I was beginning to think Lady Gaga wasn't human. After all, she's been virtually ubiquitous over the past few months: Beyonce's music video for "Video Phone," a meeting with the Queen of England, the "Monster Ball" tour to promote her sophomore album "The Fame Monster," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," my music column. She's been infiltrating other artists' music videos and the press, traveling the country and meeting important world figures if that doesn't sound like your typical alien takeover, I don't know what does.
Last Thursday, however, Gaga showed her human side (as if she knew we were on to her) when she cancelled her show at Purdue University in Indiana, after collapsing earlier in the day from exhaustion. She then cancelled three more shows at her doctor's request.
Of course, it's unfortunate that Gaga's fans didn't get the chance to see her. But on the other hand, I think it brought everyone back down to earth. I'm reasonably certain that prior to the discovery of her human weaknesses, fans were on the verge of forming a new sect of Scientology dedicated to the worship of Gaga, but this episode reminded us that you can be on top of the charts, the playlists, the record sales, the world but you still have limits just like the rest of us.
Lately, audiences have been able to see these limitations in Gaga's televised performances. Most recently, during her Jan. 15 performance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Gaga continually adjusted her spike-adorned outfit, which kept slipping off her shoulder. She also swung a medieval-esque spiked ball and chain at the windshield of a car on stage, presumably attempting to break it but causing little damage. The failure to deliver some minor destruction seemed anti-climactic and detracted from the performance.
When Gaga performed on "Saturday Night Live" in October 2009, she wore what looked like a giant mechanical gyroscope (which also made an appearance in the "Bad Romance" video). With each of Gaga's small movements, the disks moved around her, often nearly hitting her head, forcing her to duck. Gaga then tried to sit down at the piano while still wearing the contraption. The endeavor took a few moments as the songstress tried to position the hoops so that she could both sit at the bench and see what she was doing. The practical restraints of the whimsical costume effectively snapped viewers out of the fantasy that Gaga was trying to create in her performance.
This is not to say that Gaga is not a good performer or that she should nix the over-the-top elements in her shows. Aspiring to create intricate staging and pushing aesthetic boundaries is admirable, and well worth the risk. If you thought Gaga was infallible, however, she's not. That's not criticism that's just fact, and it applies to anyone you may be idolizing currently. I think it's better to appreciate performers with the understanding that they're not invincible, super-human or god-like. They too face obstacles and don't always overcome them. That's what it is to be human.
