This throwback of Lady Gaga unleashing her inner Punk Goddess at the Semi Precious Weapons set during Lollapalooza 2010 will have you stand up in applause!
As Lollapalooza makes its way for its first ever European edition at Berlin, Germany, we decided to look back at the most impressionable Lolla memories. Of them Lady Gaga’s stands most ferociously compelling. Before Gaga became a jazz-protege by collaborating with Tony Bennett and a darling to all by singing the iconic Sound of Music at the Academy Awards, she was a legitimate pop sensation. That was until she channeled her internal punk rage at her favourite band Semi Precious Weapons’ set at Lollapalooza 2010.
Before pop started taking over mainstream music festival lineups, most of them were dominated by a slew of rock, punk and industrial gaze acts. So when Lady Gaga’s favourite punk band Semi Precious Weapons took to the stage at the 2010 edition of Lollapalooza, most were not surprised to see the singer-songstress in attendance. Except what followed was a moment of punk histrionics no one would have predicted.
Lady Gaga did not just make it to the stage in barely there clothing, but the set saw her satisfy her every inner punk craving. At one point, she was everywhere, belting out some serious vocals on the mic, making out with the lead vocalist Justin Tranter, and even banging out her rage on some cymbals. The most epic moment, of course, happened when she decided to take a leap of faith on the crowd and surfed like an absolute pro. She kept at it, returning to the stage, and at one point, taking Justin Tranter for company. And the crowd cheered along happily!
The incident which would go down to become one of the most iconic moments in Lollapalooza history was significant for several reasons. It is common knowledge that the more popular a pop star gets, the more physically inaccessible they become. In 2010, Lady Gaga was at the very height of fame and acclaim, which incidentally, did not stop her from crashing a not as popular band’s set for no other reason but pure musical passion. What caught people’s attention even further was that in the 2010 lineup of Lollapalooza, Lady Gaga was the biggest pop icon inclusion who walked away giving the festival its most punk moment.
Lady Gaga spoke of the experience on Ryan Seacrest’s Radio show and this is what she had to say –
I was so excited ’cause I haven’t crowd-surfed in a long time ’cause no one lets me anymore. It was great. I love Semi Precious so much and they’re my band … I don’t know what came over me. I just got so excited and I remember playing that stage and what it felt like and they were doing such a great job. … I just jumped.
Lady Gaga is, literally and figuratively, one of the most powerful voices in pop culture, with a range that covers several genres of music at once.
Come on, give us an out and out punk set, Gaga!