Last night in Germany, Lady Gaga kicked off her highly anticipated Chromatica Ball tour. At the opening show, she debuted several songs for the first time live, including her Top Gun: Maverick ballad, “Hold My Hand.”
The tour opened to a sold-out crowd of over 54,000 fans at the Merkur Spiel-Arena. Gaga performed a 20-song set, playing “Alice,” “Sour Candy,” “Free Woman,” “Babylon,” “Replay,” and “Enigma” for the first time in front of a live audience.
Also notable was Gaga performing “Monster” live for the first time in eight years. The 2009 smash hit is one of her most iconic songs.
Before going on stage, Lady Gaga shared a video on social media speaking about the meaning of the tour:
“I want to allow you all to interpret this show in the way that you want to, but I will say that it really documents the many different stages and sides of grief and the manic energy of grief that I feel that I’ve experienced in my life. I really want to thank you for sticking it out with me and loving me through all the different iterations of my artistry as well as me as a person.
“I feel more clear today than I have in a long time and more pain-free than I have in ages. And being free of pain on stage is a real healing experience because I’m able to dance and sing and enjoy the audience, enjoy the show, and really tell a story…”
She added at the end of the video, “There’s nothing more important than your own heart and your own ability to heal, and we don’t heal on our own, I don’t think, but I think it’s possible to at some point have your own back. And having your own back takes a lot of strength and time.”