Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.comNot only was she born this way, she was born right here. Lady Gaga flaunted her New York roots at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, marking her final hometown concert before her Monster Ball tour wraps in May. And with heartfelt reflections on her early career struggles and shout-outs to the in-attendance Liza Minnelli and Marisa Tomei, she saved the best for last. For someone who says she doesn’t want to be thought of as human while on stage, Gaga seems to be one of the rare artists who can turn a stadium concert into a personal event, even when—or especially when—HBO’s cameras are rolling for a special to air May 7.

Like Gaga herself, the Monster Ball exists in flux, evolving and shape-shifting from city to city and month to month. Sure, the Day-Glo Pop-art-inspired sets have mostly stayed the same, roughly etching the bare outlines of the Monster Ball’s loopy, Wizard of Oz-style plot. There’s still the fluorescent-lit alley with hilariously pithy neon signs like “Drugs,” “BBQ,” and “Gold Teeth.” (Will Gaga next embrace dental fashion, a la Kanye?) The subway set for “LoveGame.” The twisted fairy tale forest—or Central Park, for the New York crowd. But there are a few tweaks here and there, mostly with the addition of pseudo-religious imagery, like the deranged nun’s habit she now sports during “LoveGame” (something Luis Buñuel would have loved), or the weeping angel statue that presides over “Alejandro.” She’s also upped the gay content, closing out “Alejandro” by having two of her male backup dancers share a long, lingering kiss. As far as the songs, former mainstays like “Brown Eyes” have had to make way for new additions “You and I” and “Born This Way.” READ FULL STORY »