Lady Gaga Enigma + Jazz & Piano

Left: The performance of "Born This Way" during the Enigma show, with the floating light pod visible in the background. Right: The stage set at Gaga's Jazz & Piano engagement, with the curtain of crystal beads above the 30-piece big band.

The Enigma show involves a loose storyline about "healing and finding yourself", with a setting aiming to emulate a post-apocalyptic punk environment.[12][17] A script was written by Gaga, with photographer Eli Russel largely contributing to the creative part of the show, as well.[12] Billboard's Andreas Hale found the narrative "part Wizard of Oz and part Ghost in the Shell."[18] Gaga wanted to integrate all her past hits into the show, while also giving it "a new feel for her interpretation of a Vegas show."[12][17] The gig involves a character named Enigma, brought to life through motion capture by Gaga. Enigma was based on a character that was used during Gaga's promotional rollout for her 2013 album, Artpop, called Petga.[12] In a video posted on her social media by before the residency kicked off, Gaga referred to Enigma as her alter ego.[19] Production designer LeRoy Bennett described the show as "a journey about Gaga and her Enigma character finding themselves within each other", therefore taking place "in various settings as she's going into her virtual world and her past. But it’s also the present and future, so it has to take on multiple personalities." Floating above the stage was a large light pod, which he called the "main lighting instrument" that could be interpreted as a spaceship or a cloud, or "energy beaming down on the stage to heal" Gaga.[12][17]

Gaga's aim for the Jazz & Piano part of her residency was "glamour and elegance".[12] It features a 30-piece band in old-school booths, a stage illiuminated by neon colors, a curtain, and backdrop consisting of dangling crystals.[20] LeRoy Bennett called it an extension of Gaga's joint concert series with Tony Bennett, the Cheek to Cheek Tour (2014–2015), adding that the "simple, but beautiful" concept transformed the venue into a jazz lounge.[12]

Gaga wearing an outfit covered in tiny mirrors during Enigma (left), and a shimmering rhinestone gown at her Jazz & Piano show (right)

Gaga worked with Nicola Formichetti on selecting the various outfits for the residency.[21] For the Enigma show, the main inspiration was sci-fi,[22] and the list of designers included Tom Ford, Asher Levine, and Vex Latex.[23] Gaga's first look is a bejeweled, silver catsuit with built-in heeled boots, along with a black headpiece.[21][23][24] The outfit was covered in tiny mirrors, with Out magazine's Glenn Garner noting that "given her nightlife roots, it’s fitting that she’s channeling a disco ball at the beginning of her show".[21] Gaga then changed into a BDSM-inspired leather corset with neon green details. It was completed with a black PVC jacket with her initials written on the back side of it, featuring feathers in the same fluorescent green.[21][23][24] A later look was an armor-inspired suit with light-up panels,[21][23] which received comparison to a Patricia Field costume "for a movie about a late '80s heavy metal singer".[21] Gaga also appeared in a transparent purple dress, with a metallic purple cut-out bodysuit underneath.[21][23][24] For the finale, she was wearing a champagne-hued gold latex bodysuit with a collar which created the illusion of wings.[24][25] Out's Garner compared it to outfits from The Fifth Element and ones worn by David Bowie.[21] Removing the outfit revealed a second-skin like, nude-colored unitard.[21][26]

Designers who outfitted the Jazz & Piano shows include Ralph Lauren, Schiaparelli, Adrian Manceras, Armani Privé, and Gaga's sister, Natali Germanotta.[27][28] According to Germanotta, during their creative process they used "elements from the Jazz Age, mixed with cabaret and vintage Vegas."[28] Gaga's first ensemble for the show was a black sequin dress with a deep V neck, slit, crystal appliqués and crystal fringes.[29] The look was completed with a Rinaldy Yunardi headpiece featuring jet-black spikes sprouting from it. For Vogue's Alice Newbold, the headdress resembled the one worn by Cher for the 58th Academy Awards.[30] Gaga changed into a champagne-colored, long-sleeved gown with more than 53,000 Swarovski micro-crytals and 250 rock crystals, along with a white feather cape.[23][27][29] Later, a strapless black velvet gown was completed with a hot pink silk floor-length cape, which invoked the "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-era" for Michael Love Michael of Paper Mag.[27][29] For the finale, Gaga put on a black lamé tuxedo jumpsuit, with a detachable tiered skirt, embellished with Swarovski crystals, along with white tuxedo shirt, bow, and a top hat.[27][29] Throughout the gig, Gaga was wearing various Jimmy Choo shoes.[29] Later shows were updated with various new outfits. This includes a dusty rose-hued, feathery dress with an allover ostrich-feather coat;[28] a black velvet bodice with a pink skirt, along with a cape coat with matching pink color;[28] a long shimmering rhinestone gown;[31] and a sparkling tassel dress reminiscent of a 1920s flapper, with matching head gear.[32] In the visuals during Gaga's costume-changes, she is seen in a velvet and lace corset and velvet skirt gown with silver crystal leafs by Turkish designer Nedret Taciroğlu.[27]

