The Art of Personal Chaos

Original shows

Gaga first headlined Coachella in 2017 as a last-minute replacement for Beyoncé, who stepped down due to her pregnancy. In November 2024, Gaga announced her return to the festival in 2025 on social media. Describing it as "a massive night of chaos in the desert", she explained that she had a vision for Coachella that she could not fully realize earlier because of timing constraints, but was ready to present it to fans. In the days leading up to the event, Gaga told Rolling Stone that she had worked with choreographer Parris Goebel on a "very special" performance, crafted "moment by moment," while choosing not to reveal further details. Prior to the festival, her performance had been teased as "Mayhem in the Desert".

The concerts held in Mexico City were hinted during the Brazilian press conference on February 21, 2025, indicating that Gaga would be offering "a couple of stadium shows between her appearances at Coachella and Copacabana". The official announcement was released on March 3, with the event dubbed "Long Live Mayhem" (Spanish: Viva la Mayhem), and scheduled for April 26 and 27 at Estadio GNP Seguros.

Gaga performed a free concert on May 3, 2025, at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She announced the event with the moniker "Mayhem on the Beach" (Portuguese: Mayhem na Praia) on February 21, 2025, through her social media. Her statement coincided with a press conference at the Prio Theater in Rio de Janeiro, where the event's production company, Bonus Track, confirmed that it was organized as part of the Todo Mundo no Rio initiative, in collaboration with the city government and the state administration. A public rehearsal with an incomplete, out-of-order set list was held the day before the show. She last visited the country as part of the Born This Way Ball tour in 2012, which included shows in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Alegre. She was scheduled to headline the Rock in Rio festival in September 2017, but had to cancel due to severe pain caused by fibromyalgia, the same condition that ultimately forced her to end the Joanne World Tour later that year.

On March 10, Gaga announced on Instagram that she would perform four shows at Singapore National Stadium. This followed media speculation that Singapore would be the exclusive Southeast Asian host for Gaga's "largest world tour in her career". The concerts, billed as "Lion City Mayhem" (Malay: Mayhem Singapura), were promoted as Gaga's only shows in Asia in 2025.

The Mayhem Ball

On March 26, 2025, Gaga announced the Mayhem Ball concert tour through her social media accounts, unveiling an initial run of thirty-two dates in North American and European cities. Due to an overwhelming commercial response, additional concerts in both continents were announced throughout the next week, which included extra dates in New York City, Paradise, London and Paris, among others. Following these announcements, Hits and Rolling Stone identified the previously revealed outdoor promotional concerts as part of the tour, though Live Nation, the official promoter, and Billboard listed them separately under distinct titles, indicating they were not part of the Mayhem Ball.

To promote the tour, Gaga launched a tarot-themed minigame that invited fans to discover their "lyrical prophecy" through cards inspired by the show's narrative themes and connected to the tour's imagery and merchandise. On April 8, 2025, Gaga announced three dates scheduled for December at outdoor stadiums in Australia, marking her first shows in the country since ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour in 2014. Due to initial demand, second shows in both Melbourne and Sydney, respectively, were added to the tour's itinerary. On April 22, 2025, succeeding Gaga's performances at Coachella, three shows in San Francisco and four shows in Inglewood were announced.

On June 9, 2025, Gaga announced five shows in Japan, scheduled at the Tokyo Dome and Osaka Dome for the following January. This announcement officially extended the tour to 2026. One month later, an additional show in Tokyo was announced due to overwhelming demand. In September 2025, Gaga announced additional dates throughout North America scheduled for 2026, including stops in new cities such as Washington, D.C., Montréal, Boston, and Saint Paul.

Production of the original shows

Parris Goebel (left) and Michael Polansky (right) developed the show together with Lady Gaga.

The first performance, held at the Coachella festival, marked the beginning of the stage proposal, with production directed by Gaga alongside Goebel, who also handled choreography. The two worked collaboratively from the overall concept to the staging, sharing visual references and designing each segment as a vignette with its own aesthetic and choreography. According to Goebel, the team began rehearsals on a short timeline and only managed one full run-through before the debut, due to the show's technical complexity. The set design, custom-made costumes, and lighting were crafted to reflect different facets of the Mayhem universe, drawing influence from experimental theater and designers such as Alexander McQueen, whose aesthetic inspired moments like the "Poker Face" performance. Several dance routines blended elements from Gaga's past choreography with new concepts, which Goebel described as balancing her legacy with a "fresh twist". Goebel emphasized the importance of the show's on-screen presentation, noting that much of the festival audience watched through large screens and that she worked closely with the director of photography to ensure the performance translated effectively to both the venue screens and the livestream.

