Walking toward the Tacoma Dome Saturday evening for one of Gaga’s shows on The Monster Ball Tour, her tour bus stands out in a sea of fans.
By putting the tour bus in front, she’s not merely saying she loves her fans enough to let them take pictures by the bus, but rather she loves them enough to share it with them. She’s the biggest star in the world and one of the perks is her name on her own vehicle, but she includes her fans in the excitement.
Inclusion is an ongoing theme of The Monster Ball and Gaga makes it felt throughout her more than two-hour extravaganza. There is already camaraderie among her fans, known as Little Monsters, as evidenced by the friendliness among them and the ease with which conversations are started, often by complimenting a fellow monster on their outfit. What Gaga does is invite fans into her world for the evening, free of judgment and any inkling of inequality.
“I created it so that my fans would have a place to go,” she said during the evening. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or how much money you have in your pocket.”
It’s hard to say what Little Monsters love her for more, her collection of danceable songs or her message of acceptance.
“Time” magazine called Lady Gaga one of the 100 most influential people in the world and she’s not letting her celebrity go to waste. Before the show, a special message from Gaga played onscreen and she told the crowd about the RE*Generation program, which assists homeless youth. Later she told the crowd many of the homeless youth are members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community and some “were kicked out of the house because their parents didn’t understand they were born that way.”
Gaga is no stranger to putting herself in the political and social fight. She spoke passionately at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., in October and at a recent stop in Arizona spoke out against the immigration legislation SB 1070.
For anyone tired of bigotry and intolerance being on the ballot, Gaga gives a glimpse of a more harmonious future.
It’s Gaga’s world and we all just live in it, but she welcomes everyone with open arms.
