Lady Gaga has left Singapore. Across four sold-out shows in a week, Mother Monster laid claim to the National Stadium with her signature flair, Goth queen theatrics, and a set list that channeled the wild, frenetic energy of her The Fame Monster era. But what was going on with the crowds?
When I attended Gaga’s first Singapore Mayhem Ball on May 18, I was blessed with a section that fully embraced the unspoken rule: a Lady Gaga concert demands dancing. How could we not scream, jump, and attempt the wavy hand movements of her Mayhem hit, “Abracadabra”? How could we not move our hips to “Alejandro”? And how could we not at least sway and put our hands up for “Shallow”? Dancing is the only way to truly pay tribute to Mother, and any respectful Little Monster knows it’s the ultimate act of devotion. To my left, a solo concert-goer from Hong Kong turned into a flurry of sharp hip twists, striking vogueing poses, and flashing neon purple acrylics. To my right, a large group of friends moved in sync, their stomping feet reverberating through the floor with a contagious rhythm.
Unfortunately, the row across my section didn’t seem to be as excited. A woman gave half-hearted fist pumps while her boyfriend, who didn’t seem to know all the lyrics to most of Gaga’s songs (blasphemy!), stood on the sidelines scrolling through his phone. A little farther away, fans seemed to give up halfway through the concert and take their seats, spending the rest of the hour choosing the best concert videos to post on Instagram.
@bbellywellyjelly Gold 💛🌟 #ladygagasingapore #mayhemballtoursingapore ♬ Heart Keeper – Kai Saionji
I assumed these demure concert-goers were just anomalies — until a TikTok from that same opening night went viral, capturing a lone Little Monster dancing his heart out while the rest of his section sat still. The comments quickly filled up with others chiming in about the subdued energy in their own sections. “I was in section 111 and I think I’m the only person standing and singing to Gaga,” wrote one TikTok user. “I paid for the tickets and I’m here for Mother!” Another user wrote, “We had people tell us to sit down…it’s a Gaga concert, you have to expect to see people dancing.”
A report from the South China Morning Post said that, even days before the first Singaporean Mayhem ball on May 18, all four of Gaga’s shows had seen lukewarm sales. Although over two million fans had initially queued up online for tickets in March, ticket resellers reported modest reselling activities, with some even slashing their ticket prices from SGD328 to SGD280. In contrast, other major pop acts like Taylor Swift saw a ticket frenzy when performing in Singapore, with Swift selling out all 300,000 of her tickets almost as soon as they became available. This is attributed to several factors, including geopolitical strife.
“Unfortunately, my section had a lot of families and straight couples, so they sat down for a lot of it,” a devoted Little Moster who goes by Nathaniel told Rolling Stone Philippines.
Still Devoted to Gaga
Though Nathaniel observed a surprisingly mellow vibe in his section during Gaga’s penultimate show on May 21, he emphasized that the Little Monsters’ overall energy still managed to eclipse the pockets of quiet attendees. “The crowds were pretty lit,” said Nathaniel, “and for some reason, my entire row were all hardcore Gaga fans: they knew all the lyrics to the Mayhem album. Grass is always greener on the other side, and when I looked to the left and right sections and the floor below, they were all STOOD up.”
Nathaniel also noted that because he attended the Wednesday night concert, crowds could have been tamer as it was a weekday, especially in terms of what they wore to the show. “Not as much dressing up, probably because it was a work day,” said Nathaniel. “But many were also wearing slutty tanktops or gothic style clothing: my fit was a slutty tank top from Shopee and a blue bob with black sunglasses. Budget Gaga!”
Gaga has consistently connected with her fans throughout all four shows. During her May 21 show, Gaga delighted the crowd with a surprise addition to her setlist, the ballad “Always Remember Us This Way”. She also blew kisses and winked at the audience during the break before “Alejandro,” switching up her sign of affection for every show. “Our Gaga that day was the cutest,” said Nathaniel, “she blew kisses and wiggled her fingers.”
During her final show on May 24, Gaga continued to interact closely with her devotees. When interacting with the fans closest to the stage, Gaga accepted black roses from a concert-goer. “Day 4 of MAYHEM SINGAPURA, where Lady Gaga took a bouquet of roses from me,” wrote the fan on an Instagram post documenting the moment. “I could die with a smile.” Another fan offered Gaga a grass ring, referencing “Blade of Grass,” a song on the Mayhem album that the singer wrote for her fiancé, Michael Polansky. “This is so precious, so happy for all of the monsters who got to see her in Singapore,” wrote one fan commenting on the moment in a Reddit post.
So yes, there are some people in the crowd that were more subdued, maybe some boyfriends doomscrolled through “Bad Romance,” and maybe not everyone knew the “Abracadabra” choreo. But in between the quiet rows and weekday fatigue were Little Monsters who showed up: they did their best to meet Mother in the middle and show their love for her with every stomp, scream, and shimmy. Gaga gave Singapore a stadium-sized spectacle — and if some fans didn’t rise to the occasion, the real ones danced hard enough to make up for it.
