Livesey Blog

Last night, March 6th, 2011, we went to see Lady Gaga at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.   It was a date night for us.  Our daughter Camryn was at grandma and grandpa's for the night, so we went to Baton Rouge for dinner.  For so many of our concerts we go to, it has always been a rush to get to the show, so we left for dinner before 5PM, thinking it was enough time for the 8PM show... Well wrong again.  We have learned reservations are key.   After being told it was a 20 - 40 minute wait, we decided to wait... still gives us plenty of time.  Well after 60.... 75 minutes, we begin to panic.  The manager gives us free drinks at the bar (whoohoo), and we explain we are trying to get to the show, well, he pushed us up on the list, we get a table, order, food there in less then 10 minutes and we are out of there in 20 - 25 minutes.  lol  That was awesome, thanks Baton Rouge!    So, heading to the concert shortly after 7PM, thinking we are good to go...  NOT!

Scotiabank security is searching everyone...  ok, it's Lady Gaga, give me a break.  They have one dude on each side to do the floor and 100 levels.   It took about an hour just to get in!  Maybe more.  They brought in someone else to help out later on, but dudes!  It is a sold out show, get some staff!  This is not the first time we had this problem if you read previous concert reviews.   The security dude was doing his best, but he needed help with all these people.  So if you are going to a sold out show at Scotiabank and think they may search, go super EARLY!  Actually, funny part is, waiting to be searched, have our little camera hidden, this guy has a camera around his neck...  ok dude, you are so busted.  Well, security says "Does the lens come off?". Dude "No", security "OK, go ahead"...  whoohoo cameras allowed, just not DSLR, super zoom, etc.  Sorry, enough about this...

We missed the opening act completely (Scissor Sisters) since it took like an hour to get in.   We just were looking for our section, and you could hear, "Thank you Ottawa" It sucks missing the opening act, cause you never know how good they may be, or the next big thing.  Oh well, lots of time to grab a beer (and a Ceasar for Shanna) and relax waiting for Gaga!

The lights dim, a huge video on the curtain covering the stage while an awesome dance/electo beat playing which goes into "Dancing in the Dark" (see video below), Lady Gaga on top of a stair case, doing silouette poses coming down the stairs... curtains rise, and wow...  all these neon signs, a creepy old car in the middle.   She opens the hood of the car and starts playing piano, it was too cool...  then her mic starts making crazy sounds, voice cutting out, sounded a little like plugging in a guitar into an amp while she is singing Glitter and Grease.  After the song, she get another mic, and says "At least you know I don't fucking lip sync!" 

Then she went into "Just Dance", the crowd energy, and the show was so cool.  The curtain would drop and play another video, and within a minute or two, now we have a subway, with iron cages on the stage.   Later on, she has these huge cool trees on the stage, then near the end of the show, a huge monster moving around the stage...  WTF!  Her stage crew are top notch!  In the short time during these (very cool) intermisson videos, the stage changes so much.

Lady Gaga spoke alot to us, it is awesome to have that interaction.  The whole mic problem, 3 outfits breaking in the first 3 songs, but will still try to put on a perfect show as she says, Jesus must be here..  lol, just makes her that much more real.  It is a huge production, shit goes wrong (only in the beginning), and whatever...I think that made the show t hat much better...  She spoke about her own insecurities, being yourself, and had very nice insporational speaches to the crowd, gay, straight, different, we are all little monsters.   Actually, Shanna admited after the show she almost cried during one of her speaches.   I think Lady Gaga is an awesome influence, people may not understand right away, but she is proving something.  People think she is a freak, or whatever...  she brings something back to music, and that is the show, videos etc.  She is no way generic.

Back to the show... her voice was awesome (and not lip-synced.. lol), the stage show, the dancing in perfect sync, flying out of the stage here and there, wardrobe changes (wow), stage changes, the whole theatrics, and of course her awesome songs (which she writes unlike most other pop artists).

I always enjoyed Lady Gaga for just being different, a new spin on pop, great songs, collaborating with Marilyn Manson (ok I am a huge fan)... but after seeing her show, where she came from, her insecurities, I just have a whole new respect for her.  During her set, she called a randon cell number of "Karen" (I wonder where she got the number) in the crowd, and she spoke French to the person, who got backstage "for a drink and pictures"  I was impressed with her French, she know more then the Bonjour...  lol. 

Last thoughts... Awesome show!  but it is not only that.  She sings (no diss to Britney, but she did not sing, her mic only turned on when she wanted to say "hey Ottawa" and you could totally tell, but good stage show Britney with Circus!)  Lady Gaga puts on a great stage show, sings live!, great dancer, and was truely an awesome time!

Lady Gaga is Queen Monster, and I am proud to be one of her little monsters!

We took show pictures from the Ottawa show here

Here are some videos (not from us) at the Ottawa show.

Comments (0)
Jeff Livesey March 8 2011 12:22:28 AM