An armoured Rolls Royce, a flaming piano and a 40ft sea monster... Lady Gaga kicks off £1m UK tour dressed in a nun's habit

After her pared down set at the Brits, Lady Gaga was back on form last night for the start of her nine-date UK tour.
The 23-year-old star delighted fans with a weird an wacky show, which she described as more akin to a musical than a pop concert.

Look who's in town: Lady Gaga stands astride an armoured Rolls Royce complete with a keyboard in the bonnet as she started her nine-date UK tour at Manchester MEN Arena last night

Just dance: The singer was back to usual form following her pared down Brits set on Tuesday where she won three awards

Kicking off the British leg of her Monster Ball tour at the Manchester MEN Arena, the U.S. singer played a storming set involving 15 costume changes, a burning grand piano and a 40-foot animatronic sea monster.

 

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Gaga, who won three Brits on Tuesday, has totally overhauled the show, with not a single ounce of costume or set from her U.S. show used.

Flaming good: The Grammy and Brit award winner heated up the arena with a distressed, flaming piano

She spent £2million on the American tour and, according to reports, has shelled out more than £1 million on the stage set, costumes and props for this one
Her efforts have been hailed by critics, with The Independent branding her 'The Queen of Pop' - something that is not likely to please the current title holder, Madonna.

Storyline: The singer revealed how her show is more like a musical, made up of four acts, which sees Lady Gaga and her dancer friends trying to get to a party

GAGA'S GAGGLE OF HITS

ACT 1: City

Dance In The Dark
Glitter And Grease
Just Dance
Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
Vanity
The Fame

ACT 2: Sub Boys

Money Honey
Telephone
Brown Eyes
Speechless
So Happy I Could Die

ACT 3: Forest

Monster
Teeth
Alejandro
Poker Face

ACT 4: Monster Ball

Paparazzi
Bad Romance

The newspaper said: 'It is a brave artist that trashes her stage show between legs of her first arena tour, but Lady Gaga is nothing if not a perfectionist and her gamble just about pays off on the first date of this European run.'
The BBC hailed her extravagant set pieces saying: 'It was a hugely ambitious, terrifyingly loud show, spread over four acts and held together by a flimsy "narrative" about Gaga and her dancer friends trying to get to a party.'
Lady Gaga opened the show 40 minutes late, starting with her Brits song Dance In The Dark, before performing some of her favourites, Just Dance and Poker Face.

 

The first act was called 'City', the second 'Sub Boys' followed by 'Forest' before culminating in the party scene, the 'Monster Ball'.
Some of her other wacky ensembles saw her dress in a funky nun's habit and a black and white striped Bettle Juice outfit.
Speaking about her new tour, Lady Gaga told London radio show Capital FM: 'The show is a musical, it's not just a pop show, there are lines and a score there's a lot of music that you haven't heard before.
'Some of it's very old, some of it's new, there are scores specifically for the show itself.'
She added: 'The show's completely different and I have some really amazing surprises. It's unlike anything I've done before.'

Back in the habit: Gaga gets on the subway during the Sub Boys part of the show

Loud: She was 40 minutes late on stage, but wowed with 15 costume changes, including this Beetle Juice outfit

• The tour continues to Liverpool Arena on February 24, followed by, London O2 Arena (26), Glasgow SECC (March 1), Cardiff CIA (3), Newcastle Arena (4), Birmingham LG Arena (5), Sheffield Arena (7) and then Nottingham Arena (8)