Lady Gaga and Her Monsters Set the Bar for This Year’s Coachella

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Lady Gaga headlines 2025 Coachella, bringing together a mix of her gothic and mayhemic music.

The Gaga effect is real. It’s a rule that anyone who packed into the desert for Coachella 2025 learned within the first five minutes of her headlining set— or, really, the second she took the stage coming out with ‘Bloody Mary’, a track that somehow sounded even more feral, more triumphant, and more alive than it did fifteen years ago.

Gaga continued to bring tears to the crowd, singing her heart out to her top hits, ‘Poker Face’, ‘Judas’, and ‘Abracadabra’. You can only imagine the audience during ‘Poker Face’.

Opening Night at Coachella is Supposed To Be Electric. Gaga Made it Seismic.

From the second she rose from the stage in a surreal haze of smoke and lasers — all black vinyl, blinding rhinestones, and that first breath of voice— it was clear we weren’t just getting a concert.

At this point everyone just knew that Gaga had arrived, and she was not willing to let any one of her Little Monsters walk away with disappointment.

There were no half-measures. Nothing watered-down or polished about Gaga’s set — she brought the real, wild energy that so many festival acts these days forget. Gaga outdid herself, as per usual, by doing the thing only she knows how to do — being completely, unapologetically herself.

Oh, and when she took her mic out for ‘Shallow‘, all bets were off. It was so intimate it felt like a punch to the chest (at least, that’s what I’d imagine it felt like.)

And then — as if the world needed one final reminder that pop music can still be edgy — Gaga closed her set with the ultimate mayhem anthem: ‘Bad Romance,’ from her ‘The Fame Monster’ era. If there were still any dry eyes in the crowd before that moment, there definitely weren’t after.

If the song felt like a cultural reset back in 2009, in 2025 it felt like a crown jewel. Ms. Gaga, you know how to keep your music ALIVE.

And okay, maybe it’s too bold to say that she beat Beyoncé’s set back in 2018, but let me tell you, she was CLOSE. And one thing’s for certain, she outdid herself from her last Coachella performance in 2017.

‘Telephone’ and ‘Born This Way’ will always be a peak moment in anyone’s life. But this year there was just something different — something electric and almost unexplainable — about Gaga’s comeback.

This was Gaga really saying “Hey, yeah I’m here to stay”.

Things to do:

Beyond the Music: Why Lady Gaga’s Humanity Makes Her an Icon

It’s not just Mother Monster’s music that makes her the icon she is. Actually, it’s probably the opposite. Obviously, there’s no debate on what her music does to her fans, but when it comes down to the core of Gaga, that’s what makes her.

When talking about performers who preach mental health and loving yourself no matter what the rest of the world thinks, Gaga is the first on that list.

Gaga is never afraid to express her weird funky self and she does more than encourage her crowd, she gives them a safe space to do the same.

“I love you so much I wanted to make a romantic gesture to you this year, in these times of mayhem,” she told the audience, standing in a flowing white dress and a platinum wig with huge curls — a look that felt unmistakably, unapologetically Gaga.”I decided to build you an opera house in the desert,” she added. So that pretty much describes the person that she is.

It’s funny — when you think of A-list celebrities, you picture bodyguards, endless fame, and a life that feels untouchable. But at the end of the day, everyone starts somewhere. Everyone builds their way up from nothing. No matter how famous they get, deep down, they’re still just human.

And Gaga? She doesn’t hesitate for a second to ground herself — and all of us — back down to earth.

“For all the love and all the joy and all the strength you’ve given me my whole life… Sometimes I feel like I went into a dream when I was 20 years old,” she told the crowd. “I’ve been in a dream ever since then, and I didn’t know if I wanted to wake up. Because what if you weren’t there?”

At her core, Gaga has always prioritized spreading love, wisdom, and the reminder that we’ve all been there — chasing dreams, wondering if they’ll ever come true. And sometimes, even when they do, it’s too much to take it all in.

So, this year’s headliner, Lady Gaga, gave Coachella 2025 a perfect montage of wild, feral, and unforgettable performances — wrapped in a message of pure heart.

Now you understand where all those tears came from.

WATCH THE TRAILER of the Film and the Revolution: ‘Can I Go Home Now?’

The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question

The Monster Effect: How Gaga’s Fans Brought Her Back to the Stage

Gaga truly does care about her fans. And yes, all celebrities might care, but not the way she does.

Let that sink in for a second — she thought a tour wasn’t even going to happen this year.

It’s because of us — the fans — and the overwhelming way we show up for her, stream her music, scream her lyrics back at her, and live inside her art, that she’s back on the road. It’s not just about sales or charts. It’s about how inspired she feels by the love and energy her Little Monsters pour into everything she does.

And with that said… MAYHEM is officially going on tour this year!

Unfortunately (for now), that’s all the information we have. No confirmed dates, cities, or setlists — yet.

But if her Coachella performance and newly released “Abracadabra” fan music video, was just a taste of what’s to come, one thing’s for sure: the MAYHEM Tour is about to be something unforgettable.

Lady Gaga’s 2025 Coachella setlist:

Bloody Mary
Abracadabra
Judas
Scheiße
Garden of Eden
Poker Face
Perfect Celebrity
Disease
Paparazzi
Alejandro
The Beast
Killah (with Gesaffelstein)
Zombieboy
Die With a Smile
How Bad Do U Want Me
Shadow of a Man
Kill for Love
Born This Way
Shallow
Vanish Into You
Bad Romance

Related Things Happening in the Music Industry:

Charli XCX continues her ‘Brat’ era tour, (although it might be a different type of era this Summer), in Brooklyn, New York; Rosemont, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Austin, Texas.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA will be on their National Tour from April 19-June 18 in Minneapolis, and will be ending in Washington, D.C.

The Weekend will be on his North America tour from May to September, playing at stadiums such as New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium and Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.

Related article: Understanding the Star Wars Timeline

By Emma Gladstone

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Emma Gladstone

Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.
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Emma Gladstone

Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.

Emma Gladstone

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