Scissor Sisters played a super safe opening set – perhaps gearing up for their March 7th sold-out date at 9:30 Club or perhaps due to strict Lady gaga management guidelines, who knows. At one point the band decreed “if you’ve never heard of us you’re probably not gay or British…so, all of you gay Brits tell everyone what’s up”. After that they burst into “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” off of Ta-Dah. Their set was a nice hodgepodge of their three disc-spanning career. Personal favorites included “Take Your Mama Out” and closer “Filthy/Gorgeous”. Jake Shears was up to his normal fist (and body) pumping hijinks, encouraging the crowd to be proud of themselves, whoever they might be.

The stage was set at Verizon Center for Lady Gaga to come on around 9:20PM and blow the audience away with fireworks, stage dives, hydraulic jumps and over-the-top light shows – that wasn’t really the case. My cab driver heading home wasn’t at the show, but may have put it best saying his “music era is gone” while former arena packing acts such as Michael Jackson and Madonna may speak to his “musical gap” things in the live music spectrum just “aren’t like they used to be”. Granted I am on the outside looking in and I am not one of Gaga’s little monsters, Gaga missed. She played the popular favorites, opening up early with “Just Dance” and eventually working into “Telephone”, “Paparazzi” and “Poker Face” – but they just didn’t connect as much as they should have. There were brief moments of Broadway spectacle and Rocky Horror intensity during her live show, but it just wasn’t arena ready. She continually mentioned that “all the DC gays came out to play” – which was true, but so did some others. I was prepared for an eye-opening spectacle and while it may have been a very special night for many young, developing souls it was just like watching a B-Rate MTV Video Music Awards in person for me.

MP3: Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
MP3: Scissor Sisters – “Take Your Mama Out”
MP3: Kid Cudi – “Make Her Say (feat. Kanye West & Common)”