At her Melbourne concert, Lady Gaga dedicated a song to a writer who’d given her a poor review.
In the midst of her performance at the Rod Laver Arena, Gaga reportedly made the following comment before launching into a rendition of her song ‘Dope’:
“I dedicate this song to that reviewer who accused me of lip synching in Perth… go **** yourself asshole.”
The quotation was tweeted by the Twitter account Lady Gaga Now. Seeing the tweet, pop culture enthusiast Daniel Oreskovich identified the reviewer in question as Ross McRae from The West Australian.
This is who @ladygaga was referring to. The [shitty] reviewer for the West Australian. pic.twitter.com/hFNSQ9bC9g
— Daniel Oreskovich (@ItsDanielOh) August 24, 2014
McRae gave Gaga’s Perth performance two stars. The review read in part:
“But in reality, Artpop is a by-the-numbers pop album that suffers in concert from over- production and Gaga’s refusal to use back-up singers instead of a backing tape straight out of a Britney Spears concert.
“For a woman with pipes like Gaga it is a shame.” he wrote.
“The 28-year-old told the audience, who appeared to fill half of the 15,000-capacity venue, that her promoters had asked her to bring a smaller-sized production Down Under because of flagging sales and interest but said: ‘I think my Australian fans deserve the whole show.’
“But really, given the half-baked concert that was delivered on Wednesday night, she shouldn’t have bothered.”
Ross McRae told OUTinPerth via email that Lady Gaga misread his review:
“Gaga didn’t read the review correctly, I never ‘accused’ her of lip-syncing. I said she relied on a backing tape rather than utilise back-up singers. For many of her songs, her live voice is inaudible.
“The majority of people who have read the review and attended the show have said the same thing, and the feedback has been overwhelming in support of my review.
“I believe that if Gaga wanted to make positive changes in her career, she should listen to criticism constructively rather than go on a misguided attack.”
McRae said he had reviewed each of Gaga’s tours since she first came to Perth to support the Pussycat Dolls in 2009, when he reviewed her in a glowing fashion.
“I always stand by the comments I am prepared to make publicly in a review. To review professionally you need to be able to go out on a limb and write what you really see.” he wrote.
McRae’s review of Lady Gaga’s 2009 support gig for Pussycat Dolls can be read here, and his review of The Artpop Ball can be read here.
Sophie Joske
