With a decade of success under her belt, Lady Gaga has managed to outdo herself over and over, era after era, bringing something new to the table every time. From her highly acclaimed 2008 debut album, The Fame, to her recent, critically acclaimed, award-nominated performance in the film, A Star Is Born. Stefani Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, is a force to be reckoned with, through and through, proving there is no medium that she can not conquer.
The latest larger than life vision from Lady Gaga to come fully realized is her highly anticipated Las Vegas debut, Enigma, an arena spectacular that successfully thrives on all of the things that made Gaga a household name to begin with. Lady Gaga’s Enigma residency at the MGM Park Theater is a dream experience for fans who’ve adored the international pop superstar from the very beginning while at the same time, delivering one hell of a show for casual fans alike.
The extravagant execution that is Enigma holds an iconic 21-track set-list, featuring a storyline that's literally out of this world. A computer-generated figure, the artificial lifeform appropriately named Enigma, joins Gaga as she goes on a quest to find her inner-voice. As the show opens we see Enigma requesting fans to turn off all electronics and to enjoy the show before the crowd's attention is quickly turned to the venue ceiling, where Lady Gaga descends, delivering Super Bowl performance-level realness. Opening with her hit single “Just Dance,” the shows first number almost takes place entirely in mid-air before touching ground onstage during the infectious bridge of the classic hit. This outrageous entrance helps set the tone for the rest of the evening, promising a Sin City spectacle like no other.
As Enigma journeys along, the pop sensation dishes out live renditions of some of her most familiar hits before serving up the non-single lifted from The Fame Monster, “Dancing In The Dark,” which also calls for the show's first wardrobe change. Gaga transforms from a shiny mirrored costume into neon-feathered streetwear. This far along in her career, one can only appreciate how much Gaga is delivering on the sounds that skyrocketed the singer to the top of the charts. Featuring early-era hit after hit, Enigma moves furthest along her discography during its eighth number when Gaga calls for her 2013 hit single, “Applause.”
Rewinding to her earlier hits after the “Applause,” Gaga kicks off the 2009 single “Paparazzi” lifted inside a spherical contraption of sorts, hovering above the crowd while confronting her fears of those fame-chasers who haunt her with those snaps and flashing lights. At this point, it's apparent that heights are not something Gaga is afraid of. Upon returning to stage ground, Gaga slides into the ARTPOP record “Aura,” where the singer can be seen whisked away by dancers with giant robotic arms.
As the sounds grow heavier and the beats grow harder, it becomes apparent that the robots are here to take over as an industrial-like planet is blooming right in front of our eyes and ears. All of this before one of the shows biggest moments takes stage, a large mechanical robot calls for a monumental entrance for the Born This Way track and fan-favorite, “scheiße,” working up the crowd for an absolutely unforgettable performance and stunning show highlight! It’s honestly an epic moment in terms of live performance, as this mammoth stage prop will likely serve as a key talking point for this Las Vegas residency.
Navigating through her extensive catalog, Gaga performs the only track lifted from her fifth studio album, Joanne, “A Million Reasons.” It's the show's seventeenth number and the first time she's truly slowed things down, it's just Gaga and a piano that resembles more of a crystal formation from Krypton. Moving along, Lady Gaga calls out to the audience to applaud the one and only Celine Dion who is in attendance at the show on Sunday, December 30, 2018. Gaga praises the legendary Vegas veteran for her support before dedicating her performance of the 2011 single “You And I” to Dion.
Deep into the shows final moments, one of Gaga’s biggest hits comes to life with “Bad Romance”– choreography and all, she even dawns a costume very reminiscent from the video. Before following up one iconic hit with another, the computer-generated character Enigma takes stage once again but this time calling for an end of the “simulation” before Gaga promises one last performance for her, que the colorful extravaganza that is “Born This Way”! Fans sing and dance along before being left cheering and begging for more, and thankfully, Gaga listens, pulling out one final trick to end the night, a moving performance of her most recent hit, “Shallow.”
In the end, Enigma proves to be a captivating experience that revisits all of the reasons why we love the pop-powerhouse superstar. With less years in the spotlight than many, if not all of her Vegas contemporaries, Lady Gaga manages to remind us why she’s at the top of her game through the entirety of Enigma in an all-thrills epic. It's safe to say Lady Gaga has set a new precedent for a Sin City residency, pushing the envelope yet again.
Don’t miss out on Enigma, get your tickets to the wondrous spectacle today! And because one Gaga show is simply not enough, catch Gaga in a set of Jazz & Piano shows at the MGM Park Theater, kicking off in 2019.
