Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden is a 2011 concert special which documents the February 21 and 22, 2011 shows of American pop singer Lady Gaga's worldwide concert, The Monster Ball Tour. Filmed at Madison Square Garden in Gaga's hometown of New York City, the two-hour special was directed by the singer's choreographer Laurieann Gibson and produced by HBO. It was first broadcast on the channel on May 7, 2011, a day after Gaga's last date of The Monster Ball Tour. The special was released on November 21, 2011, on DVD and Blu-ray by Media Blasters.
Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden features concert footage as well as pre-concert and backstage content. The special received critical acclaim; critics praised Gaga's performance and the onstage theatrics while expressing doubt in Gaga's sincerity during her monologues and in pre-concert scenes. When aired, the special was watched by 1.2 million viewers and was nominated for five awards at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special (Single or Multi-Camera).
The video album released for the special includes extra footage like a capella performances and photo gallery. The 5.1 surround sound of the release utilized DTS-HD Master Audio and new technology to provide the viewer an optimum experience of watching the live concert. Emphasis was given on the main music and the vocals sung during the concert, while adjusting them against the screaming and the cheering of the crowd. The release was a commercial success, reaching the top of the DVD charts in the United States, France and Italy and the top-ten in other nations. It received double platinum certifications in Australia and France, while in the United Kingdom, it was certified gold.
Background[]
The Monster Ball Tour became one of the highest grossing concert tours of all time
The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her EP The Fame Monster (2009) and comprising a set list of songs from the EP and her debut album The Fame (2008), the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 2009 through 2011. Described as "the first-ever pop electro opera" by Gaga, the tour was announced in October 2009 after an intended joint concert tour with hip-hop artist Kanye West was suddenly canceled. The tour commenced four days after the release of The Fame Monster in November 2009. A revision of the tour occurred after only a few months of performances, due to Gaga's concern that the original version was constructed within a very short span of time. The stage of the original show looked like a frame, comparable to that of a hollowed-out television set. Since The Fame Monster dealt with the paranoias Gaga had faced, the main theme of the original shows became human evolution, while elements of the canceled tour with West were still included in some parts. From 2010 onward, the revamped shows had a New York theme and portrayed a story set in the city, where Gaga and her friends got lost and had to find their way to "the Monster Ball". Both versions of the show were divided into five segments, with the last being the encore. Each of them featured Gaga in new outfits, singing songs related to the concept of the segment, as they were followed by a video interlude.
The tour received general critical acclaim, with critics praising Gaga's singing abilities, the theatricality of the show, and her sense of style and fashion. The Monster Ball was a commercial success, with sold-out shows and demand for tickets prompting organizers to add more dates to the itinerary. It ultimately grossed an estimated $227.4 million ($239 million in 2016) from 200 reported shows and an audience of 2.5 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. At the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards, Gaga won the Breakthrough Performer Award, as well as the Concert Marketing and Promotion Award, the latter being an acknowledgment of her partnership with sponsor Virgin Mobile.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 4:29 | ||
| 2. | "Dance in the Dark" | Lady Gaga, Fernando Garibay | 2:33 | |
| 3. | "Glitter and Grease" | Lady Gaga, Rob Fusari | 2:37 | |
| 4. | "Just Dance" | Lady Gaga, RedOne, Aliaune Thiam | 4:22 | |
| 5. | "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" | Lady Gaga, Fusari | 4:21 | |
| 6. | "The Fame" | Lady Gaga, Martin Kierszenbaum | 4:15 | |
| 7. | "LoveGame" | Lady Gaga, RedOne | 10:41 | |
| 8. | "Boys Boys Boys" | Lady Gaga, RedOne | 3:18 | |
| 9. | "Money Honey" | Lady Gaga, RedOne, Bilal Hajji | 3:16 | |
| 10. | "Telephone" | Lady Gaga, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Lazonate Franklin, Beyoncé | 6:34 | |
| 11. | "Speechless" | Lady Gaga | 6:16 | |
| 12. | "Yoü and I" | Lady Gaga | 9:24 | |
| 13. | "So Happy I Could Die" | Lady Gaga, RedOne, Space Cowboy | 4:44 | |
| 14. | "Monster" | Lady Gaga, RedOne, Space Cowboy | 6:37 | |
| 15. | "Teeth" | Lady Gaga, Taja Riley | 9:42 | |
| 16. | "Alejandro" | Lady Gaga, RedOne | 5:25 | |
| 17. | "Poker Face" | Lady Gaga, RedOne | 3:56 | |
| 18. | "Paparazzi" | Lady Gaga, Fusari | 6:31 | |
| 19. | "Bad Romance" | Lady Gaga, RedOne | 6:22 | |
| 20. | "Born This Way" | Lady Gaga, Jeppe Laursen | 9:00 |
Bonus content
- "Born This Way" (a cappella) – 3:16
- "Backstage at the Monster Ball" – 12:50
- Photo gallery