Lady Gaga Presents: The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden

Photo by Josh Olins

Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden is a 2011 concert special documenting the February 21 and 22, 2011 shows of Lady Gaga's The Monster Ball Tour. Filmed at Madison Square Garden in Gaga's hometown of New York City, the two-hour special was produced by HBO and first broadcast on the channel on May 7, 2011, a day after Gaga's last date of The Monster Ball Tour. It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 21, 2011. It was directed by Laurieann Gibson, Gaga's main choreographer.

Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden features concert footage as well as pre-concert and backstage content.

Promotion

The special was announced by Gaga on February 14, 2011, while Gaga was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Over the next 3 months, HBO released snippets and teasers of the recording. Several of the snippets shown were not used in the special due to time constraints. Most snippets were released after fans trended a certain tweet or enough fans "gagafied" their Facebook profiles. Also, the last five days preceding the show countdown, teasers were released.

Content

Further information: The Monster Ball Tour concert synopsis

The special opens with a black-and-white introduction that sees Gaga ordering a cup of coffee from a New York convenience store before being escorted by security into a black SUV, where she reminisces about the many times she had been at the arena to watch other acts perform, and realizes that she will now be performing there herself. After being escorted backstage, she removes her makeup and cries as she discusses feeling like a "loser". She then sings the opening lines of "Marry the Night" while preparing to take the stage. Full-color footage of the concert (shot on February 21 and 22, 2011) is then seen, interspersed with black-and-white backstage footage. The special ends with another black-and-white backstage scene where Gaga and her backup singers perform "Born This Way" a capella.

Set list

Act I — NYC

• Jumping Film (Video introduction, briefly shown)
• "Dance in the Dark" (February 22, 2011)
• "Glitter and Grease" (February 22, 2011)
• "Just Dance" (February 22, 2011)
• "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" (February 21, 2011)
• "The Fame" (February 22, 2011)

Act II — NYC Subway

• "LoveGame" (February 21 & 22, 2011)
• "Boys Boys Boys" (February 22, 2011)
• "Money Honey" (February 22, 2011)
• "Telephone" (February 22, 2011)
• "Speechless" (February 22, 2011)
• "Yoü and I" (February 22, 2011)
• Twister Film (Video interlude, briefly shown)
• "So Happy I Could Die" (February 22, 2011)
• Antler Film (Video interlude, briefly shown)

Act III — Central Park

• "Monster" (February 22, 2011)
• "Teeth" (February 22, 2011)
• "Alejandro" (February 22, 2011)
• "Poker Face" (February 22, 2011)

Act IV — Monster Ball

• "Paparazzi" (February 21 & 22, 2011)
• "Bad Romance" (February 21 & 22, 2011)
• "Born This Way" (February 22, 2011)

Details from the performance

• All of the interludes were cut for the special except some short footages of the Jumping, Twister, and Antler films.
• "Dance in the Dark" starts after the first chorus.
• Gaga cuts a verse from "So Happy I Could Die".
• Victor Rojas and Ian McKenzie replaced Posh during the What's the Monster Ball? and the Battling a paparazzo (Paparazzi) sections, respectively.
• The ending credits feature Gaga with her backup singers singing "Born This Way" acapella. (TV broadcast)

Bonus features

These features were not shown on the TV broadcast except the Born This Way (A Capella) during the credits.

• Born This Way (A Cappella) — 3:16
• Backstage at the Monster Ball documentary — 12:50
• Photo gallery

Home media

The Monster Ball Tour DVD has been confirmed that it will be released on November 21st and it will include the concert that Lady Gaga held at Madison Square Garden, in New York City earlier this year. The special includes exclusive, never before seen footage and will also be available on Blu-Ray.

All the release have the same content in a 16:9 widscreen size with subtitles in "Behind the Scenes" English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian.

DVD (B0016286-09, explicit)

	Label: Streamline Records, Interscope Records, Kon Live Distribution Format: DVD case Released: November 21, 2011 Barcode: 602527869988 (US) Photography: Josh Olins (2010) Design: N/A

• Audio: Dolby Stereo and Dolby 5.1

Country	Product number	Barcode	REGIONS
	B0016286-09	602527869988	1
		602527873565	0
	UIBS-1034	4988005693587	2

DVD (Clean)

	Label: Streamline Records, Interscope Records, Kon Live Distribution Format: DVD case Released: November 21, 2011 Barcode: 602527882819 Photography: Josh Olins (2010) Design: N/A

• Audio (DVD) : Dolby Stereo and Dolby 5.1

Blu-ray (B0016285-59, Explicit)

In the United States, exclusive to Best Buy only.