For the Copacabana Beach concert in Rio de Janeiro, the production involved a large-scale technical deployment. The main stage covered 1,260 square meters and was elevated 2.2 meters above the sand to improve visibility. Behind it, a continuous LED screen measuring 60 meters wide and 806.25 square meters in surface area was installed, accompanied by 16 delay towers equipped with 9-meter-high screens distributed along the beach, providing consistent visuals across the venue.

Conception and stage setup

This section needs expansion with: The section is intended to cover both the initial promo concerts and the Mayhem Ball. You can help by adding missing information. (August 2026)

The stage with the opera house set in Singapore (top), and the structure engulfed in flames at a London show of the Mayhem Ball (bottom)

Both the initial promotional concerts and the tour were conceived as a theatrical show divided into acts, with a visual narrative inspired by opera and psychological drama. The tour was produced by Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky, and directed by Gaga and Ben Dalgleish of Human Person. Creative direction was handled by Gaga, Polansky, Human Person, and Goebel, who also served as choreographer. The production and stage design were created by Jason Ardizzone-West and Es Devlin. During the production phase, Gaga emphasized creative control and theatrical ambition, explaining that arenas allowed her to "control the details" in ways stadiums could not, while designing the production as a "theatrical and electrifying experience" intended to bring Mayhem to life as she envisioned it.

The main set piece is a Colosseum-like opera house with balconies and boxes, where Gaga, the band, and twenty-two dancers perform,^{[citation needed]} featuring a pendulum-shaped catwalk that extends into the crowd as a B-stage and changes appearance throughout the show, with effects such as simulated blood flow or a multicolored parquet floor depending on the number. The show expanded on the operatic and psychological themes first introduced earlier that year, incorporating new choreography, custom-made costumes, and large-scale staging that emphasized transformation and chaos within the Mayhem universe.

In an interview with Variety, Goebel said the opening sequence was conceived as "a theatrical opera that would immediately establish the show's grand scale." She further explained envisioning colossal gowns that eventually evolved into a cage-like dress with dancers inside, creating a "really innovative and mic drop" moment, while also reimagining "Paparazzi" as "a slow, emotional rendition", with Gaga emerging from a sandbox representing a grave and using a flowing cape to symbolize "her soaring and finding her wings again". Goebel also revealed that the grave-like sandbox used in the second act was filled with cat litter. On the "Poker Face" performance, she explained that the chessboard was conceived as a recognizable visual device that audiences could immediately understand. After considering the concept for several songs, she felt it was particularly suited to "Poker Face", and the sequence was developed around the idea of a strategic "push and pull" between Gaga and an alternate version of herself. Goebel said that placing the familiar imagery of a chess game within Gaga's emotional storyline helped make the conflict between the two figures more visually direct and powerful.

In a later interview with Rolling Stone, Gaga described the show's conceptual structure as "a gothic dream" tied to themes she had "struggled with [her] whole life". She also added a redesigned version of "Shallow" - incorporating an unused electronic drum loop by co-writer Mark Ronson-during final rehearsals, explaining that she wanted to bring the song into her own aesthetic because "it doesn't have [her] signature style". Polansky explained that the team had considered how Gaga would reach the secondary stage, ultimately devising a gondola, pulled across the catwalk by dancers during "Shallow". The staging of the number drew inspiration from Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera, an interpretation Webber himself later endorsed.

Costume design

This section needs expansion with: Information on the costumes that were unique to the pre-Mayhem Ball concerts. You can help by adding missing information. (August 2026)

Gaga started both iterations of the show by performing "Bloody Mary" atop a multi-tiered Tudor-style red gown (left), which opened for "Abracadabra" to reveal a steel-frame cage enclosing her dancers (right).

For the Copacabana concert, Gaga incorporated the colors of the Brazilian flag into several costumes. Early in the first act, her red gown transformed to reveal a green look with a blue-and-gold stripe. In the third act, she wore another Brazil-inspired outfit in yellow, blue and green, while her dancers appeared in Brazilian national football team shirts. For the Singapore concerts, Gaga debuted a red-and-white dress for the first act, reflecting the country's national colors.

