Lady Gaga returned to a large audience for the first time in eight years to headline the Coachella festival on Friday night (11), dancing with skeletons, fighting a dancer dressed as a monster and performing a surprise encore.
Lady Gaga performed songs from her 2025 album “Mayhem,” as well as older songs including “Judas,” “Born This Way” and “Poker Face.” “I love you guys,” she said repeatedly during the two-hour show. In her typically flamboyant style, she performed a series of costume changes, including a red dress, a black leotard, a white feathered dress and a metallic suit of armor with a cape. The theatrical performance is the first preview of what we can expect at the artist’s show in Copacabana on May 3.
Fans also opted for statement pieces to pay tribute to the singer.
Lady Gaga, an LGBTQ+ icon who affectionately calls her fans “little monsters,” is known for her activism in the community and for being openly bisexual.
Some men in the audience hugged and kissed each other, shouting their love for the 39-year-old.
Her 2011 song “Born This Way” has been dubbed a “gay anthem,” giving rise to the Born This Way Foundation, which aims to end “bullying and promote mental health awareness, especially in the LGBTQ+ community.”
The singer, songwriter and actress is known for her upbeat pop music that incorporates electropop, dance, rock, house, jazz and experimental genres. She is set to perform a series of shows on her “Mayhem Ball” tour later this year.
“Mayhem” reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming her seventh album to top the charts. It also debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Two of the biggest hits of the new era are “Die With a Smile”, recorded with Bruno Mars, and “Abracadabra”.
