This week’s #gagawednesdsay feature:
THE 2009 MONSTER BALL WORLD TOUR – FASHION FILMS
2009’s Monster Ball World Tour included a collection of contemporary, striking and often disturbing fashion films & interludes – in collaboration with SHOWstudio.com.
The interludes feature direction from fashion photographer and SHOWstudio founder Nick Knight, along with editing support from the talented filmmaker Ruth Hogben.
My first Gaga concert was The Monster Ball, of course, and when I saw these – I was SHOOK! I don’t know if I’d ever been to a concert before with such high quality production and interesting ways to fill every moment of the time spent within the arena. If there wasn’t an interlude, Gaga was singing. If Gaga wasn’t singing, there was an interlude. I feel like after the success of The Monster Ball, a lot of artists began to evolve towards portraying these hyperreal versions of themselves in their tour films. It’s not that this has never been done before, but it feels so real and unforced due to the fact that fashion, fame, vanity, and technology have always been a part of Lady Gaga’s performances from day one.
There is something heroic about the way my fans operate their cameras. So precisely, so intricately and so proudly. Like Kings writing the history of their people, is their prolific nature that both creates and procures what will later be percieved as the kingdom.
The short films also feature remixes and interpolations of songs including Cece Penistion’s “Finally”, Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Part II” – and even “Poker Face”. The interludes haven’t stopped being amazing over the course of the past few tours and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Joanne next month! From the looks of Gaga’s 2017 Coachella set, you can see she’s still got it and has actually continued working with Ruth Hogben on her visuals, under the creative direction studio Lobster Eye.
Check out all of the fashion films below, and experience what may have been my favorite Gaga era of all time.