Live Review: Lady Gaga – The Mayhem Ball in Melbourne
5 December 2025 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia
Photos & Review by Jeana Thomas (@Jeana Thomas Photography)
Lady Gaga launched The Mayhem Ball at Marvel Stadium with the kind of excitement that spread far beyond Melbourne itself. Fans poured in from all over Australia (even my friend flew in from WA) to see her first full-scale tour here since 2014’s ArtRave: The Artpop Ball. Back then she delivered a wild, emotional spectacle that left everyone buzzing. Eleven years later, the fire is still there, but now it feels sharper, more polished and even more confident.
Across an ambitious setlist, The Mayhem Ball played out more like a full theatre production than a traditional pop show. This wasn’t just a comeback, it felt like a full artistic statement. You could tell Gaga had her hand on every detail, from the lights to the costumes to the story behind each act.
Inspired by her recent shows at Coachella and Copacabana, the Melbourne version expanded on those ideas and shaped them into a proper storyline. The show was split into four acts and a big finale, each with its own atmosphere and emotional flavour. Fans who loved the storytelling of The Monster Ball or Born This Way Ball would have recognised that sense of a journey rather than just a playlist.
The night actually started before Gaga even walked onstage. At 7:45pm, the giant screen showed the “Lady in Red,” quietly writing with a feathered pen on an endless scroll for half an hour. It was slow, strange and hilarious in its own way. When she finally put down the pen at 8:15pm, the stadium exploded. Any frustration over the delay vanished the moment the lights changed and the real show began.
She kicked things off by rising from the top of a towering stage structure, her silhouette framed by a burst of red light. She looked like she’d stepped straight out of a comic book, instantly commanding the stadium with the kind of presence that makes everyone forget to breathe for a few seconds. From there, the night was a whirlwind of spectacle, theatrics and pure Gaga energy.
A spoken introduction – the “Manifesto of Mayhem” – set up the story: Gaga playing both herself and the darker, more mysterious Mistress of Mayhem. Two versions of her battling for control of the night. That theme popped up throughout the show, influencing the visuals, the storytelling and even the way the songs were arranged.
Even with all the theatrics, Gaga reminded everyone that underneath everything – costumes, dancers, fireworks – she is, first and always, a musician. Her short piano segment made that unmistakable. She sang about loneliness, identity, heartbreak and survival with a rawness you can’t fake. At one point she dropped the script entirely, thanked the crowd and asked if they’d still come see her when she’s 40 and “still singing her guts out.” The stadium screamed “YES!” in unison.
The setlist stretched across her whole career – The Fame, The Fame Monster, Born This Way, Artpop, Joanne, A Star is Born and her new album Mayhem. Interestingly, nothing from Chromatica made the cut, but with so many eras to cover, something had to miss out.
The stage itself was practically a living character. LED screens morphed constantly – one moment a twisted fairytale landscape, the next a glowing futuristic city. It had the boldness of her 2012 Born This Way Ball, but felt more controlled and intentional. Her dancers were fully realised characters rather than background decoration, carrying the story forward through intricate choreography.
The sound was crystal-clear. Despite heavy production, Gaga’s vocals always cut through and she never seemed to lose power – even during the opening run of “Abracadabra,” “Judas,” “Aura” and “Scheiße,” where she combined intense choreography with precision singing.
During “Poker Face,” Gaga lit up the stadium in a black lace bodysuit, tearing through choreography with sharp, playful precision. Every hair flip, snap and strut down the runway earned screams from the crowd, who sang every word back in unison. It was a high-voltage moment, a reminder of the song that launched her career, performed with fresh energy and confidence.
“Alejandro” brought one of the night’s eeriest, most cinematic moments. Gaga laying in a sand-filled box that doubled as a miniature desert graveyard, lying down and tracing patterns with her fingertips. Skeletal, statue-still figures surrounded her, turning the scene into a dreamlike, almost ritualistic tableau. It was a controlled, intimate nod to her Coachella performance, but reimagined for Melbourne.
When Gaga launched into “Shallow,” she did something wonderfully theatrical, she glided down the runway in a Venetian‑style gondola that felt like something out of a dark fairy tale. Soft lights and fog curled around the catwalk as the boat glided through, turning the stage into a surreal river for a few magic minutes. As she sang, the intimate vulnerability of the ballad mixed with the eerie glamour of the ride, an arresting contrast that made the moment feel sacred, cinematic and deeply atmospheric all at once. The whole effect was so gorgeously over‑the‑top, it was equal parts opera‑house and ghost story and felt like Gaga inviting us into her own twisted dreamscape.
