Last night, Lady Gaga brought mayhem to the desert.
The pop superstar served as the kick-off headline performer for night one of Coachella in Indio, California—where she performed new songs off of her album, Mayhem, as well as some of the biggest hits in her discography (including “Judas”, “Poker Face,” and of course, “Bad Romance” as the much-anticipated finale number). Her captivating set, dubbed “Mayhem In the Desert,” served as a visual representation of her relationship with fame, and the chaos that comes with it. The two-hour show featured choreography by Parris Goebel, as well as striking fashion looks styled by the duo Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal of Hardstyle, the latter of which leaned into Gaga’s signature gothic-glamour style.
The five-act super-show kicked off with Gaga appearing on a stage that was fashioned into a brutalist opera house. She opened with her cult fave 2011 song “Bloody Mary” in a dramatic, larger-than-life red cape designed by Sam Lewis and constructed by Seth Pratt. (Lewis is responsible for many of the dark, edgy designs she has sported throughout her Mayhem era.)
Photo: Getty Images
In Act two, Gaga then appeared on-stage buried in sand next to skeletons, to sing her new song “Perfect Celebrity.” Her ethereal, white corseted gown was made by Turkish-British Dilara Findikoglu, a celebrity favorite often worn by the likes of fellow Coachella performer Charli xcx, Rosalia, and Julia Fox. (The boney skeletons and masks were made specially by the artist Sarah Sitkin, known for her sculptural, body reverential work).
Photo: Getty Images
As the show progressed, the artist’s stage ensembles only got more elaborate and ornate. For her performance of “Paparazzi,” for one, she slipped into silver metallic armor pieces by Manuel Albarran—an expert in metal couture—that mimicked the robotic look she sported in the iconic 2009 music video. For act three, when she performed new tracks like “Killah,” Gaga dressed up in the sprightly designs of Marni’s Francesco Risso, including a feathered blue coat and bedazzled bodysuit to strut down the stage catwalk.
It simply wouldn’t be a Gaga show if it didn’t end with a bang. Coming out one last time to perform her biggest hit of all, “Bad Romance,” as things came to a close, Gaga emerged wearing an angelic white look with feathered wings made by Matières Fécales (a new label that recently debuted in Paris), with custom shoes by Chrome Hearts. As the whole crowd scream-sang the global hit, it was clear that Lady Gaga’s Coachella takeover was a bonafide smash success. Ga-ga, Oh-la-la!
