I think she did well in the sense that the tour wasn't extrapolated into some artsy odyssey which most people would have rolled their eyes at.
However, in general I feel like the general set up was somewhat deflated and cheap. They NAILED the stage design and the lighting, but there were parts where Gaga was on her own, prop-less and dance troupe-less and it didn't feel like she really commanded the stadium by herself. They needed to up the ante in some parts, and I mean with rodeo pigs, with Aura torture equipment, a Bad Romance large bath, maybe some giant Koons balls to throw into the audience.
The performances she's done before of Swine, for example, were so high energy and thrilling. Especially the one at Swinefest which culminates in canvases being chucked out into the crowd, dancers soaring over the audience in pig costumes. Here we just got a 2 minute rushed job
I understand it's early days but I hope they use this opportunity to make some changes. Some of the setlist choices (e.g. turning what should be some stadium-filling epics into 2 minute interludes) are odd to say the least, and, for a rave, the stage feels empty and not as crazy and thrilling as you may expect. I still enjoyed watching the performances though.
Even better.