Gaga performing "The Fame" during Enigma (top), and singing "La Vie en rose" at her Jazz & Piano show (bottom)

The Enigma show is approximately two hours long.[33] It starts with an introduction where Enigma, a motion captured character who is Gaga's alter ego, welcomes the crowd. Shortly after, the singer appears in a sequined jumpsuit, suspended to the ceiling of the theater and performs "Just Dance" as she plays the keytar. After joining the stage, Gaga and her dancers perform "Poker Face" and "LoveGame". Then, she meets Enigma, who explains her who she is and that she's going to show Gaga the future through a simulation.

After an interlude, the singer returns on stage wearing a fluorescent suit and a manga inspired wig, and performs "Dance in the Dark" and "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". Gaga takes her jacket off and plays a custom-made instrument which includes a keyboard and guitar strings, while singing "The Fame". After performing "Telephone" and "Applause", Gaga realizes that in the simulation, paparazzi are dangerous and want to capture her. She performs "Paparazzi" up in the air in an orb-like cage, but quickly after, the paparazzi catch her and she performs "Aura" while they torture her. The third act opens with Gaga riding a giant mechanical robot, wearing a light-up futuristic catsuit, while singing "Scheiße". Pyrotechnic effects accompany the performance. The song transitions to "Judas", in which Gaga performs a long electric guitar solo. Later she performs "Government Hooker" with changed lyrics to address the Trump administration.[26] After that, Gaga covers David Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans" while standing in a circular keyboard console.

Following an interlude in which Enigma explains to Gaga that she must heal, "The Edge of Glory" and "Alejandro" are performed, with Gaga dressed in purple. Gaga sits down at piano at the end of the catwalk to sing "Million Reasons" and "You and I", where she is joined by her guitarists. The last act opens with "Bad Romance", performed in a cream latex suit on the catwalk while Gaga's dancers execute the choreography on the main stage. Enigma tells Gaga it is now time for her to leave, but Gaga insists to perform for her one last time. "Born This Way" follows, and after Gaga and her crew leave the stage, she comes back to sing "Shallow" on her piano as the encore.

The singer's Jazz & Piano engagement does not involve a comprehensive narrative as the Enigma show, but it is divided into four segments, each of them preceded by costume change and black-and-white interlude films. In the videos, Gaga talks about her love of Jazz and American classics, comparing singing jazz to "receiving a warm hug", and gives shout outs to performers who inspired her, including Billie Holiday, Etta James and Dinah Washington.[34][20] The setlist involves 16 vintage covers, sprinkled with four of Gaga's own songs with new arrangements;[35] this includes "Born This Way", which is performed in the style of a slow gospel number, and a "raging" performance of "Paparazzi", with "the full orchestra kicking in with some apropos suspense-movie chase music".[35][36] In 2021, Gaga updated the setlist with new songs, including "Mambo Italiano", a choice she said was inspired by her movie, House of Gucci, and select songs from her second jazz album, Love for Sale, such as its title track, introduced as a song "every prostitute in Las Vegas sings".[31] In between songs, Gaga also shares personal stories serving as connective tissue between the performed tracks.[35]

Gaga performing "Scheiße" during her Enigma show

Chris Willman from Variety called the Enigma show a "back-to-roots move for the superstar", as it focused on her "art and artifice of being spectacular", and complimented Gaga for singing live for its entirety.[33] Mark Gray from People thought that the show was "highly energetic", which "lived up to the hype", and praised the theatricality of the show and the singer's connection with the audience.[37] Andreas Hale from Billboard thought that the "set pieces were just as grandiose and over-the-top as the performances themselves" and the outfits were "outrageously unique". At the end of his review, he concluded that "it was obvious that Gaga was more than comfortable on the Vegas stage where many all-time greats cut their teeth. Simply put, she was born to do this."[18] John Katsilometes, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal praised the singer's vocal and piano skills, saying that "she is dazzling dancing around the stage, a slim figure in a mirrored one-piece to open the night, but her heartfelt playing on the keyboards shows she can move a crowd subtly, too."[38] Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos highlighted the variety of the setlist and the use of props, while saying that "the best moments are the ones that feel improvised". She concluded her review by saying that Enigma "ended up becoming a show that confirms and begins her legacy".[25] Paste Magazine's Garrett Martin found Enigma "one of the most proudly over-the-top concert extravaganzas I’ve ever seen", while adding that the show "doesn’t just overpower you with lights, music and pyrotechnics, but with a sense of pride and inclusivity", complimenting Gaga's "touchingly earnest and heartfelt performance".[39]

