Like, I'm not even talking about complete reimaginings of songs incase the purists start whimpering and whining. The Blackout medley from Piece Of Me pretty much plays all three tracks straight with slightly more muscle in the instrumentals and it makes the world of difference. Stuff like "Poker Face" is in dire need of a similarly fresh lick of paint.
Lady Gaga - Enigma / Jazz & Piano (Las Vegas Residency)
- Thread starter Vasilios
- Start date
There is not a single remix during Confessions that wasn't amazing. Every song not only given new life, but brought into the current album's sonic world. How similar things weren't done for artRave is beyond me.
he/him
Exactly how I feel. The Confessions remix of Erotica/You Thrill Me put an entirely new spin on it. It really can freshen up an old discography. As much as I love and adore her older hits, they are a little samey samey for me at any concerts/festivals, and take the steam out of things when she herself looks visibly bored and going through the motions, as can be understood when you sing the same song the same time for ten years.
I agree that she could mix the hits up a bit, but for casual fans that's often the biggest complaint in a show. Madonna's songs sound unrecognizable to the average listener. I think Britney and Katy's rearrangements are a better example.
I would enjoy it- but would a 50 something casually seeing her in Vegas even recognize the songs?
I would enjoy it- but would a 50 something casually seeing her in Vegas even recognize the songs?
Britney may rely on 1998 vocals, but I do always appreciate her keeping hits fresh sonically for the live shows. She's was bored of ...Baby, One More Time by the time the damn Dream Within a Dream Tour came around, and it's been totally remixed for every single show since (DWAD, Onyx, Circus, Femme Fatale & Piece of Me have all had different versions of the song, with Onyx probably being the most it was ever rearranged). I've seen fans complain, but I think it keeps things interesting as someone who sees her at every tour. She usually remixes 50% or more of her older hits for every show... I think there can be some compromise for Gaga.
Brit does have some tragic remix examples, though: Toxic at Femme Fatale was butchered.
he/him
People’s (and also Gaga’s own) reluctance to mixing up her hits a bit is strange. And she has done it before. Monster Ball 1.0 was pretty much all beefed up versions, like this mix of “Poker Face”
Or the mash up of “The Fame” and “Ghosts n Stuff”
Or the mash up of “The Fame” and “Ghosts n Stuff”
Good point, and I do agree. Britney didn't have a lot of options at the time though. Gaga hadn't dropped out like Britney had, so it's not so much a comeback thing. I guess that's why people are so surprised.
So much is wrong here. Britney had plenty of options. When she signed on for Vegas, her previous album had 3 top 10 hits and a successful world tour. She did Vegas so that she could have a more stable schedule for her kids. And this was after she had 7 hit albums under her belt.
Comebacks have nothing to do with it and actually as amazing as Artpop and Joanne are and I genuinely love them both and Gaga, they didn't match the success of Fame/Monster/BTW. If I was guessing, I'd think Gaga is doing the residency for a more stable schedule so that she can continue to grow her TV and Film career. Vegas is just a 40 min flight from Hollywood. It's a way for her to do both.
Does Gaga have a musical director or is she hew own? Aren't they the ones in charge of freshening up old material/creating a cohesive soundscape for the entire show?
(On that note, let me also share my appreciation for the pulsing electro updates Stuart gave Madonna's old hits during the Confessions era).
(On that note, let me also share my appreciation for the pulsing electro updates Stuart gave Madonna's old hits during the Confessions era).
This revisionist history about Britney somehow being the purveyor of "younger people" going to Vegas is still a mess. The DJ's did that. Celine made it appropriate for big name musical acts (in 2002, at the height of her career, mind you) to sustain themselves there.
Britney Spears was just another attraction added to the bill, and she was successful.
Britney Spears was just another attraction added to the bill, and she was successful.
You really think Gaga and J Lo would be doing residency shows right now if it weren't for Britney? DJs / the EDM craze did indeed open Vegas up to a younger crowd before Piece of Me, but Britney was the first major young pop artist to sign a huge deal and opened the floodgates for others to follow.
Younger pop stars, sure. And to be fair, Celine was 34 in 2002. Britney started likely around the age of 32, and Jennifer Lopez would've been 45.
Not younger audiences.
This argument kind of makes no sense in this context since 40 million people visit Vegas each year. It's a drop in the bucket in terms of actual business revenue and attraction.
I have countless friends who have gone to Vegas over the past 4 years for birthdays and bachelorette parties that never would have gone if it weren't for Britney's show, so I do think she was a big part of revitalizing the strip with a younger crowd. And even at 32, Celine wasn't pulling people in their 20s to go to the show; certainly she was never a 'cool' show to see. No one is claiming that Britney was the first act that ever brought young people to the strip, that's ridiculous, but to claim that she hasn't had a massive impact and helped with the rebranding of Vegas as a destination for young people is just wrong.
I still don't think the metrics add up for these stories. She proved that millenial acts can be successful, sure. But the numbers don't quite equate to a massive shift in younger people flocking to Vegas, simply because she is there. Most of these stories are anecdotal and assumptions.
Gaga, will likely, see more success - as she is an established live act. Britney pulled great numbers, even though 90% of the audience knew she mimed (which is a testament to her fans).
It does, considering nearly 1 million people surely have also stayed in hotels, eaten in restaurants and surely spent money in other forms of entertainment. Over the years several publications have done articles on how big Piece of Me’s impact was.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmc...-and-its-leaving-behind-an-incredible-legacy/
I’m sure Gaga and her team have surely taken Britney’s and other acts’ residencies into account when considering her own.
Sis, you're talking to me about using anecdotes and assumptions and then you come with 'Gaga will likely see more success' (with horrifically improper comma use, may I add) which had literally nothing to do with the discussion... but okay... let's just leave here there I guess.