The Fame Ball was a scaled down pop show. The Monster Ball was a scaled up theater musical. The Born This Way Ball was a massive Broadway-esque musical. The artRAVE looks just like a massive rave.
I feel like some have maybe missed the point with the artRAVE stage.
What was great about the BTWB stage was the sheer theatricality of having a massive castle. It was all about putting on a spectacular show using scale, height and splendour. A Broadway backdrop to her story. The lack of screens was notable.
The artRAVE staging is all about creating an energetic atmosphere. There's a huge screen, the lighting is bonkers and the set pieces are white to help showcase the vibrancy. The network of transparent catwalks are intended to lesson the divide between audience and artist to help with the 'party' dynamic - bringing the show off the main stage and into the arena much more. She even changes on stage to break down the divide.
There are definitely things I'd improve on/change in terms of props and costumes...but I have no doubt that she'll introduce new elements as time passes. Plus, I feel her approach with artRAVE is to let the show breathe and not try to go ARTPOP-nuts at every opportunity. Imagine if she had the bubble dress, then she was flying, then she was in a water dress, then suddenly she was a Koons, then it was catsuits, then a spinning shell. Exhausting for everyone.
The only thing I'd say doesn't make sense to me is the setlist order. Not that it ultimately matters to anyone but Little Managers, but it flows weirdly at times and there's a surprising lack of emphasis on certain AP tracks.
I think there are legitimate complaints that are useful for her to improve the tour, but to complain its not "rave" enough...
If anything the most redeeming part of the tour is the lights/rave atmosphere
BTW should be in the encore and the audience shouldn't be allowed to film for a better atmosphere tbh, it's all about the audience in my opinion. The Brazilian show (if it'll happen) will probably be the most rave-like show, because Brazilian audiences actually jump when the artist asks them to do so, and they're very passionate and energetic in general.
Also the tour is missing what made her previous tours so special. Disco stick. Living Dress. Pyro bra. Bubble dress. That giant fish thing. The giant Fame ball Paparazzi thing. The metal orbit thing.
Like why didn't she wear the new bubble dress she wore for like 1 second in some dirty alley?
Other things she somehow forgot:
the ****ing light up wig she spent like a year on
Volantis
the other black living dress she showed at Artrave in November
How did none of these make the tour? Sorry I hate to sound annoying but they were just all so cool and it seems she just abandoned them for these not very memorable outfits I just really have no idea what her or her team are thinking.
I just really have no idea what her or her team are thinking.