Live Review: Lady Gaga - Allphones Arena

Before even reaching the doors of Allphones Arena, the theatre had begun. All the Little Monsters, teetering precariously in the highest of heels, created a sea of wild costumes, bright make-up and tremendous hair. This night was for the outrageous and for the misfits – and didn't the Lady know it.

Opening the night was New York DJ and performance artist Lady Starlight. Sitting at a distance and with no visuals on the big screen, this act came off more confusing than entertaining. At one stage Lady Starlight rotated on a disc, dressed as a mummy, with a glam rock track pulsing behind her. I'm sure there were plenty of layers going on here, but stadiums weren't built for intricacy.

When the curtains draw on the main event, a four-storey castle bathed in purple light appears and through the castle gates comes Lady Gaga masked and atop a human horse, opening with Highway Unicorn. Evident immediately, this night rests on two things – the strength of her voice and the over-the-top dramatics.

With an alien visitor storyline, sexually provocative choreography and camp costuming, The Born This Way Ball feels a little like an avant-garde take on Rocky Horror, with a similar message of accepting the weird and wonderful. Pumping through a vibrant first half, supported vocally by backing tracks, Gaga strutted, gyrated and sassed through hits Bad Romance, Just Dance and LoveGame before slutty-biker Gaga emerged and the sermon began in earnest.

After a close interaction with the VIP monsters in front, Gaga moved to a motorcycle/piano hybrid where she strung out the intro to Hair in order to deliver her thoughts on acceptance, love and a little politics. Though this bracket slowed the night's momentum, this image of openness and intimacy stirred the strong devotion she receives from her fans and as such was a canny inclusion.

Lifting again for the last half hour, Gaga donned some meat attire and burst through the Spanish-flavoured Americano and Alejandro before reaching a concert highlight in early hit, Poker Face. Sadly, in order to accommodate another costume change she threw away Paparazzi, leaving it to the animatronic “motherbot” to deliver from a neon diamond up high.

Saving the strongest of her recent releases, The Edge Of Glory, for the encore, Gaga whipped the crowd into a frenzy before grabbing a rather delirious fan from the crowd and leading her around the catwalk to closer, Marry The Night.

It was a night celebrating pop, glitter and difference, a concert that makes the nipple-exposing antics of Mads look old hat. Love her or hate her, the Lady left it all on stage.