This is not a picture of Lady Gaga rehearsing for the American Music Awards. Her rehearsal was closed to the public, and EW.com was allowed to remain and report on the proceedings only after much pleading and cajoling, and also some hiding. But at this point — after the Where-The-Wild-Flaming-Boob-Things-Are headtrip of her “Bad Romance” video — do you really need photographic evidence of the Lady’s abilities to know you should probably tune in? Ever since she first whacked us over the head with a disco stick, it seems even the most pop-averse among us are unable to resist her weirdo charms. At least she’s never boring. (And for the record? If even I think she deserves that Best New Artist Grammy, she probably deserves it. I’m cynical about everything.)
Gaga’s AMA performance appears to be her most far-reaching live effort yet, as though she took a look at that bizarre gyroscope dress-to-piano transition she rather botched on Saturday Night Live and said, “Yeah, but what if we made it even harder for me to get to the keyboard?” She’s not only performing “Bad Romance,” which was to be expected, but seizing the opportunity to debut “Speechless” off her Fame Monster reissue as well. This morning’s extended rehearsal was a massive effort that looked less like the prep for a shiny commercial broadcast TV show and more like the chaos surrounding load-in for a futuristic musical at some super-hardcore theater camp: As stagehands prepped the giant set pieces, a choreographer had the pack of dancers — including Gaga, in sunglasses, black bra, hot pants, and stilettos — writhing across every inch of stage. Like in the “Bad Romance” video (and the Timbaland performance from Friday’s rehearsals), there’s a lot of “Thriller” in their moves — the look is all twitchy claw hands and whatnot. While she marked the steps, Gaga gripped her mic, often directing the action or belting out lyrics a capella in her sonorous, well-trained voice.
I don’t want to ruin stuff for anyone out there, so I’ll just tell you that along with whatever hell-couture monstrosity Gaga decides to wear (one can only imagine), you will also be treated to gas masks, violins, and some serious crashing and burning. Shakira — whose closed rehearsal I scoped today, too — may have 25 female dancers stomping the yard in staggering precision, but Gaga’s got that thing she keeps insisting we call “art.” So, okay. It’s art. You win. Please do not burn me in bed with your boobs.
Who’s intrigued, Mixers? What do you think of Gaga’s everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink-plus-the-neighbor’s-kitchen-sink-plus-an-exploding-meth-lab-if-we-can-find-one approach to her visuals? And are they enough to get you to tune into this awards show, and our live blog? How about just the live blog?
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underwood, Janet Jackson, Keith Urban and more rock Friday’s AMA rehearsals
American Music Awards: We’re live-blogging it!
Adam Lambert talks ‘For Your Entertainment’ at AMA rehearsals
Exclusive Q&A with Adam Lambert on OUT Magazine scandal: ‘Not every gay man is the same gay man.’
Beyonce & Gaga, ‘Video Phone’ official clip: When divas attack
Photo Credit: Michael Caulfield/Getty Images
Comments (1-30) of 69 Add your comment
What do you know, Whitney? You just got me pretty pumped for this!
So, okay. It’s art. You win. Please do not burn me in bed with your boobs.
loved that
YOUR LIVE BLOGS PISS ME OFF SO MUCH, THEY NEVER WORK! RARELY DOES SOMEONE GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK IN WINDOW IF AT ALL, SO WHAT’S THE POINT!
That’s because you yell too much
LMAO ger
I would love to see her live!
Ugh. Gaga is way overrated.
I used to think that too, but then I saw the light. <3
Hardly. You might not like her stuff (and that’s OK), but don’t confuse you personal taste with talent or quality.
I agree that she’s overrated. I have yet to see what makes her an “artist.” She is just another pop star to me–catchy songs with nice beats. I’ll go into tonight with an open mind, but silly outfits and fake blood does not an artist make.
Her music removed of her imagery is your run-of-the-mill pop stuff. Not bad, just average. Pop music is all about image these days, so no wonder she’s popular.