For “Born This Way,” she delivered full-throttle energy in a sculptural chrome bodysuit, while her dancers in sleek black outfits moved around her in a storm of precise, high-octane choreography. The anthem felt massive and unstoppable, every beat amplified by the synergy of the performers.
Before “Brooklyn Nights,” Gaga took a quiet moment at the piano to connect with the audience. She shared that while warming up earlier, some fans could hear her outside the stadium and she realised the last time she performed the song was in Melbourne. That memory reminded her of the city’s unique energy and love, inspiring her to give everything she had to share one of her most personal songs.
The night reached one of its most theatrical peaks with “Bad Romance.” Gaga emerged in a white-and-red ensemble that was part futuristic armor, part gothic fantasy. A dramatic wing-like headpiece arched above her and oversized monster-like fingers made every gesture feel larger than life. The costume, combined with her explosive performance, transformed her into a surreal, almost otherworldly creature – part pop icon, part living sculpture.
The concert was a nonstop parade of jaw‑dropping costumes, each one more theatrical than the last. From towering red velvet gowns that doubled as moving stages, to glittering metallic bodysuits that caught every spotlight, she shifted effortlessly between personas – gothic queen, futuristic warrior, haunted diva and intimate balladeer. Some outfits featured hidden cages, crutches, or intricate armor, while others shimmered with sequins, feathers and chains, creating a dizzying blend of fashion and performance art. Every change wasn’t just about clothes; it was a reinvention of mood, energy and narrative, turning the concert into a living, breathing kaleidoscope of Gaga’s limitless creativity.
She said during the show, The Mayhem Ball is about taking the parts of yourself that once felt overwhelming and turning them into something powerful. It wasn’t chaos for chaos’ sake, it was chaos that had been shaped, sharpened, and turned into art. And that’s exactly where Lady Gaga continues to thrive.
Lady Gaga brings the Mayhem Ball Tour to Melbourne tonight, with upcoming shows in Brisbane and Sydney. Tickets are available now through Live Nation Australia.
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank revolutions per minute, Live Nation Australia and Lady Gaga for the accreditation.
LADY GAGA SETLIST 5 DECEMBER 2025 MARVEL STADIUM MELBOURNE
Act I: Of Velvet and Vice
Bloody Mary (Born This Way, 2011)
Abracadabra (Mayhem, 2025)
Judas (Born This Way, 2011)
Scheiße (Born This Way, 2011)
Garden of Eden (Mayhem, 2025)
Poker Face (The Fame, 2008)
Act II: And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream
Perfect Celebrity (Mayhem, 2025)
Disease (Mayhem, 2025)
Paparazzi (The Fame, 2008)
Alejandro (The Fame Monster, 2009)
The Beast (Mayhem, 2025)
Act III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name
Killah (Mayhem, 2025)
Zombieboy (Mayhem, 2025)
The Dead Dance (Mayhem, 2025)
LoveDrug (Mayhem, 2025)
Applause (ARTPOP, 2013)
Just Dance (The Fame, 2008)
Act IV: To Wake Her Is to Lose Her
Shadow of a Man (Mayhem, 2025)
Kill For Love (Mayhem, 2025)
Summerboy (The Fame, 2008)
Born This Way (Born This Way, 2011)
Million Reasons (Joanne, 2016)
Shallow (A Star Is Born, 2018)
Die With a Smile (Mayhem, 2025)
Brooklyn Nights (unreleased ARTPOP track, 2013)
The Edge of Glory (Born This Way, 2011)
Vanish Into You (Mayhem, 2025)
Finale: Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart
Bad Romance (The Fame Monster, 2009)
Credits roll
Gaga returns unmasked to perform:
How Bad Do U Want Me (Mayhem, 2025)
About the Writer: Originally hailing from Western Australia, Jeana Thomas now thrives in the vibrant city of Melbourne. Amidst the hustle of her role in a prominent teaching hospital, she also navigates the dynamic world of entrepreneurship as the owner of a medical transcription company. Beyond her professional endeavours, Jeana finds solace and joy in the rhythm of music, the allure of travel and the artistry of photography, with a particular passion for wildlife photography.
About SAM: Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to over 200 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth Melbourne), Backstreet Boys, KISS, Iron Maiden, RHCP and P!NK with reviews shared by the likes of Suzi Quatro, Belinda Carlisle, Roxette, Tina Arena, UB40, Delta Goodrem, Leo Sayer and Tina Arena on social media. The founder has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro, Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS), and over 70 other artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.
