Coachella 2017 had several artists performing each day while it was being held this year. One of these many performances was a last minute appearance by Lady Gaga in replacement for Beyonce. Though she was a replacement, Lady Gaga delivered a stunning performance, even with the overwhelming pressure given to her by being a replacement of Beyonce. She had performed nineteen songs total, all a mix of her new and older songs which resulted in an overwhelmingly positive feedback from the audience.

Starting her set with “Scheiße” and moving on to “Love Game” afterwards truly portrayed what her performance was going to be like, energetic and full of life. By doing so, many state that she was being true to herself as an artist, also making her a perfect replacement since she seemed as if she was really in her element then. Her second week’s performances had been more polished and put together, however both weeks stuck out as amazing and received roars of joy and energy from the crowd. This mixed well with her moments of simple conversation with the crowd; they did drag during some areas, but overall these moments had built a deeper connection with the crowd and those who listened to her. Such as when she was preparing to sing “Just Dance”, her first song to reach #1 on Billboard’s Top 100 Hits, when she was quoted to say, “It was many many years ago that I wrote this song and I played it and they told me, ‘We think this is a big one, Gaga. We think it could be the one.'”

Her set was not as intricate as her Super Bowl performance one had been, yet her energy and intensity on stage brought the same amount of hype to the audience as any of her other performances had. However, Gaga’s energy was there, but it was said that at some points it dragged, such as during her costume and song changes, there had been entire moments in which she had left the audience with background music that had no real vibe or reason to it. Her performances however brought that energy back as soon as she walked back on stage, till the next transition.

Most of her set was filled with exciting and fast pace music, yet certain songs did slow down the performance as Gaga sang acoustic versions of “Edge of Glory” and “Born This Way”. Polly Bowman (9) believes, “Lady Gaga has an amazing voice, and I really feel she proves that in her acoustic and slower performances.” Not only did she deliver those compassionate songs with amazing vocals though the show, but she also dedicated the songs to a friend of hers with cancer, touching the hearts of many that watched that emotional performance.

Lady Gaga at Coachella had had an energetic and emotional performance that brought tears to the eyes of many that listened, as well as kept the vibe of Coachella running throughout it. Though some areas of transitions between songs were lacking, her overall performance was said to be amazing with a setlist of her old and new songs, as well as non flashy sets to focus more so on the music being sung at the time. Once again Lady Gaga had delivered an entertaining and energetic performance that was much needed, and embodied the spirit and essence of Coachella as well.