The costumes for the Mayhem Ball expanded on the aesthetic first introduced during the earlier promotional concerts, continuing Gaga's exploration of duality between darkness and purity. She worked with stylists Natali Germanotta (Gaga's sister), Hunter Clem and Hardstyle's Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal to curate gothic and operatic looks across four acts, combining religious iconography, sculptural silhouettes, and metallic constructions.

Custom designs were created by Sam Lewis, Athena Lawton, Manuel Albarran, Dilara Findikoglu, Francesco Risso for Marni, and Matières Fécales, with additional pieces by Seth Pratt, Gyouree Kim, Louis Verdad, and accessories from Chrome Hearts and Yaz XL. Footwear include custom rhinestone work by Disco Daddy Studio, Stuart Weitzman items and Steve Madden boots with handmade modifications by designer Lacey Dalimonte.

Several looks drew direct inspiration from historical haute couture and pop-cultural icons. The opening crimson gown, designed by Samuel Lewis, Athena Lawton and William Ramseur, was structured as a multi-story steel cage engineered by Jet Sets, incorporating Elizabethan corsetry and metallic studs in an homage to Thierry Mugler's 1985 Lady Macbeth design, and symbolizing the tension between control and chaos. Another key motif referenced the red lace gown from Alexander McQueen's Fall/Winter 1998 Joan collection—worn by Gaga at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards—reframing her early fame within themes of sacrifice and rebirth, and subtly recalling the visual language of her early videos such as "Bad Romance".

The wardrobe also revisited her 2009 "Paparazzi" music video imagery, featuring armor-like bodysuits, metallic crutches, and a billowing cape that nodded to the visual motifs of the original video. Elements of McQueen's Spring/Summer 2005 It's Only a Game and Fall/Winter 2003 Scanners collections also informed later acts, blending chess-like visuals and surreal tailoring with psychological symbolism. Additional designs evoked Michael Jackson's Dangerous tour (1992) uniforms through military tailoring by Louis Verdad, while a hooded cloak inspired by The Phantom of the Opera (1986) appeared later in the show.

Throughout the tour she alternated between black leather bodysuits, spiked armor, and white gowns with illuminated trains and elongated prosthetic gloves, occasionally incorporating archival pieces like her original Born This Way (2011) jacket by Thomas Knight. Fashion publications such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, W, Vanity Fair, and Variety highlighted the wardrobe's theatrical scale and "gothic glamour", noting its blend of haute couture and performance art, its recurring references to designers like McQueen and Mugler, and how each look "pushed the boundary between fashion and performance further."

Original shows

The original version of the show received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at its theatricality, visual presentation and Gaga's performance. Paolo Ragusa of Consequence compared the production favorably to Beyoncé's 2018 Coachella set, describing Gaga as an "unparalleled theatrical performer" and praising the precision and intensity of the production. Lyndsey Havens of Billboard interpreted the narrative as a "commentary on fame and performance" and the demands of sustaining both. Rolling Stone's Tomás Mier found Gaga's storytelling "transformative" and considered the spectacle a demonstration of her stature as a pop performer. Adrian Horton of The Guardian described it as a fully realized vision that demonstrated Gaga's experience as a performer and placed its production and execution above that of her peers.

The show's visual design and theatrical influences were also frequently highlighted. Chris Willman of Variety praised Gaga's vocals and costumes and characterized the production as "equal parts bizarro and sentimental". Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times was less convinced by the overarching narrative, but felt the individual set pieces were sufficiently "vivid and funny and weird" to compensate, while also commending Gaga's vocals. Jamie Fullerton of The Daily Telegraph described the production as a "Tim Burton meets Rocky Horror high-concept, high-camp goth opera", though he felt the third act briefly lost momentum. Jorge Emilio Sánchez of Excélsior likewise emphasized the dark atmosphere, fashion and stage design, comparing the latter to a painting by Salvador Dalí.

Other reviewers similarly focused on the balance between spectacle and music. Leonardo Lichote of Folha de S.Paulo considered the prevalence of the visual over the musical "undeniable" and praised the arrangements for reinforcing the show's dramatic qualities. O Globo likewise commended the production and fashion design, while Correio da Manhã's Lanna Silveira praised Gaga's vocals, stage presence and increasing engagement with the audience, though she found her connection with the crowd lacking during the first act. She also criticized "Die with a Smile" as underutilized and felt that "How Bad Do You Want Me" disrupted the concert's momentum. Correio Braziliense interpreted the show's central narrative as a conflict between Lady Gaga, representing the singer's fame, and Stefani Germanotta, the person behind the persona.

