Lady Gaga’s incredibly elaborate tour finally fell victim to Murphy’s Law in England after her debut show was plagued by technical snafus, missing costumes and other problems.
Gaga just won Brit awards, the UK equivalent of the Grammys, for International Female Solo Artist, International Breakthrough Act and Best International Album for The Fame, and chose the occasion to kick off the UK leg of her Monster tour.
She was set to unveil an all-new stage set and concept for the British shows. But the opening Manchester show at MEN Arena Thursday night (Feb. 18) was plagued with problems.
“Right up until the wire there was a mad panic,” a source told London newspaper the Daily Mirror.
Gaga went Gaga when she discovered that half her costumes had not arrived and pieces of the set were missing. “She has spent over a million pounds ($1.8 million) on this new stage show so she was furious that everything wasn’t in place,” the source said.
The concert was delayed for more than 40 minutes, and the show was rough to put it mildly. It was plagued by technical problems including missed lighting cues and an improperly balanced sound mix, according to the BBC.
Gaga is considered a perfectionist and considers her concerts as much an exhibition of performance art as a music show. She’s had a run of good luck with her staging until now.
Lady Gaga will take the tour to Ireland this weekend before returning to Britain for nine more dates, ending in Nottingham, England on March 8.