When Lady Gaga kicks off her run of Roseland Ballroom shows on Friday (March 28) night, there will be a definite sense of duality to the proceedings.
On one hand, the residency — she’s doing seven shows in total — represents the beginning of something much bigger: the lead up to her ARTPOP Ball tour. On the other, it symbolizes the end of an era … she’ll be the last artist to take the stage at the legendary NYC venue, which has operated in the city since 1919.
Needless to say, it’s going to be an interesting night; and as I count down the hours until she takes the stage, here’s what I’m expecting from Gaga’s sure-to-be-remembered Roseland shows.
Even more ARTPOP
At her SXSW show earlier this month, Gaga played seven tracks off her most recent album — none of which was her latest single, “G.U.Y.” Of course, given that she just released a thoroughly over-the-top video for the song, I’m pretty sure I’ll be hearing it on Friday night.
Will other standouts like “Venus,” “Fashion!” and — please, oh please — “Do What U Want” (with bonus R. Kelly cameo!) make the cut? It would make sense, considering these shows are a dry-run for the Ball. Also, will she continue the trend she started at SXSW and largely refrain from playing her hits? I can’t imagine she won’t grace the crowd with “Poker Face” or “Just Dance” … her Little Monsters might riot.
An Andy Cohen Cameo!
Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” host showed up in the “G.U.Y.” video as Himeros, Greek god of sexual desire … and given that “WWHL” shoots in NYC (and isn’t airing Friday night), the “Most Talkative” maven could wander onstage at Roseland. More importantly, how many of the “Real Housewives of New York City” will be there?!?
Will Aviva and Carole settle “Bookgate” once and for all during the show? Can a performance artist barf on them? Boy, I hope so.
Street Meat
Down at SXSW, Gaga paid homage to Stubb’s BBQ by taking the stage strapped to a spit. Will she kick off her Roseland show in a similar fashion?
There’s no shortage of NYC street food for her to choose from: Maybe she’ll don a kebab costume, or get stuffed inside a knish. Perhaps she’ll boil herself in stagnant water for 12 hours, then get topped with mustard, Ã la our beloved street dogs … or, if she wants to get really obscure, she could just cover herself in salt and sit there slowly cooling, like a soft pretzel. Because no one ever eats those things.
Taxi Dancers!
As noted in a recent New York Times eulogy for Roseland, when the club was a hotbed for big band, it employed “Taxi Dancers,” hosts and hostesses who would take a twirl around the floor with patrons — for a price.
They disappeared in the decades that followed, though were subsequently reinstated for a brief time in the 1980s … and now that Gaga is shutting the place down, what better time to bring ’em back for one last dance?
Volantis
Remember Gaga’s much-discussed (though ultimately kind of silly) “flying dress,” Volantis? Well, she unveiled it in Brooklyn, and, considering it only seemed capable of flying feet at a time, I’m assuming it’s still somewhere in the city … expect her to sorta soar to the stage tonight.
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