The theatrical format remained a recurring point of praise. Eddino Abdul Hadi of The Straits Times noted the "tight choreography", elaborate staging, props and numerous costume changes, while Nylon Singapore regarded it as "a theatrical experience that transcends the traditional concert format." Hazeeq Sukri of CNA Lifestyle described the show as a "polished theatrical production" that demonstrated Gaga's growth as an artist, and Mel Wang of Rolling Stone Philippines credited Gaga's showmanship with turning the concert "into a world of her own".

The Mayhem Ball

The revised show for the Mayhem Ball received further acclaim for its theatricality and Gaga's performance, with particular praise directed at the production design, costumes and choreography. Tomás Mier of Rolling Stone regarded the tour as an expansion and refinement of the original production, writing that Gaga had "expanded it, sharpened it" and fully realized the gothic concept introduced in the earlier shows; he also felt that the arena setting made the production more intimate. Joe Lynch of Billboard praised the way material from Mayhem was combined with Gaga's earlier dance songs, describing the result as a "theatrical, electric and delicious live affair". Melissa Ruggieri of USA Today felt the show's theatricality could rival a Broadway musical and praised the way its format accommodated Gaga's stylistically varied catalogue. Steven J. Horowitz of Variety similarly praised the precision of the production and Gaga's versatility, calling it a "breathless, finely-tuned spectacular".

Several critics viewed the tour's production as a culmination of Gaga's career and stagecraft. Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times considered Gaga to be "at the peak of her powers", praising the show's combination of theatricality, humor and precision and its connection between her past and present work. Drew Gillis of The A.V. Club called it "a fan's dream" and considered its "over-the-top spectacle" reminiscent of Gaga's Artpop era, while acknowledging the relative intimacy afforded by arenas. Anthony D'Alessandro of Deadline viewed the production as a celebration of the elements that define Gaga and compared its ambition favorably with the Monster Ball Tour. Adam Maidment of Manchester Evening News considered the tour a career highlight, and singled out the stripped-back "How Bad Do You Want Me" finale as an effective contrast to the preceding spectacle, calling it "a beautiful finish".

The production's gothic, operatic and maximalist aesthetic was a recurring focus of reviews. Adam White of The Independent named it "the concert of the year", praising its elaborate construction, costume changes and balance of bombast and sincerity. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian observed that there was "always something astonishing to look at", emphasizing the production's deliberately exaggerated and outrageous visual staging. NME characterized the performance as "impeccable camp theater from a true pop icon", while Emily Bootle of The i Paper described it as "an extravaganza of gothic and operatic pop theater". Robert van Gijssel of de Volkskrant considered the show "an overwhelming and exhausting piece of musical theatre", praising its operatic staging and exploration of Gaga's inner chaos. Olivier Nuc of Le Figaro likewise emphasized the "baroque and gothic" aesthetic, high-energy choreography and maximalist staging, while Odile de Plas of Télérama praised its elegance, humor and exploration of duality.

Gaga's vocals and musicianship were also frequently singled out. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph argued that, despite the scale of the surrounding spectacle, Gaga remained at its center through her vocal and musical abilities. Will Hodgkinson of The Times praised Gaga as an "extremely hard working pop star", highlighting her ability to sing live while performing demanding choreography and arguing that the show's straightforward pop music was elevated by the "power of performance". He was less convinced by her guitar playing, however, remarking during "Garden of Eden" that she appeared to be "wearing a guitar, if not necessarily playing it". The Sydney Morning Herald's Vyshnavee Wijekumar praised Gaga's "passionate live vocal" delivery, while Bryget Chrisfield of Rolling Stone Australia described Gaga as being "at the peak of her powers", complimenting her vocal strength and the production's theatrical ambition.

Original shows

For the first Mexico City show, Banamex holders gained access to a presale on March 6, followed by a sale to the general public the next day. Due to high demand, a second date for April 27 was added, with presale access granted to the bank's clients on March 11. Tickets for both concerts sold out immediately. Ticket presales for the Singapore shows began on March 18 for Mastercard cardholders, with queue numbers exceeding 2 million. High site traffic caused login issues and crashes. Minutes after tickets went on sale, ticket scalpers listed event tickets on third-party platforms such as Carousell and Stubhub for inflated prices, including a listing of S$30,000 for VIP packages. Additional presales were scheduled for event partner Klook on March 19 and for KrisFlyer and Live Nation on March 20. The four sold-out shows ultimately grossed $10.2 million per night, Gaga's highest single-night gross at the time. Altogether, the six ticketed shows held in Mexico City and Singapore grossed $56.6 million and sold more than 300,000 tickets.

