Concert Review: Lady Gaga's Brought Her Gothic Mayhem Ball to Miami | Miami New Times
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Lady Gaga Battled Personal and Political Darkness During Miami's Mayhem Ball

September showers followed Gaga to Miami again on Sunday, kicking off the first of her three shows in South Florida.
Image: Image of Lady Gaga on stage wearing a red dress that also serves as a cage.
Lady Gaga is touring in support of her seventh studio album, Mayhem. Photo by Buda Mendes / Getty Images
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It's been almost three years to the day since Lady Gaga last played a show in Miami, and it was a dramatic one. As the singer sat down at her piano for the stripped-down portion of her set, lightning in the area threatened to shut down the concert. Gaga laughed it off at first, but after a two-hour rain delay, the final show of her Chromatica Ball tour ended before the last set and encore. It was a symbolic end for an album era marred by the start of the COVID pandemic.

September showers followed Gaga to Miami once again Sunday night, but under otherwise starkly different conditions. This time, the singer is touring in support of her seventh studio album, Mayhem, her biggest critical and commercial success since 2011's Born This Way.

Fans who five years ago dressed in bright Chromatica pink turned out in gothic black, red, and maroon getups to embody the dark spirit of the Mistress of Mayhem, the alter ego Gaga inhabits (and battles) during her more than two-hour Mayhem Ball show. We watch Gaga shoot that other side of herself, follow her as she falls into a dream-like abyss, and resurrects as a figure who learns to live with the dark elements inside her. She's returned to the theme of battling demons time and again during her nearly 20 years as a touring act — we've watched her battle the Fame Monster (a massive, glowing angler fish) during the Monster Ball and the disembodied visage of Mother G.O.A.T. during the Born This Way Ball — but it had been several years since she'd dug into this fertile thematic ground.
a person wears a red DIY bodysuit with a black textured blazer and an effigy of a human heart on their chest
Gaga fans wore their hearts on their sleeve...or chest.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
As with all Gaga shows, the experience began long before Mother Monster hit the stage. The sidewalks outside the Kaseya Center doubled as red carpets fit for the Met Gala (Met Gaga?) as her Little Monsters complimented and photographed one another's DIY masterpieces. Once inside, the arena was transformed into an opera house. Arias blared over the speakers as fans sent in short messages projected to the audience: among them were at least two marriage proposals and celebrations of first concerts and cancer survival. Then, an LED video of Gaga appeared, the singer scrolling away with a feathered fountain pen on a massive screen above the set.
click to enlarge Lady Gaga fan outside a Miami concert wearing a black dress and a tiara.
The crosswalks outside the Kaseya Center doubled as catwalks.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
Once she finished writing, two opposing images of the singer appeared onscreen, reciting her manifesto, which read in part:

"To not know any peace is the great nightmare for us all
To wake and feel unsettled in a house that has no walls.

So I must sing and build the walls to cradle my own space.
And my own sound will grow the fortress of a home erased.

And her and I, will find a way to live as dueling twins.

But I will know if, in the end, Mistress of Mayhem wins."


Diehard Little Monsters and even casual music fans might have seen this show, dubbed "The Art of Personal Chaos," before. Gaga performed an abridged version during her two headlining Coachella shows, as well as in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Singapore. But Gaga managed to save some surprises for the tour, particularly for Miami.

First, though, Gaga pounded through two kinetic sets featuring cult hits alongside Billboard chart-toppers. Before you had time to let the Gregorian chants of "Bloody Mary" wash over you, she'd hit you with the heel stomping "Abracadabra," "Judas," "Aura," and "Scheiße." She'd step off your neck briefly for a costume change, then march down the catwalk again, playing guitar on "Garden of Eden" before hitting its heart-pounding dance break and pausing for roars from the audience.
click to enlarge A person wears a red corset, studded choker, and cape with black shorts, and a frame for a sculpture skirt. They stand in front of a crosswalk with fans headed to a concert.
This Little Monster recreated Gaga's sculptural Mayhem Ball dress.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
Her dueling twin reappeared during "Poker Face," this time as the stage became a chessboard on which two queens fought for dominance in a dance battle. Gaga, embodying the Mistress of Mayhem, shot her alter ego, sending her on a journey that took her through burial grounds and across rivers.

Getting into a boat with the Mistress, Gaga floated to the B-stage for her stripped-down piano set. Fans no doubt flashed back to the last time she sat at that piano before us, with flashes in the sky warning the show would not continue. This time, Gaga not only got to complete the show, but she also made up for last time with a special performance of "Hair," which she dusted off in New York City last week for the first time in more than a decade. It was one of several treats she saved for longtime fans at this tour.
Two Lady Gaga fans posing outside the Kaseya Center.
New Times culture editor Celia Almeida (right) with her twin sister Sandra.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
Gaga famously doubles down on her current album when she's touring ("For those of you who came to hear the hits, either grab a glow stick or get the fuck out!" she'd scream during her ArtRave tour in support of her divisive Artpop album). Still, she's been much more generous this time around. Yes, she plays nearly all of Mayhem. But, she also performs "Bloody Mary" for the weirdos who got it the first time, 14 years before it went viral on TikTok, right alongside "Shallow" and "Die With a Smile," for fans who love her pipes but might not necessarily care about artifice or alter egos.

And it wasn't just her twin persona Gaga battled in Miami. A light political undertone hung over the evening — it's hard to avoid in Florida, particularly for an artist who's been propped up as champion for queer rights for the better part of two decades. One poignant moment came during "Paparazzi," when a massive train of fabric behind Gaga, stretching from the B-stage to the mainstage opera set, lit up in rainbow colors, illuminating the entire arena.