	Label: Streamline Records, Interscope Records, Kon Live Distribution Format: Blu-ray case Released: November 21, 2011 Barcode: 602527869964 (US) 602527873558 (International) Photography: Josh Olins (2010) Design: N/A

• Audio (Blu-Ray) : Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround and Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Stereo for main program (Bonus features are Stereo-only TrueHD and Dolby Digital)
• Blu-ray frame rate : 59.94

Transcription

Some part of the following transcription include the unedited version shown in the trailers released prior the airing on the special.

Introduction — In NYC

Gaga: Can I have a coffee please?
Gaga: Hm... with milk and Splenda.

Clerk: Which size?
Gaga: Eh... large.

Gaga: Can you believe we are playing at the Garden? Are you ready?

Gaga: Thanks man.

Look at that!

Are you Lady Gaga?

Is that Lady Gaga?
I can't believe it's you, oh my god!

Gaga:Thanks, nice to meet you!
- Oh my god!

Oh my god, oh!

Gaga: Do you know how many time I have been to this arena?

Gaga: And now they are opening these gates for us.

Madison Square Garden — Backstage

Gaga: Welcome HBO to the Monster Ball!

I was in the worst mood on the way here. I just get so revved up when I do these benchmark shows because I start to think about all the people that have tried to stop and I get this like surper intense fury. And then I think about how I don’t really give a shit if people don’t understand what I do. As long as my fans understand. I just don’t want my fans to ever feel…

I just sometimes feel like a loser still. It’s crazy cause we’re at the Garden but I still sometimes feel like a loser kid in high school. And I just gotta pick my shit up, I gotta pick myself up and I have to tell myself I’m a superstar every morning so that I can get through this day and be for my fans what they need from me to be. But sometimes I still feel like people are tying to destroy me.

I cannot be destroyed and I will not be destroyed. And you will never destroy the kingdom that is my fans.

I just feel like I have to fight. I’m fighting for every kid that’s like me, that felt like I felt and feels like I still feel.

It hurts when I know how much authenticity and how much genuine blood is in my spirit and how much I feel people don’t know that cause they see wigs and lipstick and shut down cause they don’t understand.

I’m sorry. I just want to be a queen for them and sometimes I don’t feel like one.

I’m not a loser. It’s not about being a winner for me anymore. It’s about being a winner for them.

Let’s say our own prayer:

Dear Lord,

Thank you so much for the blessings of all my friend and my family and thank you for all the amazing screaming fans that are here tonight tonight.

Dear Lord please give me strength to be a winner for all of them and not for myself. Dear Lord remind me to empower not myself but to empower those around me because that is my gift. My gift is not self-worship, my gift is the worship of others. So please help me to be strong and please help me to know my own strength. Please help me to be brave lord.

Dear God give me courage. Do not let me give into those feelings. Do not et me give into my own insecurities. Allow me to walk in your light. Allow me to live and breathe and sing and dance for all the dancers on stage for the the band for the music and for you. Amen…

Now I got some shit to do!”

Act I — NYC

"Dance in the Dark"

Posh: Girls? Are ya'll getting ready? Peppah?
Peppah: Yes, Posh I'm getting ready? Hey Bang Bang are you getting ready?
Bang Bang: Of Course I'm getting ready. Hey Shompane you getting ready girl?
Peppah: I'm already ready baby.
Posh: Well let's get it honey

[Resume Dance in the Dark]
Posh: Ohh No!
Bang Bang: Posh are we breaking down?
Posh: Uopp! Just give me a second.
Bang Bang: Where's Gaga anyways ? and where's my lipstick?
Posh: Shut up!
Peppah: Now we're never gonna make it to the Monster Ball!!
Gaga: Yes you will.. I'll take you there!
"Glitter and Grease"
"Just Dance"
"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"
Gaga: Now get your pockets out and shoot that money 'cause you don't need it in New York.
Victor: So...Gaga, what's The Monster Ball really all about?
Gaga: Well Victor... The Monster Ball will set you free!!
Victor: Do you mean... I could be who ever... what ever... that I want to be free?
Gaga: Yeah Posh, tonight at The Monster Ball, were gonna be super free.
[Pause]

Gaga: And the best thing about The Monster Ball is that I created it so my fans have a place to go. A place where all the freaks are outside and I lock the fucking doors. It don't matter who you are, where you come from, or how much money you got in your pocket because tonight and every other after night you could be who ever is that you want to be. And to get to The Monster Ball all you got to do is follow the Glitter Way.
"The Fame"

Act II — NYC Subway

"LoveGame"
"Boys Boys Boys"
"Money Honey"
"Telephone"
"Speechless"
"Yoü and I"
Twister Film (Video interlude)
"So Happy I Could Die"
Antler Film (Video interlude)

Act III — Central Park

"Monster"
"Teeth"
"Alejandro"
"Poker Face"

Act IV — Monster Ball

"Paparazzi"
"Bad Romance"
"Born This Way"