Mother monster is here.
Lady Gaga took the main stage for an epic nearly two-hour performance at Coachella 2025 Friday night, wowing fans with an operatic mash-up of her biggest hits, like “Paparazzi,” “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance” as well as songs from her newest album, “Mayhem.”
Like the contrast between her enduring decades-old records and fresh beats, the electrifying spectacle was structured around the dichotomy between old and new — with Gaga herself transitioning literally between the dark character Mistress of “Mayhem” and a more angelic figure multiple times throughout the three acts.
After a pre-taped monologue that saw the two characters engaging in a dialogue (with the dark character in a vintage Dolce & Gabbana buckle jacket and the other in a virginal white ripped corset by fashion student Gyouree Kim), the superstar first appeared on stage serving as the Mistress, wearing her hair in a short chin-length jet-black bob with bangs.
Gaga, 39, made her grand entrance in a larger-than-life multi-storied red prop gown, made in collaboration with Jet Sets, that hid several dancers under the ruffled skirt. The jacket, custom created by Athena Lawton, featured horn-like embellishments around her collar and wrists.
The Grammy winner had several outfit changes during the magnum opus performance — and at many moments she made reference to her past music videos and most well-known outfits, like the white- and red-lace face-obscuring bodysuits and crown that she wore during her “The Fame” era.
There was a bondage-inspired Dolce & Gabbana buckle jacket, Captain Hook-style jacket by Samuel Lewis and a mirrored Marni catsuit throughout the fashionable parade.
While performing “Poker Face” on an innovative set designed to look like a chess board, Gaga — clad in a veil and black lace lingerie-inspired teddy by Seth Pratt — physically fought off her doppelgänger in an awe-inspiring dance number. She rocked the stage in knee-high Steve Madden boots ($129 $65).
Her stage design and choreography, created in collaboration with Parris Goebel, who worked on the “Disease” and “Abracadabra” music videos, resembled an antique theater straight out of a twisted “Phantom of the Opera” set with jaw-dropping pageantry.
In contrast to the chaos-causing counterpart, the “A Star is Born” actress traded her all-black and red looks for a romantic, shredded white Dilara Findikoglu minidress and long blond, braided wig for Act Two to perform “Perfect Celebrity,” “Alejandro” and more.
One of the more emotionally charged moments of the show was her rendition of “Paparazzi,” during which she donned similar silver crutches and a custom Manuel Albarran bolero and helmet, paying homage to the vintage Mugler look from the 2009 music video.
Back in “Mayhem” mode for a heart-warming rendition of “Vanish Into You” in which she interacted with her dedicated fans while wearing a futuristic gray blazer by Louis Verdad and black patent leather boy shorts, she returned to the stage for an encore as classic Gaga.
Returning to her blond wig, Mother Monster was raised from the dead in another throwback look: an intricately crafted white feather bodysuit with exaggerated hip features and a collar by Matières Fécales— plus elongated gloves by Yaz XL with versions of fingers that reached past her knees.
She teased the Easter egg-filled performance in an interview with Out magazine ahead of Friday night. “‘Mayhem’ is, to me, a lot of Gothic dreams. I’ve realized that’s been a part of my music since early in my career. So I’m just really thinking about the lighting, the feeling, the energy, and what I want to help people feel that night,” she said.
This is the second time that Gaga has headlined the California music festival; she previously filled in as a last-minute replacement for Beyoncé in 2017 when the “Cowboy Carter” singer dropped out after revealing she was pregnant with twins.
Due to her limited timeframe to pull the performance together, Gaga wasn’t able to fully realize a complex scene for the stage set-up or wardrobe — she was given just two weeks notice.
“I have long dreamed of throwing a massive night of chaos in the desert,” Gaga wrote on Instagram when she was announced as a 2025 headliner.
“I’ve had a vision I’ve never been able to fully realize at Coachella for reasons beyond our control but I wanted to come through for music fans,” she added. “I have been wanting to go back and to do it right, and I am.”
