Since her 2008 debut breakthrough The Fame, the quality of the songwriting on Gaga’s albums has steadily diminished. ARTPOP is loaded with perfectly dreadful tunes like “Manicure” that are stunningly hamhanded compared to delightfully catchy early Gaga gems like “Poker Face” and “LoveGame,” the latter of which she isn’t bothering to do on her current tour.
Instead, she seems intent on forcing her commercial dud of a new album on her fans, performing all but one of the unsubtle ARTPOP tracks in an hour and 40 minute show that left room for little else.
Amidst the costume and wig changes and phallic flowers that popped up during “Venus” in an otherwise unimaginatively staged show, she did show off her musical chops, on piano and vocals, particularly on “Born This Way” and a slowed take on “Do What U Want“ that was superior to the R. Kelly duet version. But the show was seriously marred by too many electro powered would-be dance cuts from ARTPOP whose weaknesses were exposed whenever she reached back to her more enticing greatest hits.
They all slay. > (Last one is 'All Of Me'.)
