Lady Gaga Jakarta Controversy (Born This Way Ball 2012)

Controversial pop star Lady Gaga is planning to bring her cage rattling "Born This Way Ball" show to Jakarta on June 3rd 2012, but has been met with serious opposition by religious extremists. Deemed as "pornographic" and "satanic" her show has been interpreted by the IDF (Islamic Defenders Front) as Lucifers Kingdom and "will use physical force to prevent her from stepping off of the plane." 30,000 protestors are apparently in uproar about the arrival of the American songstress, and are obviously a threat to the singers safety. 

Indonesia is not the only country that has met the show with such animosity. In South Korea, the tour was said "to taint young people" and an age restriction of 18 years old was put on the elaborate production. Christians in South Korea handed out fliers reading "Lady Gaga needs spiritual restoration" and urging civillians not to attend the concert. 

In the Philippines, Christian groups once again declared her "blasphemous" and her show "evil." 

A former mayor of Manilla even suggested that the tour promoter and Gaga herself could face consequences for spreading an "anti Jesus Christ message" across the nation.

The tour has garnered incredible success, with every show sold out within minutes of tickets being available. Extra dates were added to many Asian countries due to incredible demand, this includes a three night stint in Singapore. With such success meeting such controversy, it provokes one to wonder what exactly Gaga is trying to achieve by stirring up religious groups. Is there a point where religious boundaries and being innovative and artistic cross? Or is Gaga just vying for attention desperately, for the sake of having the spotlight?

Furthermore, Gaga tweeted in reference to her Jakarta concert "If the show does go on as scheduled, I will perform the BTWBall alone." Obviously this shows that Gaga has recognized the danger she not only is placing herself in- but also her dancers and stage crew. Wouldn't it be best to just cancel the concert all together and remove herself from harms way? Apparently not. Gaga seems to be insisting on the concert in Jakarta, despite the obvious safety concerns.

What seems to be the most controversial aspect of her show, are her flamboyant and risque costumes paired with her already at issue songs. Tunes like "Judas" have inspired responses calling the song "blasphemous" and "mocking of the christian religion." The constant negative energy that surrounds the song has not only been from Islamic and Asian countries- religious groups in her very own country the United States have protested against the scandalous song as well.

Despite the controversy, it's been reported that Gaga puts on a fantastic show on her current leg around the world with "The Born This Way Ball." It's easy to tell the amount of time the lady herself has invested in this elaborate production, just by looking at her stage and set list. Her set list contains all of the fan favorites, while including just enough songs off of her latest studio album "Born This Way" to promote it adequately.

The stage is an amazing colorfully lit fairytale esque castle, it's a basic reflection of everything Lady Gaga personifies. Magic, mystery, elusivity, artistry, and most importantly flexibility. Lady Gaga is one of the only "chameleon" type artists out there- artists that can break boundaries and cross genres effortlessly. Her pure musicality and talent sets her apart from others, but the amount of attention to detail she employs in her set design purely reflects just how hard working and invested this woman is in her career.

I'll have the opportunity to see this magnificent show on the 28th of May, her first night in Singapore. I'll be taking a lot of pictures- and a full review on the show can be expected!