On Sunday, September 1st, Lady Gaga took the stage at the Roundhouse in London to kick off the 2013 iTunes Festival. Giving us our very first taste of her upcoming album ARTPOP, Gaga performed 8 songs off the new album. Nicknaming the concert Swine Fest, she put on a show unlike no other, proving for the billionth time why she is the best artist out there right now. The show included on stage costume changes, pig shaped hazmat suits and a very tearful and personal confession from Gaga. The show was everything I wanted and more. ARTPOP is going to be one of the best albums you've ever heard, and I have no qualms about proclaiming that right now.
To open the show, Gaga started off performing 'Aura' which is the previously leaked track 'Burqa' that the internet went wild over. It's one of the craziest songs you've ever heard, and I knew that it wasn't going to sound too great live. With the beat and Gaga's crazy vocals, it doesn't lend itself too well to a live performance, but Gaga made up for that with the presentation. She was wearing a ninja-like outfit with just her eyes exposed, and she rose up above the crowd inside a metal cage. What a way to open the show. After a very long transition which basically consisted of Gaga just changing her shoes, she began singing 'MANiCURE'. The song is definitely something different as it has a much more rock vibe to it. We haven't really heard something like it before from her, and it'll be interesting to hear what the studio track sounds like. It's one hell of a catchy song though, and it's an instant favorite. I also love how she took the word "manicure" and turned it into three meanings which she played with throughout the song. After an extremely long and theatrical costume change into her Venus hair and seashells, Gaga sang the title track. 'ARTPOP' is one of those songs that are just euphoric and almost put you in a trance. If I'm perfectly honest, it was my least favorite song of the night. It's memorable, but it didn't stand out. However, it gets across the meaning of the album which is that ARTPOP can mean whatever you want it to mean.
Next up was 'Jewels and Drugs', and this is where I went crazy. Gaga's experimenting with different genres on this album, and this is the track where she brings hip-hop and rap into her repertoire. It's a HOT song with an awesome beat done by DJ White Shadow, and the song features T.I., Too $hort and Twista. I've always wanted her to do something in this vein, and she exceeded my expectations. She could totally release this as a single and radio would eat it up. What's cool about it is that during the bridge it goes into some crazy EDM thing, just adding another level to the song. After that, Gaga went into my absolute favorite song. 'Sex Dreams' may just be my favorite Gaga song EVER, and yes I'm basing this off just this one performance. This one plays with her lesbian tendencies that Gaga has talked about before, and in the song she sings about how this girl is in her sex dreams. It's sexy, it's catchy and is an instant classic. Whether or not this is ever released as a single, this will always be her biggest hit. I just can't get over how perfect it is.
Gaga then took a break and talked to the fans, coming this close to telling us what that "dark thing" that happened to her in her past is. I still believe it was a drug overdose, which was alluded to in the video for 'Marry the Night' as well as what Gaga said at the show. That "thing" was the inspiration behind the next song 'Swine' which is the hardest song she has ever written. It's about how those people she hung out with and who sometimes can surround us when we're vulnerable are really "swine in a human body." After that I was expecting a ballad, but it turns out it's this huge electro song, and was easily the craziest performance of the night. Gaga went wild at the piano and smashed the drums, pigs came out and flew above the stage spraying paint everywhere, and Gaga even squeals during the song. This was another favorite. And now the moment we were all waiting for: the piano ballad. This is where Gaga is at her best, and 'I Wanna Be With You' brought tears to everyone's eyes. She wrote it about having to cancel her tour and the pain she felt from not being with her fans, but it can apply to everyone's lives in one way or another. It was heartbreaking. And to close the show, Gaga of course took to the stage to perform 'Applause'. This time, she came out dressed at the Mad Hatter before stripping down to the black leotards and killing the choreography. It was perfection as always.