Lady Gaga brings ‘Mayhem’ to the masses at Coachella

American singer Lady Gaga returned to a massive audience for the first time in eight years to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday night, dancing with model skeletons, fighting a dancer dressed as a monster and serving up a surprise encore.

“Welcome to my house of mayhem,” the “Poker Face” singer said from the stage. Lady Gaga weaved together songs from her 2025 “Mayhem” album as well as older ones, including “Judas,” “Born This Way,” and “Poker Face.”

“I love you,” she said several times during the two-hour concert. In typically flamboyant style, she raced through costume changes, including a red gown, a black leotard, a feathery white dress and metallic armour with a cape.

Lady Gaga, an LGBTQ+ icon who affectionately calls her fans “Little Monsters,” is known for activism within the community and openness about being a bisexual. Some men in the audience hugged and kissed, shouting their love for the 39-year-old.

Her 2011 song, “Born This Way,” was dubbed a “gay anthem,” eventually spawning her Born This Way Foundation, with the goal to end “bullying and promote mental health awareness, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.” The singer, songwriter and actor is known for upbeat pop music that incorporates electro-pop, dance, rock, house, jazz and experimental genres.

She is set to perform a series of concerts for her 2025 Mayhem Ball tour for her “Mayhem” album.

“Mayhem” made its way to number one on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming her seventh chart-topping album. It also debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Her top-charting songs from the album include “Die With a Smile,” which was a collaboration with singer Bruno Mars, and “Abracadabra.” Lady Gaga filled in as Coachella headliner in 2017 for Beyonce after the “Cowboy Carter” singer dropped out when her doctors advised her to avoid a rigorous schedule, according to a statement posted to the festival’s official Facebook page.