Lil Monster’s come out to play as Belfast goes GaGa

Belfast used to be a city known for its Boom Boom, but last night it was ‘Cherry Cherry Boom Boom’-when Lady GaGa’s Monster Tour came to our very own Odyssey Arena. After a long wait outside in the cold, the scantily clad, blonde wig and makeup wearing fans ran into the warm welcoming arena. Not normally known as a place of warmth, as it is also home to the ‘Belfast Giants’ ice hockey team. But tonight it was the doorway to the Wonderful Land of GaGa and as in Narnia or Oz we would meet many wondrous humans and creatures on our journey

After two warm up acts ‘Semi Precious Weapons’ who should really have been decommissioned with our recent history and ‘Alphabeat’ euro pop at its best, the time had come for the audience to go really gaga as the digital projection on the front stage cloth reached Zero. Stefani Germanotta or as she is better known Lady GaGa had arrived and it as time for us to ‘dance in the dark’ as the fantastic light show bathed the packed arena. We listened as we were told that she created the Monster's Ball ‘’so that all the freaks were inside and the doors were locked’’. This made me laugh as I thought of that great white stoned building in Belfast, where all the freaks were inside and the doors were locked, but we elected them and gave them MLA security passes and bodyguards (but I digress).

The show zipped by and another fifteen costume changes and two albums worth of songs later we had reached the ‘Monster’s Ball’ the end of our musical experience. It was unlike any concert I have ever seen or may ever see again. The audience left their make believe land behind as they returned to the real world. A world that is cold and dark, a world of hunger and pain and unfortunately in our little piece of it the midnight news reported that in Newry there has been a car bomb. The Monsters are still around it seems.