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Mayhem promotional concerts

2025 promotional tour by Lady Gaga From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mayhem promotional concerts
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American singer Lady Gaga performed a series of promotional concerts in 2025, in support of her eighth studio album, Mayhem (2025). The concerts preceded her headlining concert tour, the Mayhem Ball, also scheduled for 2025. She debuted the show as a headliner for the Coachella music festival on April 11 and 18. This was followed by performances in Mexico, Brazil and Singapore later in April and in May – her first shows in these countries since the Born This Way Ball tour in 2012. The Brazilian concert in Copacabana, Rio, which was free to attend, attracted an estimated 2.5 million people, making it the largest performance of Gaga's career and the most-attended free concert by a female artist in history.[1]

Quick facts Location, Associated album ...

Titled The Art of Personal Chaos, the show consisted of five acts built around themes of duality and inner chaos and was directed by Gaga alongside choreographer Parris Goebel, with whom she developed each act from concept to staging.[2] Critics praised its theatrical ambition, visual impact and Gaga's vocal delivery, positioning it as one of her most acclaimed live spectacles.[3]

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Background and development

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See also: Coachella 2025

Lady Gaga first headlined Coachella in 2017 as a last-minute replacement for Beyoncé, who stepped down due to her pregnancy.[4] In November 2024, Gaga announced through her social media her return to the festival in 2025. Describing it as "a massive night of chaos in the desert", she explained that she had a vision for Coachella that she couldn't fully bring to life before due to circumstances with timing, but now she's ready to make it happen for music fans.[5] In the days leading up to the event, Gaga told Rolling Stone that she had worked with choreographer Parris Goebel on a "very special" performance, crafted "moment by moment," while choosing not to reveal further details.[6] Prior to the festival, her performance had been teased as "Mayhem in the Desert".[7]

The concerts held in Mexico City were hinted during the Brazilian press conference on February 21, 2025, indicating that Gaga would be offering "a couple of stadium shows between her appearances at Coachella and Copacabana".[8] The official announcement was released on March 3, with the event being dubbed as "Long Live Mayhem" (Spanish: Viva la Mayhem), taking place on April 26 and 27 at Estadio GNP Seguros.[9][10]

Gaga performed a free concert on May 3, 2025, at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[11] She announced the event with the moniker "Mayhem on the Beach" (Portuguese: Mayhem na Praia) on February 21, 2025, through her social media. Her statement coincided with a press conference at the Prio Theater in Rio de Janeiro, where the event's production company, Bonus Track, confirmed its organization as part of the Todo Mundo no Rio initiative, in collaboration with the city government and the state administration.[12] She last visited the country as part of the Born This Way Ball tour in 2012, which included shows in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Alegre.[13][14] She was scheduled to headline the Rock in Rio festival in September 2017, but had to cancel due to severe pain caused by fibromyalgia, the same condition that ultimately forced her to end the Joanne World Tour later that year.[15][16]

On March 10, Gaga announced on Instagram that she will be performing four shows at Singapore National Stadium. This followed media speculation that Singapore would be the exclusive Southeast Asian host for Gaga's "largest world tour in her career".[17][18] The concerts, dubbed "Lion City Mayhem" (Malay: Mayhem Singapura), were promoted as Gaga's only shows in the continent of Asia in 2025.[19]

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Production

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The theater-inspired concert's set design and lighting were crafted to reflect different facets of the Mayhem universe.[20]

The concerts were conceived as a theatrical show divided into acts, with a visual narrative inspired by opera and psychological drama.[10] The first performance, held at the Coachella festival, marked the beginning of the stage proposal, with production directed by Gaga alongside Goebel, who also handled choreography.[6] The two worked collaboratively from the overall concept to the staging, sharing visual references and designing each segment as a vignette with its own aesthetic and choreography.[2] According to Goebel, the team began rehearsals with little time in advance and only managed one full run-through before the debut, due to the show's technical complexity. The set design, custom-made costumes, and lighting were crafted to reflect different facets of the Mayhem universe, drawing influence from experimental theater and designers such as Alexander McQueen, whose aesthetic inspired moments like the "Poker Face" performance.[20] Several dance routines incorporated elements from Gaga's past eras, blended with new concepts tailored both for the live audience and the online broadcast.[2]