Another nod came during the encore. Gaga has been rolling out deep cuts from her discography during this part of the set, first from Artpop and currently from Born This Way. For her first of three Miami shows, she took her final bow with "Americano," a song she performed last year during her Jazz & Piano residency in Vegas but has not performed in its original iteration since 2013. The song advocates for immigrant and LGBTQ+ rights and feels at once a remnant of a bygone era and a reminder of how tenuous political progress can be. Gaga first released the song in May 2011, four months before the official repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and a full year before then-President Barack Obama voiced his support for marriage equality. It also came at a time when the former president was harshly criticized by immigrant rights groups, who dubbed him the "Deporter-in-Chief."
Mother ans son posing outside a Lady Gaga concert in Miami.
The Gaga show was a family affair.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
Looking through the lens of 2025, it's hard to hear that song and not let the crushing feeling sink in that the state of affairs has only deteriorated. For many in the crowd, the sheer acknowledgment took a load off. "She did that for us," one fan commented in the walkway after the show. "She did 'Americano' for Miami," another commented to her friend in the bathroom. These fans know exactly what it's like "to wake and feel unsettled" every day by forces much more threatening than Gaga's metaphorical Mistress of Mayhem. For approximately 135 minutes inside that opera house, their voices built a fortress, but what happens outside its walls remains to be written.

Lady Gaga's Sunday night show was the first of three concerts the singer will perform in Miami, with two additional dates on Monday, September 1, and Wednesday, September 3, at the Kaseya Center.

Setlist:

- "Bloody Mary"
- "Abracadabra"
- "Judas"
- "Aura"
- "Scheiße"
- "Garden of Eden"
- "Poker Face"
- "Perfect Celebrity"
- "Disease"
- "Paparazzi"
- "LoveGame"
- "Alejandro"
- "The Beast"
- "Killah"
- "Zombieboy"
- "LoveDrug"
- "Applause"
- "Just Dance"
- "Shadow of a Man"
- "Kill for Love"
- "Summerboy"
- "Born This Way"
- "Million Reasons"
- "Shallow"
- "Die With a Smile"
- "Hair"
- "Vanish Into You"
- "Bad Romance"

Encore:
- "How Bad Do U Want Me"
- "Americano"
click to enlarge Two people in black leather and mesh outfits pose for a photographer forming claws with their hands
Little Monsters put their paws up outside the show.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
A Lady Gaga fan poses in front of an arena, showing off their outfit: a feathery black, high collar, corset, and tulle cape
Tulle, leather, and corsets were abundant.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge Four people dressed in varying versions of studded black outfits. One person holds a fan
Black outfits and studs were part of the Mayhem uniform.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge Two men wear rain ponchos and shirts reading, "Lady Fucking Gaga." The man on the right holds a pizza box with one remaining slice of pizza
Rain followed Lady Gaga's Miami fans once again, but they made do.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
Two people stand in front of an arena. The one on the left wears a black blouse and shorts. The one on the right wears a graphic tee, a red fedora, and a plastic cape
Many fans embodied the Mistress of Mayhem.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge four people stand outside an arena wearing face glitter and mesh
Every Gaga show has its fair share of mesh and glitter.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge portrait of a person with dyed hair and face paint
At a Gaga show, "face paint" goes beyond Haus Labs products.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge four Lady Gaga fans wearing black and red outfits pose in front of the street outside the arena
These Gaga getups stopped traffic.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge Three women pose in lace and leather outfits in front of an arena
Lace and leather are practically guaranteed at a Gaga show.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
a person in skeleton makeup, a pink wig in a ponytail, and a suit and bow-tie
This Little Monster paid homage to Gaga's "Born This Way" music video.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
A couple in front of an arena. The man wears a black suit with high collars, the woman wears a black blouse and pants with a red corset
These fans would have fit in right onstage alongside Gaga's dancers.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge four women and girls in glittered and fringed outfits, and colorful wigs
There's no shortage of wigs at a Lady Gaga concert.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge three Lady Gaga fans on a crosswalk wearing a mesh and leather outfit, a black lacey corseted outfit, and a white lacey corseted outfit
(Cross)walk, walk, fashion, baby.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge Three people in front of an arena wear shirts reading, "I [heart symbol] Lady Gaga"
These fans kept it simple, but they got their message across.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
a person wears red graphic shades, a denim corset, and denim pants with maroon fabric overlay
Little Monsters are known to go DIY.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
A woman poses in front of yellow barricades in a black leather trenchcoat draped over her shoulders and a black lace corset, studded belt, and skirt
Once again, lace and leather are key.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
A person wears shades made out of plastic skeleton hands, an elevated collar made of purple feathers, a black outfit adorned with a bedazzled sternum, and a skirt adorned with fake bones
This Little Monster put their spin on one of Gaga's Mayhem Ball tour outfits.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
click to enlarge Two women wear face gems. One wears a black outfit with a feather collar; the other wears a red bodysuit overlaid with lace
If you're not wearing feathers or face gems, you're doing it wrong.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
A person wears a geometric snakeskin dress
This Little Monster was seeing red.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
Lady Gaga fan wearing a meat dress costume at a concert in Miami
The iconic "meat dress" made an appearance.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto
A woman wears a red lace, corseted dress with a black crown. The person next to her wears a white suit with a ruffled shirt
These fans came dressed for the opera house.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/@micheleevephoto