in the "Flying Nun" series. Perhaps this was meant as a... nah I got nothin'.
2. Lady Gaga is nothing if not loyal to her fans. She peppers in inspirational thoughts and praises into the narrative of her concert. In DC she made open critiques about the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy in the American military. She frequently expresses her affection for those deemed weird or outside mainstream American society. The major theme of her brand (her music, her image etc) is ultimately about acceptance, and while sex sells her music, she seems to be making a directed effort in welcoming every type of person into her fold of devotees.
3. The Bethesda fountain angel was built (now in Central Park, NYC) to commemorate the Croton Aqueduct's giving NY reliably clean and potable water. The angel is said to be giving the water healing powers, referencing the Gospel of John Ch. 5 (I confess - I got this exact reference off of Wikipedia). Now in the concert, Gaga bathes in a replica of the Bethesda fountain... in red water. Red obviously evokes blood (not potable) but I think the imagery of Gaga baptizing herself in the "blessed water" is the real takeaway picture.
4. The Jesus reference was an obvious play off of a religious message... with a, er, highly erotic slant. Profane? Probably. But I think this was Gaga being tongue and cheek with not only her message of acceptance and forgiveness, but also the highly sexualized nature of her persona.
5. This was interesting. Gaga, in the middle of her dance / singing routine stopped the music in order to break up a fistfight which had broken out in the standing area in front of the stage. Letting aside her hawk-like perception, she took this moment (and she seemed genuinely concerned as far as I could tell from the jumbotron closeup) to preach about nonviolence and love. She did so while covered in fake blood, but hey - not all messages can be properly timed.
Well kids, this was my two cents. No Lady Gaga next time, I promise. I'll pick something a little more academic... maybe.
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