Entertainment Weekly journalist Marc Snetiker called the show "on the whole, rather nutty, (...) but Enigma the show is a damn good time, and it’s admirable in its attempts to elevate a greatest-hits gathering into something striving for more, something that perhaps even galvanized an artist in the peak of her career to take a Vegas residency in the first place."[40] Randy Lewis from the Los Angeles Times thought that Gaga was "in full pop star mode", and while he appreciated the "gigantic" set pieces and the inclusion of the singer's biggest hits, he found the show "disjointed", with "little sense of narrative flow". He also added that the choreography "offers little in the way of physical expression or amplification of her songs’ lyrics or music", although he noted that it showcased "plenty of wild, kinetic energy".[41] At Las Vegas Weekly, Leslie Ventura called Gaga "a perfectionist down to the smallest details, and her showmanship is unparalleled – her vocals, the costuming, the dancing, the hits." He however found the show "cheesy, weird and a little confusing at times", adding that "the Enigma concept grew a little tiresome after a while."[42] Similarly, Miami New Times's Celia Almedia, who reviewed the truncated version of Enigma in Miami, found the show's story line "hazy at best and sloppy at worst", and highlighted the piano performances as the gig's "most successful" segment.[43]

Gaga performing "Luck Be a Lady" during one of the Jazz & Piano shows

Variety magazine journalist Chris Willman thought that the Jazz & Piano arrangement was even better than the singer's other show, calling it "the best shot we're going to get at (...) time travel" as "this show recalls peak Vegas", and complimented the singer's "real emotion" showcased throughout this performance.[35] Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times also compared it to Enigma, saying that "for all their differences in style and repertoire, both shows feel indelibly Gaga, linked by the unifying force of her wacky personality and her raw vocal talent." He further noticed, that "for her, the two Vegas performances aren’t opposed but complementary — part of the same determination to use artifice to say something real."[44] Kevin Mazur of the Las Vegas Sun called Jazz & Piano "the quintessential Las Vegas show", thinking that "Gaga was mesmerizing all night, both behind the microphone and on the piano", while adding that the full orchestra and the Brian Newman Quintet "was spot-on too".[32]

John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal highlighted Gaga's vocal skills, saying she was "nailing several a cappella moments" during her jazz performances.[36] Writing for Paper Mag, Michael Love Michael also complimented her voice, finding it "full of brightness, nuance, and emotion", while noting that Gaga's performance "brought up instant feelings of nostalgia that continued throughout the show".[20] For Nick Remsen at Vogue, "Jazz & Piano is entertaining, engaging, educational (thanks in part to black and white filmic interludes...), and astutely conceived for power and provocation without being overbearing. Plus, it wholly demonstrates the extraordinary performing prowess and big heart [...] of its star."[28]

This set list is from the December 28, 2018, concert.[25] It is not intended to represent every show.

Notes

• On December 30, 2018, Gaga dedicated "You and I" to Celine Dion, who was attending the concert that night.[48]
• On January 26, 2019, Bradley Cooper, who was in attendance that night, performed "Shallow" with Gaga.[49]

This set list is from the January 20, 2019, concert.[50] It is not intended to represent every show.

Notes

• On January 20, 2019, Gaga performed "Cheek to Cheek" and "The Lady Is a Tramp" with Tony Bennett.[51]
• In 2021, in promotion of her seventh studio album, Love for Sale, Gaga replaced some of the jazz standards with songs from the record ("Love for Sale", "Let's Do It", "Do I Love You", "You're the Top"), while also adding "Rags to Riches" and "Mambo Italiano" to the setlist.[32]
• In 2023, Gaga again revised the setlist for the Jazz & Piano shows, and included the tracks "The Best Is Yet to Come", "Sway", "Steppin' Out with My Baby", "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", and her own "Stupid Love".[52][53]