Attendance for the Copacabana Beach concert was estimated at 2.5 million people, making it the largest show of Gaga's career, as well as breaking the record for largest audience ever for a concert by a female artist. The concert generated an estimated R$600 million (US$109 million) for Rio de Janeiro's local economy, according to the city's government. Following the concert, Gaga's streams on Spotify increased by 60% in Brazil over seven days, with 16 of her songs appearing in the platform's national Top 200 by the following day. In Singapore, the concerts generated significant activity in tourism, hospitality, and food and beverage, with regional hotel bookings on Agoda increasing by 358% following their announcement. Singapore Airlines also anticipated higher first-quarter earnings from increased travel associated with the concerts. Analysts estimated that the Singapore shows generated up to S$300 million in revenue across various economic sectors.

The Mayhem Ball

Originally planned to have 32 dates, promoter Live Nation added an additional 13 concerts across multiple cities, due to the demand. On April 3, 2025, it was reported the tour sold out during the first day of general sale. In an initial sales report, Billboard suggested the Mayhem Ball could be Gaga's biggest tour in over a decade, with an estimation of "$100 million to surging toward $125 million". They also said the decision to move from stadiums to arenas could possibly "drive higher prices than on the Chromatica Ball, with far fewer seats available each night".

The first North American leg of the tour far exceeded the commercial performance of her past arena tours, such as the Born This Way Ball (2012–2013) and 2014's ArtRave: The Artpop Ball. The first run of shows in the US and Canada grossed over $103 million with only 27 dates reported, nearly crossing initial estimates projected for the entire tour. Thus, this leg became Gaga's highest grossing run of shows across any of her tours or residencies in any territory. According to Billboard, the tour could "potentially [triple]" their initial estimates and cross $300 million following the performance of the first leg and the addition of further arena shows in North America and stadium shows in Japan and Australia.

As of late 2025, the tour had grossed $166 million from 35 reported shows and ranked as the highest-grossing pop tour of the year by a female artist and second overall on Billboard's year-end Boxscore charts, which covered the period between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. In March 2026, the boxscore figures were reported with a total gross of $296 million from 68 dates and a total of 1.4 million tickets sold. During the first half of the 2026 Boxscore tracking year, which ran from October 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the tour grossed $236.2 million and sold 1.2 million tickets across 52 shows. It consequently topped the midyear Top Tours chart and achieved the highest midyear gross in Billboard Boxscore history.

The Mayhem Ball became Gaga's highest-grossing tour and the ninth highest-grossing concert tour by a female artist in history, rising to sixth when the warm-up concerts were included.

Original shows

This set list is from the April 11, 2025, concert at Indio, California. It may not represent all concerts.

The Mayhem Ball

This set list is from the July 16, 2025, concert in Paradise. It may not represent all concerts.

Surprise songs

On the majority of the tour, Gaga performed one or two surprise songs on the piano (with the band sometimes playing along) after "Die with a Smile", from several of her albums. These included,

• from the album The Fame (2008): "Brown Eyes";
• from the album The Fame Monster (2009): "Speechless" and "Dance in the Dark";
• from the album Born This Way (2011): "Hair", "Marry the Night", "The Edge of Glory", and "You and I";
• from the album Joanne (2016): "Joanne", "Grigio Girls", "Come to Mama", "Hey Girl", and "Angel Down";
• from the album A Star Is Born (2018): "Always Remember Us This Way" and "Is That Alright?";
• from the album Chromatica (2020): "Rain on Me" and "1000 Doves";
• from the album Top Gun: Maverick (2022): "Hold My Hand";
• from the album Mayhem (2025): "Abracadabra", "How Bad Do U Want Me", and "Blade of Grass";
• and the unreleased song "Brooklyn Nights", which was considered for Gaga's 2013 album, Artpop.

Furthermore, at each show, Gaga played a surprise song from tape during the encore, occasionally singing along to it. The selections have included tracks from all her major pop album releases, as well as standalone singles and unreleased songs. During the July 22, 2025, concert in San Francisco, "Crazy Train" (1980) by Ozzy Osbourne was played at the end of the show, as a tribute to Osbourne following his death.

Canceled concerts