I completely agree. When someone needs idiotic costumes for attention clearly something is missing. Some people interpret this as talent somehow. kinda sad.
What like Madonna, Prince, MJ, Bowie who all dressed up onstage for theatricality? They must have lacked talent LOL. Thank GOD for artists who keep the visual alive. If Gaga couldn’t sing, play or write and mimed like Britney and Disney stars, you’d have a point.
Exactly like Madonna and Prince — (that may have been mia’s point)
no. Prince and MJ have talent, unlike the others mentioned in this mini thread.
Oh my. you are seriously comparing Lady Gaga to Prince, MJ and Bowie??? please do yourself a favour and listen to their music and then listen to gaga’s. if you still can’t tell the difference there really is no hope for you.
guess theres no hope for me. i think she is comparable: she writes, sings, and choreographs her own songs; shes created an entire style unto herself, her songs are so damn catchy, and possibly meaningful (who’s to say they aren’t). give her some credit jeez.
Ah I can’t wait for this!!!
SO PUMPED!!!
lady gaga is psycho. and that is why we love her.
i’m definitely watching this performance. i have no doubt that it will be disturbing and stunning in the best possible way.
just another performance to look forward to. luv all her songs. hope speechless gets to #1 also. luv it
Haha
the media is just too hard-pressed to find the next major pop star if they’re over-hyping the bejeseus out of this crap!
It reminds me of the same way that they’ve treated the Twilight series as being the next big franchise in movies.
Mediorcre drivel spoon fed to the easily entertained.
Also, in the immortal words of Austin Powers, “She’s a man, bay-bee!”.
Wow, that last jab explained it all. I’m guessing that’s where ‘the Pole’ come in. Ugh.
Hahaha.
I can’t believe this tranny even has a fan base!
People are just too easily entertained these days.
HAHAHA.. your soo funny!
Youtube Vintage Lady Gaga Live at NYU – Captivated & Electric Kiss
Yes! That was awesome, I just watched it last night. I thought she was amazing. She really does have talent.
When does the show air? I wish they would include that information in these things.
Red Carpet 6pm, the show 8pm EST
I just don’t get this Lady Gaga thing. I haven’t liked any of her songs and I personally think she’s overhyped and overexposed. She’s just bizzare, but hey that’s my opinion.
Well of course she’s bizarre. Not everyone enjoys listening to dire Jack Johnson cofeehouse music lol.
Gaga’s a genius – best new artist since the greats of the 80’s – MMJ, Janet, Madonna, and Prince. If anything, she’s incredibly underrated. Sure, her live bits are not always perfect, but she’s a new artist and her budgets has been (at least until now) been pretty limited. She’s smart, well-educated in music, classically trained, knows her musical ancestors, and obviously respects them and bowwows from the best. Listening to her songs is fantastic – trying to pick out the samples, the riffs lifted, and the sounds from all of the greats (well, and how they are fused with her own melodies and lyrics). Awesome.
“genius”??? OMG, if you really believe that you realllly need to get out more.
Believe or not, the woman is pretty smart. Though her whole appearance blocks people from noticing that.
Well considering that she was accepted into Juliard and NYU’s Tisch University by age 17, I’d say she’s pretty damn talented. She writes all of her own songs and is classically trained in piano. Watch her acoustic versions on youtube. Those were what convinced me. This woman has talent! And she can belt out as much as Christina!
Can’t Wait!!!!1
I don’t understand her schtick. I have heard her sing, the woman has a voice! So why does she have to take the Marilyn Manson approach to get noticed? The medium (crazy feathers and tinfoil) obscures the message (golden pipes on this girl).
You don’t understand it because it actually isn’t a schtick at all. It’s GaGa. If you think the medium is obscuring the message, then you just aren’t getting the message. See her live show and then you’ll get it. Nothing compares to a live show with the Lady.