Regarding the Copacabana beach concert in Rio de Janeiro, the production involved a large-scale technical deployment.[21] The main stage covered 1,260 square meters and was elevated 2.2 meters above the sand to improve visibility.[22] Behind it, a continuous LED screen measuring 60 meters wide and 806.25 square meters in surface area was installed, accompanied by 16 delay towers equipped with 9-meter-high screens distributed along the beach, ensuring a consistent visual experience throughout the venue.[21]

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Concert synopsis

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Gaga opening the show with "Bloody Mary", atop a 25-foot red gown inspired by the Tudor era. The dress was revealed to conceal a birdcage with her backup dancers locked inside during the next song, "Abracadabra".

The title for the concert is announced as The Art of Personal Chaos during the pre-show, a nod to the associated Mayhem album.[7] The credits are displayed on the screen, and the show opens with The Manifesto of Mayhem delivered by Gaga and the Mistress of Mayhem. The first act, Act I: Of Velvet and Vice, begins with Gaga atop a 25-foot red gown—reminiscent of the Tudor era—and a rearranged orchestral version of "Bloody Mary".[23] The skirt of her dress reveals a steel frame cage entrapping dancers as an introduction to "Abracadabra".[24] She removes a top layer to reveal a red dress before returning to the top of the cage and transitioning into "Judas".[25] After a brief dance interlude and offstage costume change, Gaga performs "Scheiße" in a black veil and bodysuit reminiscent of a cabaret dress.[26] The dancers follow Gaga while performing "Garden of Eden" on the electric guitar, making their way down the catwalk to the B-stage,[27] where they play as pieces on a chessboard for a similar Alexander McQueen's 2005 collection game of chess during "Poker Face", with Gaga and her alter-ego playing the roles of Queens.[20] The game simulation culminates with "Mayhem" Gaga prevailing over her doppelgänger, declaring "Off with her head!". An interlude of the Gesaffelstein remix of "Abracadabra" plays over a dance break while Gaga undergoes an offstage costume change.[28]

Following the instrumental interlude, the show continues with Act II: And She Fell into a Gothic Dream. In a burial ground set piece, Gaga performs "Perfect Celebrity" alongside skeletons, including that of her dead doppelgänger.[29] The dancers come to life over the instrumental opening of "Disease", where an intense fight scene ensues, ending in Gaga being strangled.[30] Walking out of the grave on crutches and with a white fabric train billowing behind her, Gaga emotionally sings a stripped-back version of "Paparazzi". Heading up the upper level of the opera house, Gaga addresses the audience and reiterates the importance of love by performing "Alejandro".[31] Female dancers pull Gaga back to the ground level to sing part of "The Beast". The song is continued by the Mistress of Mayhem on a blood moon.[24]

In Act III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name, low synths blast in the interlude, before climaxing in heavy drum beats leading up to "Killah".[32] Gaga struts out in a one-piece blue and black ensemble with dancers dressed as jokers. Gaga and her dancers hold up skeletons and dance sensually to "Zombieboy", playing the role of a ringleader.[33] Next, a skull-cladded keyboard is brought out, and Gaga performs a shortened solo rendition of the song "Die with a Smile". The stage lights shine in a myriad of colours, and Gaga walks down the catwalk performing "How Bad Do U Want Me", interacting from afar with the audience.[34]

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Gaga performing "Vanish into You" on the piano, before heading to the barricades to meet the audience

Equipped with a walking cane, the Mistress of Mayhem emerges at the B-stage and walks hurriedly down the catwalk in search of Gaga, repeating in a shouting tone: "Find her. Bring her to me!". Act IV: To Wake Her Is to Lose Her begins with a choreographed medley of "Shadow of a Man" and "Kill for Love".[35] Following a brief speech about self-acceptance, Gaga and the dancers perform "Born This Way" while leading ahead to the B-stage, where a piano is set up. Preceded by "Blade of Grass" and "Always Remember Us This Way" on select dates, "Shallow" is sung on the piano, and Gaga begins "Vanish into You" at the piano and traverses the stage barricades to interact with fans.[7]

