Lady Gaga doesn’t have anything to prove at this point of her career, but just in case someone out there thought she did, this past weekend’s Coachella performance ought to put a stop to any doubt that she is in fact one of the greatest performers of our generation. From the haunting visuals to the vivid storyline throughout, Gaga created what she calls “an opera in the desert”, all centered around her top-selling new album Mayhem, which many fans, myself included, consider one of her best. 

 

I stayed up alongside millions others on Friday night to watch the performance, and it had me feeling nostalgic for the days when I was just a little gay boy performing to the TV. I felt myself snap into 13-year-old Michael who lost his mind when he saw Gaga for the first time performing “Just Dance” at the Miss Universe pageant. 

Gaga turned the Coachella festival stage into a full-blown stadium concert and showed that she is on top of her game, performing with more power than her early days. She’s reached a new peak in her performance, it was just incredible to watch. I’ve grown up with Lady Gaga and have followed her career through all its ups and downs in the last 17 years. This performance is a symbol for her coming full-circle back into the sound (or the “nachos”) that she created all those years ago. All the life experience, the pain, and, yes, the fame – she brought all of that to the stage, and left it there. 

It wasn’t just fans, it was other artists too. 

I could stay here all day and analyze every single moment of this performance, but in the interest of time, here are the 5 standout moments from Gaga Coachella that has all the little monsters online with their paws up.

 

1.“Abracadabra” transition into “Judas”

Many of us on first listen of “Abracadabra” back in February heard the resemblance to “Judas” right away. It has so many of the same elements that Gaga was famous for back in the early 2010s so when Altego mashed the two songs together on a Tik Tok, it made for a perfect blend. Seeing Gaga actually perform the songs transitioning into another however is a religious experience on its own that frankly, I was not prepared for. 

Based off social media reaction, this is by far the most viral clip of the show so far, with Billboard’s clip alone sitting at 40+ Million views at the time of writing. Gaga alternates throughout the show as the “Mistress of Mayhem” and her true self, changing between a black wig and her signature blonde locks. This entire opening portion of the show with “Abracadabra” and “Judas” shows her as the mistress, the dark side of her that calls her name and tries to cause the “Mayhem” that the album dissects into. Her discography has been telling this story for decades now, and the fact that she has found a way to create a new sound that is fresh yet still blends perfectly with her old material… well that’s some queen sh*t.

 

2.The Alexander McQueen references 

Gaga and McQueen are as synonymous as Bob Mackie and Cher for these times. In the early days of her career, she wore countless custom pieces as well as archival couture from his collections. The two had a special connection, a connection which she laid bare in the 2011 track “Fashion of His Love” which she wrote the year after his death. Over a decade later, she still wears his designs and made multiple references to her work with him during Friday’s set. Her “opponent” throughout the show, the opposite of the “Mistress of Mayhem”, if you will, who ends up being revealed as the Blonde Gaga pops up before “Poker Face” is a white replica of the McQueen red gown Gaga wore at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. 

Aside from her own McQueen outfits, she also references multiple looks from his past shows, keeping his and her creative relationship alive. Besides, nobody can serve in McQueen like Gaga.

Another signature McQueen look is the crutches from the “Paparazzi” video, which she appropriately brought out when she was coming out of the “grave”. Gaga and McQueen’s artistic relationship was its peak back in 2009 when she filmed the video, which is filled with extravagant looks courtesy of Lee. None of the looks from that video made as much of a pop culture impact than the gold crutches she emerges in after falling from a balcony. It’s been a few years since “Paparazzi” has been in her set list, so to mark the occasion, our girl pulled out the McQueen crutches, causing gay panic worldwide.

3.“Perfect Celebrity” in the grave

Maybe one of the most personal songs off her latest album, “Perfect Celebrity” is Gaga personified in a song. She has been the perfect celebrity through the years, giving us constant excellence and taking the public scrutiny in stride; but that all comes at a price. Her performance of the song inside of what seems like a grave with skeletons buried around her is as graphic and dark imagery as you would think when listening to the music. The camera work for one has to be commended because why did I think I was watching a high-budget music video? 

The song served as the opener for act II “and then she fell into a gothic dream” – so waking up with a bunch of corpses around you falls right into that narrative. Gaga’s passion and talent for storytelling was front and centre all night long, and the sheer theatrics that she can convey in a performance where she’s literally not moving is wild. 

 

4.“Vanish Into You” crowd celebration with the monsters

The relationship Gaga shares with her fans is one of a kind. It was not long ago that it seemed every single pop star had to have a name for their fans, but it was Gaga’s “Little Monsters” that helped make that the standard, and with good reason. Gaga always just got it in a way that the other girls didn’t. Maybe it’s because she herself was the fan who felt misunderstood and found comfort in her favourite musicians. Either way, when she decided to walk across the audience during “Vanish into You”, you could just see the joy beaming from her face cheek to cheek. Magic.

That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day: her happiness. All the fans who were there say she was exuding it, pure joy. She earned this moment, to finally enjoy the success she worked blood, sweat and tears for. One touching moment was when a fan gave her a black bouquet of roses, which she continues to hold in her hand the entire song, cherishing it. She went on to comment on the TikTok of the fan in question. Gaga stays tuned into the conversation the monsters are having, and loves joining in on the fun. One of a kind. 

@officialserenafoster

@ladygaga took my flowers at #coachellaweekend1 and I am forever grateful. She finished out “Vanish Into You” with them and I am STILL IN SHOCK.😭 I love you Gaga, thank you for changing our lives forever. #Mayhem #ladygaga #coachella #ladygagavideos #ladygagacoachella #mayhemladygaga #littlemonster #littlemonsters #gagachella #coachella2025 #ladygagacoachella 🫶🖤💐

♬ original sound - SERENA FOSTER

Gaga’s superpower has always been how powerful she makes her fans feel; many of which come from marginalized groups of people. She’s made her supporters feel safe, and she takes every single opportunity to let us, the fans, know that we’ve done the same for her. 

 

5. “Bad Romance” finale

If you were watching the live stream, you’d remember how the few minutes between the last song of Act IV and the Finale resulted in the entire crowd essentially demanding she perform “Bad Romance”, taking it upon themselves to sing the “gaga ooh la la” chant. Gaga has many big hits in her career, but it’s pretty much set in stone that “Bad Romance” is her signature song at least when it comes to the general public. Mother Monster never disappoints, and delivered one of the greatest performances that song has ever received, and given it is her signature hit, that’s saying a lot. I mean every word. 

 

Leave it to the Little Monsters to notice to most intimate details of the performance from the choreography to the references in her outfit. Some fans believe she was even referencing her hip injury in the blood detail in the bodysuit she is wearing.

Not only is “Bad Romance” the perfect closing song for any concert period, it also shows that Gaga has only gotten better with time, as she is performing the song with even more cadence and gratitude than ever before. She’s still got it, and she’s showing all the girls that quality pop music and performance is not dead. There just may be some mayhem that comes along. 

You can listen to the entire set list here, and fulfill all your Gaga needs to help cure the post-concert depression. I didn’t even know it was possible to feel that way after a concert I wasn’t even physically present for, but alas, here we are. 

Attached: shots of Gaga from Friday night's performance.