Lady Gaga brings Joanne World Tour to Tacoma
It’s the first stop of the Joanne World Tour in the U.S. for the pop queen Lady Gaga. Her fourth album by the same name was released a few months ago and she is riding high from her Super Bowl and Coachella performances. Eager fans gathered early on at the Tacoma Dome to get a good spot on the floor, many dressing up for the occasion, ready to take it all in and have the time of their life.
There are no openers for the show, does Gaga really need one? A little before nine a countdown appears on the giant screen on the main stage, and the room fills up with screaming voices. When it’s time for the final seconds everyone yells out in anticipation of her starting the show. The little monsters lose it as she enters the stage parading around with a dozen dancers to “Diamond Heart”.
The performance continued on a high note with Gaga singing some of our favorite hits as the floor transformed to a magical show of perfect choreography and flashy pyrotechnics. Every three or four songs a video interlude would come on the huge screen as she quickly changed costumes for the next act. The most impressive one for us was “Claws”, which played before “Applause”, displaying Gaga in a room inhaling the addiction of fame and the need for the high of the performance.
After the song it was time for her to put the pods above the floor to use as they came down creating three walkways, with two small circular platforms, which led from the main stage to a smaller one towards the end of the GA floor. The show seemed to shift at this point as the massive hits, dancers, and lights disappeared, and we were left with a solo queen showing us her heart.
She sat at her clear piano as rainbow lights came through for “Come To Mama”, saying there is enough love in the room to fill up the world. Then she went on to one of the most touching moments as she shared the story about losing one of her best friends this year and how it helped her see love for the first time. She played “Edge of Glory” in a sweet slowed down piano version and everything stood still for a second.
The mood picked up once again as “Born This Way” came on and she danced her way back to the main stage and closing of the act. The next one continued with more dancing which included new “Dancin’ In Circles”, and hit “Paparazzi.” Things turned down again when she appeared in more of a country themed attire and a moving explanation of who “Joanne” really is. She shared the story of her late aunt who she never even met but was around her whole life in family moments. She dedicated the song to everyone who was blasted in life by an event and didn’t remember who they were before that, and reminded them they were not alone.
The show went back to a high with “Bad Romance” giving us everything we wanted to see from a Lady Gaga show. Integrate stage design, multiple dancers, pyro, lights, and a flashy number. She did not disappoint one bit and her two hours seemed to go so quickly, testament of a good live. The night came to an end with “Million Reasons”, stripped down on the smaller stage, alone, just her voice and her dedicated fans.
The show felt completely different when she took us on a journey by herself, almost made the rest unnecessary in a way. Perhaps this is what her future will look like, maybe this is her strongest virtue, connecting with her fans through her raw emotions. If you can get to a show nearby make sure you take that opportunity Gaga is as fierce onstage as she is through her music.