A final interlude focuses on the audience through multiple camera angles, preceding the encore titled Finale: Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart. The closing number is "Bad Romance", where Gaga and the dancers wear white Elizabethan-like attire and simulate a medieval medical operation after a recorded speech in which the singer defeats the Mistress of Mayhem by proclaiming: "Monsters never die". Gaga and the whole cast end the concert by bowing down together and thanking the audience, leaving the stage as fireworks blow up in the sky.[36]

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Critical response

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Coachella

Consequence opined that Gaga brought "her dynamic performance style to the desert in a characteristically engaging, highly-choreographed headlining set that already already ranks among the best in the festival's 25-plus year history." The publication's Paolo Ragusa compared it favorably to Beyoncé's 2018 Coachella set, and felt the concert "demonstrated that Lady Gaga is an unparalleled theatrical performer, with a strong catalogue and insistence on pushing her live sets to absurd levels of precision and intensity".[35] Lyndsey Havens of Billboard complimented the narrative, saying "the two-hour show may have been disguised as a concert, but what took place was nothing short of a carefully crafted commentary on fame and performance – and the toll of keeping both up".[7] Variety's Chris Willman praised the concert for Gaga's vocal skills, the costumes, and the visuals, calling it "equal parts bizarro and sentimental".[37] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times also highlighted Gaga's "strong and gutsy" vocals, and opined that even though the show's narrative was somewhat incoherent, "the individual set pieces were so vivid and funny and weird that the tale became one about Gaga's embrace of her role as music's greatest kook".[38] Rolling Stone's Tomás Mier found Gaga's storytelling throughout the show "transformative, and a spectacle that cemented her status as a once-in-a-lifetime pop icon."[39] Adrian Horton of The Guardian rated it with the maximum five stars, calling it "a fully realized vision of a pop master, a testament to years of hard-earned experience at the highest level, and a banger dance party with production and delivery in a league above her peers."[30]

Mexico

Jamie Fullerton of The Daily Telegraph rated the first concert in Mexico City four out of five stars, describing it as "Tim Burton meets Rocky Horror high-concept, high-camp goth opera that sets the standard for gloriously overblown pop performance." While he felt the set lost some energy in its third act, he thought it regained momentum with inclusivity anthem "Born This Way", which took on new significance during Donald Trump's second term as president, and especially in a city known for its machismo.[40] According to Excélsior's Jorge Emilio Sanchéz, the show "made an ode to chaos and a journey into darkness over the course of 120 minutes", and labeled the fashion and stage scenario as "taken from a painting by Salvador Dalí".[41] Writing for La Crónica de Hoy, Alberto Paredes felt that Gaga returned to Mexico "much stronger than ever, with one of the most striking shows of her career".[42] Luis Ángel H. Mora of Infobae described the concert as "an epic display full of passion and theatricality," and stated that Gaga delivered "an ode to the unconventional, to diversity, and to the acceptance of pain and ecstasy as part of the same dance of life".[43]

Brazil

A critic review from the staff of Folha de S.Paulo lauded the show in Rio de Janeiro, highlighting the prevalence of the visual over the musical as "undeniable" and the track arrangements for "reinforcing the drama".[44] Similarly, the writing team of O Globo commended the production and fashion design of the concert, as they considered those two features as responsible of transforming "the top beach in Brazil into a real dance floor".[45] Correio da Manhã's Lanna Silveira acclaimed Gaga's vocal performance and stage presence, complimenting the direct engagement of the singer with the audience, plus stating that "[she] sang with the irreverence of a rockstar and the sensitivity of an artist who is still searching for the best version of herself and is intimately connected to everything that her musical work involves".[46] Correio Braziliense, one of the most prominent Brazilian newspapers, summarized the show as "a very well-rehearsed narrative of a clash between Lady Gaga, representative of all the singer's fame, and Stefani Germanotta, the person behind it all".[47] Jottam Souza of InMagazine highlighted the "historic nature" of the Copacabana concert, describing it as a "celebration of music, diversity, and the connection between artist and audience," and also praised the show's visual concept.[48]

