Lady Gaga gave Melbourne something rare last night. Her performance of Brooklyn Nights marked only the second time she has ever performed the song. The first time was also in Melbourne on 24 August 2014 during her last Australian tour, when she played it as an impromptu fan request.
Gaga told fans at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, “I came to soundcheck earlier today to get a song ready for all of you, and what is so crazy is after we did the soundcheck and I played this song, I saw that some fans had heard me sing it outside. But what I didn’t know was that the last time I sang this song was in Melbourne.
“What that tells me is something about energy and about love. There is something about being here that makes me want to share some of the most important music I have ever made. Music that for me was too hard to release, so I would like to sing a song for you called Brooklyn Nights.”
Gaga added, “I wrote this song about missing being home because my life changed so much in my early 20s and I missed being home. I don’t know if anyone can relate to that but this is for all my Melbourne fans.”
What makes this moment even more special is that Brooklyn Nights is an unreleased Lady Gaga track. It was recorded for the 2013 ARTPOP album but ultimately cut in favour of Mary Jane Holland because Gaga decided she needed more time with the song. It appeared briefly on the ARTPOP app but has never been officially released.
This tour is particularly meaningful for Australian fans. Australia missed out on the Chromatica Ball (2022) and the Joanne tour (2017). The last time Lady Gaga toured Australia was 2014. “There was a time when I couldn’t imagine what touring would be like and I can’t believe I haven’t seen some of you since ARTPOP,” she told the Melbourne crowd.
The Mayhem Ball is a full-scale theatrical production. It has the spectacle and provocation of Madonna mixed with the horror-theatre spirit of Alice Cooper. The show blends big dance beats with huge guitar moments from long-time guitarist Tim Stewart. There are times to dance, times to sit and think, and times to soak in the dark, carnival-style atmosphere.
The tour is built around where Gaga is musically today, anchored by the Mayhem album. Fourteen songs from the 2025 record appear in the set, fitting neatly into a story that stretches back to her 2008 debut The Fame.
Who remembers Gaga’s first Australian visit? In 2009 she opened for Pussycat Dolls on their Australian tour. Today she is performing the biggest shows of the Mayhem world tour in Australia.
Watch the 2009 Noise11 interview with Lady Gaga from that first Australian visit:
Around 62,000 people filled Marvel Stadium last night. The Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane shows are the only stadium shows Gaga is performing on this tour.
At times, The Mayhem Ball feels closer to a theatre piece, especially when Gaga brings to life the corpse-like cast of The Dead Dance, the track whose Tim Burton-inspired video paid tribute to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
The setlist covers Gaga’s full pop era except for 2020’s Chromatica, the tour Australia never received. No songs from that album have ever been performed in Australia at the time of this review.
Each act of the tour tells its own story, but the biggest moment comes at the end. After the credits roll on screen just like a movie, Gaga returns unmasked, stripped of the Mayhem persona, to perform How Bad Do You Want Me.
Technology plays a major role in today’s biggest tours, and The Mayhem Ball is no exception. Fans are fully immersed in the experience from the first cue to the last note. On a global scale, the show stands tall as world-class.
LADY GAGA SETLIST 5 DECEMBER 2025 MARVEL STADIUM MELBOURNE
Act I: Of Velvet and Vice
Bloody Mary (Born This Way, 2011)
Abracadabra (Mayhem, 2025)
Judas (Born This Way, 2011)
Scheiße (Born This Way, 2011)
Garden of Eden (Mayhem, 2025)
Poker Face (The Fame, 2008)
Act II: And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream
Perfect Celebrity (Mayhem, 2025)
Disease (Mayhem, 2025)
Paparazzi (The Fame, 2008)
Alejandro (The Fame Monster, 2009)
The Beast (Mayhem, 2025)
Act III: The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name
Killah (Mayhem, 2025)
Zombieboy (Mayhem, 2025)
The Dead Dance (Mayhem, 2025)
LoveDrug (Mayhem, 2025)
Applause (ARTPOP, 2013)
Just Dance (The Fame, 2008)
Act IV: To Wake Her Is to Lose Her
Shadow of a Man (Mayhem, 2025)
Kill For Love (Mayhem, 2025)
Summerboy (The Fame, 2008)
Born This Way (Born This Way, 2011)
Million Reasons (Joanne, 2016)
Shallow (A Star Is Born, 2018)
Die With a Smile (Mayhem, 2025)
Brooklyn Nights (unreleased ARTPOP track, 2013)
The Edge of Glory (Born This Way, 2011)
Vanish Into You (Mayhem, 2025)
Finale: Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart
Bad Romance (The Fame Monster, 2009)
Credits roll
Gaga returns unmasked to perform:
How Bad Do U Want Me (Mayhem, 2025)
LADY GAGA THE MAYHEM BALL TOUR AUSTRALIAN DATES
Fri Dec 5 – Melbourne, AU – Marvel Stadium
Sat Dec 6 – Melbourne, AU – Marvel Stadium
Tue Dec 9 – Brisbane, AU – Suncorp Stadium
Fri Dec 12 – Sydney, AU – Accor Stadium
Sat Dec 13 – Sydney, AU – Accor Stadium
Lady Gaga is touring Australia for Live Nation
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