Are you kidding me? Of COURSE it’s a schtick! Did you not see that clip of her getting punked on MTV’s Boiling Points a few years ago? She used to look and act like a normal human being!
It won’t be long before people grow tired of the spectacle (I know many people, including myself, who have grown tired of it ALREADY).
I’m not trying to say she’s not talented, because she is. Just don’t be so naive to presume this glammed-up facade is anything more than a SCHTICK to sell records and keep her fame going.
She does exactly what I would do if I were famous. It’s FUN to dress up! Costumes and high fashion are one of the best things about this temporary life! Enjoy yourself, get glammed up, have fun, put on a show! As an art student, I adore non conformist artists who keep the visual alive like Bowie, Pink, MJ, Gaga. I want to SEE something as well as hearing the singer when I watch them live. It’s the full package.
Her new CD has at least another 4 top ten hits on it!
Now if only Glambert had done the duet on Telephone with her…
Fever, rather. Beyonce’s part was terrible but Telephone is just a bad song, imo. She should release Speechless.
Gaga is definitely enough to get me to tune in. That girl’s got originality up the butt.
I’m haven’t been much into any of the new pop music, but this girl has really shown me that there is still hope for this next generation of artists and when speaking of Lady Gaga, I truly mean artist.
I’m still recovering from her MTV Video Awards performance with the gore and the blood and the hanging body, and now that song – Paparazzi – gives me the creeps when I hear it. Think I’ll just stick with an audio appreciation of Gaga’s music and save my eyeballs the spectacle.
good dancer and actually has a good voice
have we forgotten the ones who did it first?
Elton & Bowie to name a couple…
it’s not enough to be a great singer anymore. You’ve gotta be able to entertain. regardless of whether or not everyone agrees that she’s good or not.
SHE GOT YOUR ATTENTION DIDN’T SHE???
I don’t even post on here but doing it because Lady Gaga is so worth it, i can’t wait to watch her tonite the only reason I’m watching the AMA for the first time is because lady gaga, she ROCKS
Ditto. And how could you not with promises of “gas masks, violins, and some serious crashing and burning”?
I’ll miss it, and I won’t be sorry at all.
Rah-rah, ah ah ah, Gaga, ooh la la!
And to everyone flaming her to death, she obviously has your attention enough to comment on an article about her rehearsal.
She is so extremely original, and she has an absolutely beautiful voice.
She never stops bringing out new hits, she’s not a one hit wonder.
She’s amazing, to put it simply.
You know “sonorus” means ‘producing sound’, right?
People need to get over her look, and that stupid rumor around about her being a man.
Can’t people just enjoy a performance without criticizing? Good God.
The woman can actually sing, and she can entertain. I was getting tired with the music that was being put out, let alone the videos. Thank God for her, because shes actually bringing something back to music. People are saying its been done before, alright, BUT SHE’S BRINGING IT BACK. Don’t you think our generation deserves to see the great things that people saw before? Maybe now some artists will step it up a notch, because this woman is on top of her game.
When are her performances ever boring? That’s what I love about her, she keeps things interesting. Music, music videos, performances. She’s very avant-garde. Let’s just hope she doesnt mess up her career, because she really can go down in history if she keeps this up.
I’ve heard speechless. It’s a beautiful song. I am very excited to see what she’s going to do this time
I didn’t like her much, but she’s proved me wrong. She may be a little nuts, but she most certainly does have talent. And a beautiful voice as well.
i cant wait to see her performance. i know its goin to be crazy. as for all the haters, keep hatin, no sweat off her back i assure you. there’s nothing wrong with dressing up and putting on a show. I love that she goes all for her performances. at least she’s being original, which is more than I can say for certain singers. Plus she CAN actually sing.she’s a freak, but she’s a talented freak. she deserves everything good that comes her way.
Hey Lady Gaga haters…we don’t care what you think or comment, obviously she’s worth your time and efforts, so I don’t think you disapprove of her so much. You’re just hating that you don’t have the courage to do what she’s doing.