Singapore

Eddino Abdul Hadi of The Straits Times pointed out Gaga's "theatrical two-hour show" featuring "tight choreography" and "a spectacular stage set-up with multiple props and costume changes."[49] A staff review from Nylon Singapore described the show as "a night of unadulterated singing, dancing and fun," calling it "a full-blown cultural moment." The review also commended the production as "a theatrical experience that transcends the traditional concert format."[50] Hazeeq Sukri of CNA Lifestyle summarized the show as a "polished theatrical production that spotlighted the 39-year-old’s monumental growth as an artiste",[51] while Mel Wang of Rolling Stone Philippines praised Gaga's showmanship as "turn[ing] a concert into a world of her own".[52]

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Commercial performance

For the first Mexico City show, Banamex holders gained access to a presale on March 6, followed by a general public on-sale the next day.[53] Due to high demand, a second date for April 27 was added, with presale access granted to the bank clients on March 11.[54] All tickets for both concerts immediately sold out.[55]

Ticket presales for the Singapore shows kicked off on March 18 for Mastercard cardholders, with queue numbers exceeding two million.[56] High website traffic caused login issues and website crashes.[57] Minutes after tickets were released for sale, ticket scalpers listed event tickets on third-party platforms such as Carousell and Stubhub for inflated prices, including a listing of S$30,000 for VIP packages.[58] Additional presales were scheduled for event partners Klook on March 19, and for KrisFlyer and Live Nation on March 20.[57] The four sold out shows ultimately raked in $10.2 million per night – the highest grossing record in a single night for Gaga.[59]

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Impact

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Economic

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Stage structure set up on Copacabana Beach. The concert in Rio de Janeiro gathered over 2.5 million people, becoming the largest of Gaga's career and by a female artist.

Rio de Janeiro's mayor, Eduardo Paes, emphasized the positive impact of the Brazil concert, stating that "it helps build our identity."[60][61] He also noted that large-scale concerts at Copacabana Beach have historically generated significant economic benefits, citing performances by Jorge Ben (1993), Rod Stewart (1994), the Rolling Stones (A Bigger Bang Tour, 2006), and Madonna (the Celebration Tour, 2024).[60] Attendance for the 2025 concert was estimated at 2.5 million people,[b] making it the largest show of Gaga's career, as well as breaking the record for largest audience ever for a concert by a female artist.[62] According to the Rio de Janeiro's City Hall, the event yielded an estimated R$600 million (US$109 million) into the local economy.[63]

Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM), a government-backed entity, played a key role in organizing Lady Gaga's concerts in Singapore. Unlike Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour (2024), which had a similar Southeast Asia exclusivity deal, the Singapore Tourism Board confirmed no government grants were provided for Gaga's shows.[64][65] The concerts aligned with Singapore's strategy to attract tourism through high-revenue music events by cultivating a "concert economy".[66] The event brought significant economic impact in the tourism, hospitality, and food and beverage industries.[67] The country's flag carrier, Singapore Airlines, anticipated higher first-quarter earnings due to increased travel from concert attendees.[68] Hotel bookings in Singapore by regional interests surged by 358% on booking site Agoda following the announcement of the concerts.[66] Overall, analysts estimated the shows brought in revenues of up to S$300 million in various economic sectors, on par with earnings from Swift's Singaporean shows.[69]

Music charts

Gaga's discography gained streams following the concert in Brazil.[70] Gaga charted 11 songs on the Billboard Brasil Hot 100.[71] In its twelfth week on the chart, "Abracadabra" rose 53 spots and reached a new peak of number three; "Die with a Smile" rose ten spots and entered the top ten at number nine in its 39th week on the chart. "Judas" (15), "Poker Face" (22), "Bad Romance" (23), "Vanish into You" (32), "Garden of Eden" (61), "Just Dance" (69), "Alejandro" (74), "Paparazzi" (76) and "Shallow" (100) entered the chart.[72] Gaga also topped the Billboard Brasil Artistas 25.[73] She became the second international artist to top the chart since Billie Eilish on the week dated May 27, 2024, and the first ever international artist to do so for multiple and consecutive weeks.[74]

