Music
Lady Gaga’s Coachella Set Was Full Of Easter Eggs
The singer gave fans one of her most theatrical performances yet.
Mother Monster has officially hit peak chaos. On April 11, Lady Gaga turned Coachella into Gagachella, becoming the second woman to headline the music festival twice. The singer filled in for Beyoncé in 2017, and said she only had a week to prepare her set back then. This time around, she was determined to live up to her true potential.
“I have long dreamed of throwing a massive night of chaos in the desert. I’ve had a vision I’ve never been able to fully realize at Coachella for reasons beyond our control but I wanted to come through for music fans,” she wrote on Instagram when the lineup was announced in November. “I have been wanting to go back and to do it right, and I am.”
Delivering on her promise, Gaga performed an epic two-hour spectacle, with creative direction and choreography by Parris Goebel, filled with classic hits and songs from her new album, Mayhem. She opened the show in peak gothic form, delivering a rendition of “Bloody Mary” in a two-story curtain gown, which then opened up to reveal a cage of dancers that kicked off “Abracadabra.”
In true Gaga fashion, that was only the start of her theatrics. There was a life-like chess match, a sandbox filled with skeletons, a cape seemingly longer than a football field, dancers that doubled as a gospel choir, and two baroque-style pianos, which she used to perform hit ballads like “Shallow.”
Gaga also avoided “reheating her nachos,” channeling her darkness in new ways to create her most elaborate show to date. However, she couldn’t help but slip in some Easter eggs that nodded to some of her most iconic moments, making her past self an essential part of her show’s storyline.
Gaga vs. Gaga
The singer first referenced her past work when she confronted a dancer dressed in the spiky crown from her “Bad Romance” video. The dancer acted as Gaga’s 2009 self in an intricately choreographed dance battle to “Poker Face” atop a chess board.
Some fans also noticed that the performance was an evident nod to Alexander McQueen’s 2005 show titled “It’s Only a Game,” which also took place on a chessboard. Given her friendship with the late designer, it was a very touching reference.
Gaga’s Favorite Boots
The singer also brought back her favorite pair of boots, the “Savannah” corset boots from Penthouse, which debuted during her Monster Ball Tour in 2010. She’s since worn them frequently, including in her “Rain on Me” video with Ariana Grande, when she last headlined Coachella in 2017.
Lying With A Skeleton
Gaga opened the show’s second act in a literal sandpit, performing “Perfect Celebrity” and lying down with a skeleton, which was a nod to the final shot of her “Bad Romance” video. Clearly, she has a fascination with the dead.
The “Paparazzi” Crutches
As Gaga exited her sandbox (where she danced with skeletons), she put on a pair of crutches and headgear to perform her hit “Paparazzi.” These props came straight from the 2009 music video, where the singer was tossed out of a window only to return in metallic armor.
11:59
In her Mayhem track “The Beast,” Gaga sings, “You can’t hide who you are, 11:59” as a metaphor for transformation. Somehow, she was able to time her performance perfectly, singing those lyrics at exactly 11:59.
The Bloody VMAs Nod
For her finale, Gaga came out on a gurney to perform “Bad Romance,” wearing a white costume loosely inspired by the music video. However, the outfit had a small gash that resembled dried blood, nodding to her famous performance of “Paparazzi” at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where she “bled” on stage during one of her most iconic moments.
