Last night in Las Vegas, pop’s ultimate shape-shifter, Lady Gaga, kicked off The MAYHEM Ball Tour with all the subtlety of a firework factory explosion — and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lighting up the T-Mobile Arena with the swagger of a performer who’s conquered stadiums, award shows, and streaming charts alike, the 14-time GRAMMY, Oscar, and Emmy winner launched the sold-out tour in front of an audience that included everyone from Little Monsters in leather to Vegas high-rollers in sequins.

The show? A full-throttle fever dream. The setlist? Pure chaos and catharsis. A razor-edged blend of MAYHEM bangers like “Killah,” “Love Drug,” and the stratosphere-punching “Die With A Smile,” rubbed shoulders with deep cuts (“Summerboy” made a comeback, anyone?), monster hits (“Just Dance,” “Born This Way,” “Bad Romance”) and curveballs that only Gaga could make look natural (see: “Shadow of a Man” melting into “Poker Face” like some kind of surreal pop opera).

Gaga, of course, didn’t just arrive — she descended. Flanked by dancers choreographed by the always-electric Parris Goebel and styled in futuristic couture by Topo Studio (including sister Natali Germanotta and Hunter Clem), she prowled a dystopian set designed to look like a lovechild of Blade Runner and Marie Antoinette's fever dream. Visual direction came courtesy of Ben Dalgleish (Human Person), who helped Gaga turn this show into a living, breathing music video — but with more pyro and less chill.

This wasn’t just a show — it was a manifesto. A reawakening. As Rolling Stone put it, Gaga “didn’t just revisit [Coachella]—she expanded it, sharpened it, sprinkled in some nostalgia, and fully realized the gothic dream she had only just introduced.” Billboard called it “theatrical, electric and delicious,” while USA Today noted she was “singing like the powerhouse that has earned her 14 Grammys.” If you needed a reminder that Gaga is in a league of her own — this was it.

And she’s got the stats to back it up. MAYHEM, Gaga’s eighth studio album, stormed the charts with the fury of a disco inferno. No. 1 on the Billboard 200. 17 weeks atop the Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Over 8 billion streams and counting. “Die With A Smile,” her Bruno Mars-assisted juggernaut, spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Global 200 and shattered Spotify records with 5.7 billion total streams. No biggie.

But it wasn’t all just lasers and leather. In a rare, stripped-down moment mid-show, Gaga sat at a blood-red piano and sang “Million Reasons” with such rawness, you could hear a rhinestone hit the floor. Moments later, she launched into “Shallow” — a nod to her film star turn — reminding us she’s not just a pop star, she’s a performance artist with range.

The MAYHEM Ball continues its blitz across North America this weekend with more Vegas dates, then heads to San Francisco, LA, and a six-night victory lap at Madison Square Garden. Europe, Australia, and Japan — prepare yourselves. Gaga’s coming, and she’s bringing the mayhem with her.

In a pop landscape obsessed with going viral, Gaga just went volcanic.

Set List:

Bloody Mary

Abracadabra

Judas

Aura

Scheiße

Garden Of Eden

Poker Face

Perfect Celebrity

Disease

Paparazzi

LoveGame

Alejandro

The Beast

Killah

Zombieboy

Love Drug

Applause

Just Dance

Shadow Of A Man

Kill For Love

Summerboy

Born This Way

Million Reasons

Shallow

Die With A Smile

Vanish Into You

Bad Romance

How Bad Do You Want Me

THE MAYHEM BALL NORTH AMERICA 2025 DATES

Wed Jul 16 — Las Vegas, NV — T-Mobile Arena

Fri Jul 18 — Las Vegas, NV — T-Mobile Arena

Sat Jul 19 — Las Vegas, NV — T-Mobile Arena

Tue Jul 22 — San Francisco, CA — Chase Center

Thu Jul 24 — San Francisco, CA — Chase Center

Sat Jul 26 — San Francisco, CA — Chase Center

Mon Jul 28 — Los Angeles, CA — Kia Forum

Tue Jul 29 — Los Angeles, CA — Kia Forum

Fri Aug 01 — Los Angeles, CA — Kia Forum

Sat Aug 02 — Los Angeles, CA — Kia Forum

Wed Aug 06 — Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena

Thu Aug 07 — Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena

Sat Aug 09 — Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena

Fri Aug 22 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden

Sat Aug 23 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden

Tue Aug 26 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden

Wed Aug 27 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden

Sun Aug 31 — Miami, FL — Kaseya Center

Mon Sep 01 — Miami, FL — Kaseya Center

Wed Sep 03 — Miami, FL — Kaseya Center

Sat Sep 06 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden

Sun Sep 07 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden

Wed Sep 10 — Toronto, ON — Scotiabank Arena

Thu Sep 11 — Toronto, ON — Scotiabank Arena

Sat Sep 13 — Toronto, ON — Scotiabank Arena

Mon Sep 15 — Chicago, IL — United Center

Wed Sep 17 — Chicago, IL — United Center

Thu Sep 18 — Chicago, IL — United Center

THE MAYHEM BALL EUROPE/UK 2025 DATES

Mon Sep 29 – London, UK – The O2

Tue Sep 30 – London, UK – The O2

Thu Oct 02 – London, UK – The O2

Sat Oct 04 – London, UK – The O2

Tue Oct 07 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Wed Oct 08 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live 

Sun Oct 12 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Mon Oct 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Wed Oct 15 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena 

Sun Oct 19 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

Mon Oct 20 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

Tue Oct 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi

Wed Oct 29 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi

Fri Oct 31 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi 

Tue Nov 04 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Wed Nov 05 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Sun Nov 09 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Tue Nov 11 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis Arena

Thu Nov 13 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena

Fri Nov 14 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena

Mon Nov 17 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Tue Nov 18 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Thu Nov 20 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Sat Nov 22 – Paris, France – Accor Arena 

THE MAYHEM BALL AUSTRALIA 2025 DATES

Fri Dec 05 – Melbourne, AU – Marvel Stadium

Sat Dec 06 – Melbourne, AU – Marvel Stadium

Tue Dec 09 – Brisbane, AU – Suncorp Stadium

Fri Dec 12 – Sydney, AU – Accor Stadium

Sat Dec 13 – Sydney, AU – Accor Stadium

THE MAYHEM BALL JAPAN 2026 DATES

Wed Jan 21 – Osaka, Japan – Osaka Dome

Thu Jan 22 – Osaka, Japan – Osaka Dome

Sun Jan 25 – Tokyo, Japan – Tokyo Dome

Mon Jan 26 – Tokyo, Japan – Tokyo Dome

Thu Jan 29 – Tokyo, Japan – Tokyo Dome

Fri Jan 30 – Tokyo, Japan – Tokyo Dome

Author: Adam Bailey

Adam is a regular contributor for established press release distribution website Release-News.com. He writes on a wide range of topics including music.