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Bomb threat

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Operation Fake Monster is a codename given by Brazilian police to an alleged plot to bomb the aforementioned Copacabana Beach concert on May 3, 2025. According to police, the group behind the plot specifically attempted to recruit teenagers with violent content and anti-LGBT hate speech, and took the form of a collective social media challenge.[75][76][77] The codename was derived from Lady Gaga's fans, who call themselves "little monsters", as the suspects allegedly used fake social media profiles to pose as members of the fan community, according to the Ministry of Justice, which collaborated in the operation.[78][79]

Rio state police began an investigation after receiving a tip-off from police intelligence.[80] During the event, 5,000 police and military officers acted as security, with the aid of drones and facial recognition. Attendees had to pass through metal detectors.[80] The investigation led to 15 homes being searched in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo,[80] and a number of electronic devices being searched. Two search warrants were carried out with assistance from the U.S. Consulate.[78] Two individuals were arrested prior to the start of the concert.[81] The concert faced no disruptions due to the threat.[81] Lady Gaga's team were not told of the bomb plot, only learning of it through media reports on the morning of May 4.[80]

As of May 4, 2025, the investigation has resulted in one adult being arrested on illegal weapons charges and one teenager being charged with possessing child pornography.[75][76][77] Authorities also arrested and charged a third person with terrorism, who they accused of planning to perform a Satanic human sacrifice of a child or baby during the concert.[78]

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Set list

This set list is from the April 11, 2025, concert at Coachella[31][33] and it does not represent all concerts.

Act I: Of Velvet and Vice

  1. "Bloody Mary"
  2. "Abracadabra"
  3. "Judas"
  4. "Scheiße"
  5. "Garden of Eden"
  6. "Poker Face" (followed by an interlude of "Abracadabra (Gesaffelstein remix)")

Act II: And She Fell into a Gothic Dream

  1. "Perfect Celebrity"
  2. "Disease"
  3. "Paparazzi"
  4. "Alejandro"
  5. "The Beast"

Act III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name

  1. "Killah"
  2. "Zombieboy"
  3. "Die with a Smile"
  4. "How Bad Do U Want Me"

Act IV: To Wake Her Is to Lose Her

  1. "Shadow of a Man" (with elements of "Kill for Love")[c]
  2. "Born This Way"
  3. "Shallow"
  4. "Vanish into You"

Finale: Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart

  1. "Bad Romance"

Notes

  • For the first Coachella show, Gaga was joined on stage for "Killah" by Gesaffelstein.[32]
  • From the first Mexico City show, to the second Singapore show, "Blade of Grass" was added to the set list, preceding "Shallow".[10][88][89]
  • At the third and fourth Singapore shows, "Always Remember Us This Way" was added to the set list, preceding "Shallow".[90]
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Broadcast

Gaga's concerts at Coachella's first and second week were both streamed online on the festival's official YouTube channel.[91][92] The show in Rio de Janeiro was broadcast live on television by TV Globo and Multishow and streamed on Globoplay.[93] The telecast drew 34.5 million viewers.[94]

Concert dates

More information Date (2025), City ...
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See also

Notes

  1. This figure includes the reported attendance for the concerts in Brazil, Mexico, and Singapore. Although Gaga headlined the Coachella festival, her performance is not included in this total, as no official data confirms the number of attendees specifically for her set.
  2. Reported attendance of 2.1 million people by Rio City Hall.[96][97] Other international media outlets estimated 2.5 million people.[98][99][100][1] Guinness World Records certified the 2.5 million figure as a new record for a female solo concert.[62]
  3. While sources related to the Coachella show either don't mention "Kill for Love" or list it as a standalone performance,[31][33] sources from subsequent concerts specify that only elements of the song were incorporated into "Shadow of a Man".[82][83][84] Later sources from Gaga's the Mayhem Ball tour highlight that performance as the first time she performed the full song.[85][86][87]
  4. The concerts on April 11 and 18, 2025, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio were part of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
  5. The concert in Rio de Janeiro on May 3, 2025, was a free access show as a part of Todo Mundo no Rio.

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