The Monster Ball Tour At Madison Square Garden

VIDEO:

This concert arrives on blu ray with MPEC-4 AVC 1080i 1.78:1 encode. This concert was taped at Madison Square Garden on February 21 and 22, 2011. It was broadcast as a two-hour HBO Special on May 7, 2011, a day after Gaga's last date of The Monster Tour. I have a little trepidation about its quality because it was a television special. But when I watched the show in my 12 foot wide screen home theatre, my fear was totally misplaced.

The quality is excellent, with good details (e.g., you can see the little hole on her net stocking on her left inner thigh during her monologue following the song Lovegame, and a bigger one on her right bump in the song You And I, plus all her tattoos) and great colours (e.g., red gown she wore during The Fame, and her yellow-green wig both very striking). Between songs and her change of costumes, it was in black and white...just to be a little different. (4.5/5)

AUDIO:

The Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround was equally exciting with clear dialogue and singing. The drum beat was very tight and contagious. The entire concert was totally enjoyable from audio point of view. (4.5/5)

CONTENTS:

The contents of the concert were very fulfilling...all the hits are there. For such a young age, Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) really has a tremendous stage presence. Her voice was pure and sweet. The songs were very well done, both in singing and dancing. Of course, Lady Gaga was her usual outrageous self, but she was very comfortable on stage, controlling the entire audience. The use of a cell-phone ringing and Lady Gaga answered: "Hi, Beyonce..." to introduce the song Telephone was quite ingenius.

One very good thing about this disc was the inclusion of the song lyrics...a highly recommended thing for older folks like me and my wife. Speaking of my wife, she also enjoyed it and actually sat through the entire concert. Part of the reason was her familiarity of her songs because many of them were used for line dancing (e.g., Just Dance (line dance title: Lady Gaga), Poker Face (Poker Face), Lovegame (Lovegame), Telephone (Kinda Busy), Teeth (No Salvation) and Paparazzi (Paparazzi).

This concert was filmed during the initial release of Born This Way CD. Two songs from Born This Way were included in this concert: You And I and of course Born This Way, as the finale. Otherwise, imagine if her more recent singles were included, such as Judas, The Edge Of Glory, Americano and Marry The Night, this concert would have been more perfect. But still, it was a totally enjoyable concert. And this is the only Lady Gaga blu ray concert disc available. Highly recommended. (5+/5)

I am also looking forward to other blu ray concerts by Adele (November 29), Taylor Swift (Speak Now blu ray November 29), Shakira (En Vivo Desde Paris blu ray December 5), Britney Spears blu ray (Dec 2) and Kylie Minogue (Aphrodite Tour blu ray) November 28 (cheaper at Amazon.co.uk).

SONG LISTING:

Dance In The Dark (The Fame Monster)
Glitter And Grease
Just Dance (The Fame)
Beautiful, Dirty, Rich (The Fame)
The Fame (The Fame)
Lovegame (The Fame)
Boys Boys Boys (The Fame)
Money Honey (The Fame)
Telephone (The Fame Monster)
Speechless (The Fame Monster)
You And I (Born This Way)
So Happy I Could Die (The Fame Monster)
Monster (The Fame Monster)
Teeth (The Fame Monster)
Alejandro (The Fame Monster)
Poker Face (The Fame)
Paparazzi (The Fame)
Bad Romance (The Fame Monster)
Born This Way (Born This Way)

Lastly, please allow me to share with you some of my shopping tips, in order to get the cheapest price of your purchase at Amazon.ca. The price which I paid for this Lady Gaga blu ray was $13.99. Can you believe it? Now it is $22.99. The key is to order or pre-order as soon as the item is announced. Here, you have to do a little work, scanning the future release sections. If you already know exactly what you want, pre-order as soon as it is announced, because this price is usually the cheapest one. I could give you numerous examples (e.g., Mission Impossible Gift Set blu ray: initial announced at $27.77, now it is $35.99, Shakira Live In Paris blu ray, pre-order $12.99, now $18.49, Taylor Swift Speak Now blu ray, pre-order $18.99, now $26.99). Please note that all the titles above have not been released yet, but the prices have gone up already.

Once you pre-order, mark the price down somewhere, and check the price often. Should the price go even lower, Amazon.ca usually will adjust to the lower price in your account, but not always. Should Amazon.ca did not adjust to the lower price, feel free to email them to request the price to be adjusted to the lower one, as long as the item has not been shipped. Amazon.ca is always very courteous and prompt in their action.

Also check for special deals, such as coupons and recent Black Friday deals. One great example was Ben Hur box set blu ray reduced to $26.99!!!

I have saved a lot of money using the above techniques while shopping at Amazon.ca. Find out what you want and pre-order as soon as it is announced, and check the price frequently. With the money you saved, you can buy and enjoy another blu ray movie or concert. Happy shopping.

"The Monster Ball Tour" by Lady Gaga is an entertaining dvd that features many of her greatest songs. This collection shows Lady Gaga musically pouring her heart out in the songs with compelling artistic effect. My two favorite songs in this dvd are "So Happy I Could Die" and "Born This Way". In "So Happy I Could Die" she is wearing what appears to be an angel-themed costume. Please understand that I intend to live a long and happy life. However, this concert performance of "So Happy I Could Die" resonated with me because the implied meaning appears to be about always finding ways to always look for happiness and have fun. "Born This Way" is her last performance on this dvd that sends a message of believing in one's own beauty. I am glad that she chose "Born This Way" as the last track for her dvd concert performance. This is because I definitely needed to be reminded of the underlying message from "Born This Way." I also like the bonus features included. For example, she is seen meeting one of her mentors backstage (Liza Minnelli). The meeting proves to sentimental and uplifting as Liza Minnelli encourages Lady Gaga to continue going after her dreams. In the bonus features, Lady Gaga is also seen embracing and appreciating two among many of her biggest fans. "The Monster Ball Tour" dvd is great for anyone that has enjoyed any of her concerts and/or musical tracks.

Watching this DVD was the very first time ever I watch her perform. It was a great concert and a great performance. I was not a fan before, but i was converted after watching this show.