Lady Gaga’s first show in Australia in over a decade has been labelled “embarrassing” by some fans.
After 11 long years, Gaga’s much-hyped Mayhem Ball descended on Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Friday.
But shortly after images began emerging of the stage as fans made their way into the massive venue, complaints started appearing across social media.
It appears Gaga has decided to bring the stage she would normally use in arena sized venues, and fans are not pleased.
Some have labelled the move “cheap”, while others insisted the debacle was “embarrassing”, especially for fans stuck in the nosebleed section.
“The stage size is so embarrassing even more so for someone who hasn’t been here for 10 years,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
“Really wondering, will she use this small a** stage in Accor Stadium (80k capacity- Sydney),” remarked a second.
“Why does Gaga have a small stage in Melbourne?” questioned a third. “People have paid a lot of money to attend this concert and that’s the stage?”
“Embarrassing ass stage,” insisted another.
Pictures posted by fans appeared to show two very small screens by the stage, which many suggested seemed almost impossible to see from the back of the stadium.
“Pls tell me there’s side screens for the nosebleeds,” questioned one fan, before another at the show confirmed that there were none.
“Unfortunately that’s not happening,” they wrote on Twitter.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT STAGE?” added another angry fan.
Despite the complaints from some fans, others clearly had a blast at the sold out show, with one tweeting: “Best night of my life!”.
Another said on Reddit: “She absolutely killed it, she really seemed to care she hadn’t been back here in so long and put on a SHOW!”
The complaints from fans come after the strict rules for Gaga’s shows were revealed.
Ahead of the first Mayhem Ball show on Friday, a specific list of Gaga-related accessories were added to the usual collection of items prohibited by the venue.
Signs requesting your favourite song or a donation for your Christmas celebrations are out, as are banners or flags. The only exception to this rule is Pride flags without a pole.
Red canes or walking sticks, a Gaga-inspired accessory popular among her Little Monsters, cannot be brought to the show unless they are required for accessibility needs.
And the tens of thousands of fans who will rock up to the gig to celebrate the beloved pop star should leave their flowers or stuffed toys at home.
The gift ban is less about Mother Monster not wanting your present versus your presence. It is a necessary health and safety measure.
It has become an increasingly dangerous exercise for reckless fans to throw objects onto stage and hit their favourite stars in the head.
Gaga was almost struck by what appeared to be a stuffed toy during the Toronto stop of the Chromatica Ball tour in 2022 as she performed Hold Your Hand.
Fellow pop queen Sabrina Carpenter even went viral last week after she threw back an item that was lobbed at her.
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