Roseland Ballroom hosted its final concert last night after more than half a century at its West 52nd Street location, which was widely reviled for its murky sound; overpriced drinks; overbearing security; and demoralizing, cattle-chute egress. It also consistently booked legendary acts, which gave you no choice but to endure the dehumanizing process of attending a show there (not to mention the buzzkill schlep to-and-from midtown). Yet it was almost always worth it, and hey, at least they had a well-staffed coat check?
Anyway, Lady Gaga concluded a seven night stand at Roseland last night. Here's video of the entire performance, which was streamed over the Internet:
The New Yorker reports that the venue will be torn down and replaced with one of those luxury residential towers which midtown so desperately needs:
The place where Kurt Cobain miraculously recovered from a near O.D. to play a Nirvana show, in 1993, and where, in 2000, Fiona Apple had a spectacular mid-performance meltdown and fled the stage will be no more.
For Gaga, the farewell shows mark her first time ever on the Ballroom stage. “It’s basically the only room in the city I haven’t played,” she said the other day, during a break in rehearsals for the twelve-song performance.
Playing in New York clubs was “where I learned to be bold,” Gaga said, as the dancers took a break in the back. She paused, shaking out her white wig. “You have to learn to be unafraid when you’re a nobody, because you’re going to be really fucking afraid when you’re a somebody and all the lights are on you.” Although she rarely plays clubs or theatres anymore, “when I’m in an arena or a stadium, I always need to have that bar connection, that club mentality and energy.”
Last night Gaga, who revealed that in high school she broke her nose in a "mosh pit" at a Franz Ferdinand show (yes, a mosh pit at a Franz Ferdinand show) at Roseland, told the crowd, "This is my stage. This is my house."
Not anymore. Guess we'll see you at Terminal 5 yay!
