John Norris Reflects on Lady Gaga's SXSW Keynote
Two key events for Lady Gaga will occur on March 28th. It will mark the first of her string of dates at New York's Roseland Ballroom, the final shows ever at the historic venue. It will also be the 28th birthday of music’s self-styled "creative rebel," the girl from the Upper West Side who went Lower East Side before launching into the pop stratosphere. "So the good news is, you're not going to become a member of the '27 Club,'" I told her during our keynote interview on Friday at SXSW. In her self-deprecating way, she said, "Not so fast!," reminding me that we've still got a couple of weeks to go.
It was quite a week for dance pop's boldest and most intriguing superstar. She saw bands and soaked up the flavor of her first-ever SX. She staged what can only be described as her rawest, most balls-out show ever at Stubb's. Included: a mechanical swine, the Jackson Pollack of regurgitation: vomit artist Millie Brown, a reunion of many of her old LES cohorts for a touching "Applause," and a thrilling send-off with her own "Born to Run," the ARTPOP standout "Gypsy."
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