Lady Gaga, a.k.a. queen of alternate personas, has been masquerading as a relatively normal character lately, and she’s done a thorough job of freaking everyone the hell out about it.
“Call me Joanne,” is what she now cries onstage, paying homage to her late aunt of the same name in her new signature pink hat and cowboy boots. It’s a far cry from the ol’ days of “I am Lady Gaga, and this is my HAUSSSS!”
Gaga has always been a walking example of “expect the unexpected,” but in the new Joanne era, it’s almost even harder to predict what shenanigans she’s plotted because she’s almost normal.
Almost.
So as Gaga prepares to descend upon Boston, we’ve broken down what we think (and what we know) will go down at her two shows at Fenway Park this weekend (Friday and Saturday). Though, if we’re lucky, she’ll pull a stint that’s really out of left field (heh) and surprise even the most ardent little monsters.
Never-heard-before Gaga Instrumentals
In the pop dark ages between Born This Way and ARTPOP, Gaga mentioned a lot of ARTPOP songs that she never actually followed through with on the album. “Tea,” “Onion Girl,” “Ratchet,” and “Red Flame” are all songs she alluded to at some point in the ARTPOP production era that became album discards. While we’ve heard a leak of “Red Flame,” which features Azealia Banks, Gaga collaborator DJ White Shadow generously released the “Ratchet” instrumental for fans in 2013 — and he’s about to drop another one.
DJ White Shadow tweeted earlier this week that he would play the intro to “Tea” specifically at the Boston show — which, for the record, no fan has ever heard before.
Fans were a little excited.
I'll play you the intro of tea in Boston
— PAUL BLAIR (@DJWS) August 30, 2017
@DJWS if you really play the Tea intro at the Boston shows I’ll blow you backstage
— Ima Mess (@BostonGay13) August 30, 2017
Handshake will suffice https://t.co/h40bOUA4Sr
— PAUL BLAIR (@DJWS) August 30, 2017
Fenway-themed merch
This one’s a financial and fanatical no-brainer. Fenway Park concert tees are uber-collectable and serve as future bragging rights when you dig it out 20 years later and it’s “vintage.”
At the very least, Gaga will probably be sporting a personalized Red Sox jersey, just like she did the other day at Wrigley Field in Chicago when she became the first woman to headline the ballpark.
So proud to have been the 1st Woman to headline at Wrigley Field #joanneworldtour wih my manager and friend by my side! We love u Chicago! pic.twitter.com/8dvelRgYRH
— xoxo, Gaga (@ladygaga) August 26, 2017
Freaky-as-hell interludes
When Gaga came onstage at Coachella in April with an interlude video that prominently featured her deep-throating a writhing tentacle, she made it clear that she wasn’t through with her dark days of pop, Joanne be damned. Known for putting together video interludes that range from strangely artistic to gag-worthy (if you recall, her Monster Ball tour featured an interlude in which artist Millie Brown vomited blue-green milk on her), the Joanne interludes are as maniacal as ever.
As of now, the only official upload of a Joanne interlude is of Gaga pulling some Baby Driver moves in a sports car, but rest assured; gauze and rhino horns lie ahead.
JOANNE WORLD TOUR
Film by Lobster Eye pic.twitter.com/VBsOOG6NX8— xoxo, Gaga (@ladygaga) August 8, 2017
Born This Way album cuts
In 2013, Boston was tragically robbed of its Born This Way tour stop when Gaga (also tragically) broke her hip during the tour. By the time she rolled around for the artRave in 2014, all those Born This Way deep cuts had been buried in favor of ARTPOP tracks, the album she was promoting at the time. There’s a lot Boston missed out on when Gaga cancelled the rest of her Born This Way tour — an animatronic unicorn, a larger-than-life castle of a stage, a life-size meat rack prop and dance number — but Gaga’s brought out some Born This Way tracks for her Joanne tour. Both “Bloody Mary” and “Scheiße” have made the rounds thus far in the tour, and if Gaga keeps it up, this will be the first time that Boston hears either of them live.
Piano solo on the Green Monster
If you’re an act performing at Fenway and you can play the piano, you’re practically contractually obliged to do this (though Billy Joel, unfortunately, failed to pull of this feat last night). Is Gaga going to crank out “Million Reasons” at 37-feet high on the famed Fenway Park wall during her encore? Well, let’s put it this way — it’s a damn shame if she doesn’t. Bring binoculars.
Follow Victoria Wasylak on Twitter @VickiWasylak.