“Too bad I don’t have an instrument,” Lady Gaga quipped, admiring her orchestra. Of course, she has the most important instrument of all.
She showed us at a June 20 performance of Jazz & Piano when she proceeded to sing sans mic—a trick the singer first pulled when her residency launched in 2019. Her voice carried strongly through the 2,600-seat Dolby Live theater and drove many audience members, including me, to tears.
The show, which is coming up on its last scheduled installments this week, is an opportunity to revel in the music of Vegas’ golden age, when the names of the Rat Pack lit up the marquees up and down the Strip.
It’s also a display of outstanding musicianship from Gaga herself and her 30-piece ensemble. Beloved pieces from the Great American Songbook as well as pop hits like “Poker Face” and “Born This Way,” are delivered with improvisation, heartfelt emotion and artistry.
Bottom line, Jazz & Piano is a can’t miss. Here are five reasons why you should get yourself to the shows on July 5 and 6.
1. Paying tribute to jazz icons
With this show, you can’t help but think of icons like Frank Sinatra who popularized standards like “The Best is Yet to Come” and “Call Me Irresponsible.” But even more so than Sinatra, Gaga conjures the late musician Tony Bennett, who passed away in 2023. Gaga and Bennett made two studio albums together, with Love For Sale released in 2021 just ahead of the post-COVID revival of Jazz & Piano.
It’s clear Bennett’s memory is fresh in her mind, and that comes across with palpable emotion during tracks like “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”
2. Gaga keeps it fresh
What some may consider banal jazz standards are given new life in this show. Gaga and her orchestra put their spin on “Orange Colored Sky” and “Luck Be A Lady.” But it’s not just songs from the Great American Songbook: “La Vie en Rose,” and “Sway” add some spicy variety into the setlist.
Gaga also takes turns behind the piano, peppering in slowed-down versions of her pop hits including “Paparazzi” and “Bad Romance.” But what really got us out of our seats was her performance of “Americano,” which the singer hasn’t performed in public in more than 10 years, according to Rolling Stone.
3. Satisfying the hunger for Vegas nostalgia
Video interludes that celebrate Vegas’ glamorous history tie the whole show together (and buy Gaga time for her many outfit changes). The audience sees her gambling and playing in the casinos, and dancing with the city skyline behind her.
“Sure, Vegas is famed for its debauchery. But why have we stopped singing about its glamor?” she said in a voiceover before walking onstage in a silky feather-trimmed gown.
Gaga serves style that has been distilled by the past. And we eat it up.
4. Showmanship
Of course everyone’s there to see Gaga, but what they don’t anticipate is being swept away by the instrumentalists.
“Why would you fight over me on stage?” Gaga joked with saxophonist Steve Kortyka and trumpet player Brian Newman amid a battle of solos during “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got that Swing).”
The singer’s synergy with the band was mesmerizing. And so were her outfits (we counted six changes).
5. Stupid Love
Lady Gaga wants you to know she loves you. If it wasn’t already obvious when she told us we’re beautiful in our own way, she made it abundantly clear to a fan repeatedly yelling out “I love you, Gaga!”
“I love you too,” she answered each time. And during the encore, the “Theme from New York, New York,” she paused to let us know the show couldn’t go on without us.
“I’ll tell you something, we can’t do it without the audience. You know that? A show with no audience ain’t a show.”
“I love you so much. We love you so much. We hope you come back!”
Lady Gaga: Jazz & Piano July 5-6, 8 p.m. Dolby Live, $195-$632, ticketmaster.com.
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