Metro Weekly

We need Lady Gaga to play these songs on her new tour

We have a wishlist of 10 songs we sincerely hope Gaga includes on her Chromatica Ball Tour setlist.

Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga

Back in March 2020, Lady Gaga revealed to the world that she was going on a very small tour to support her album Chromatica, which at the time had yet to come out. Fans were thrilled they’d have another chance to see the Grammy and Oscar winner live, as she’s a top-notch performer, but sadly, it was not meant to be.

Like so many other musicians, Gaga was forced to postpone her tour as Covid-19 ravaged the planet. After several delays, the entire venture was canceled outright, with the singer promising she’d replace it with something different.

This is a strategy that several chart-toppers employed, and she is thankfully holding to her guarantee. Now, the newly-announced Chromatica Ball Tour is visiting more towns and countries than in its original iteration, and it looks like this time, the trek is really going to happen.

As fans get ready to spend the summer singing and dancing with one another, many are wondering which songs Gaga will perform on stage.

Here are 10 songs we sincerely hope Gaga includes on her Chromatica Ball Tour setlist.

“911” or “Free Woman”

After the two biggest Chromatica singles had come and gone, Gaga promoted two other tunes to continue promoting the project, but neither performed terribly well. Pushed in different markets, “911” and “Free Woman” are beloved by fans of the singer, so she should include at least one of them in her setlist — and if she’s feeling really generous, perhaps both.

“Alice”

Four songs from Chromatica charted on the Hot 100 — two proper singles, one promotional number, and a standalone album cut that fans couldn’t stop streaming when the set was first made available. “Alice” debuted and peaked at No. 84, making it the only non-single to earn that kind of love. Clearly listeners love it, and Gaga should keep that in mind as she begins picking and choosing.

“Bad Romance”

Not just Gaga’s best song, but one of the top pop songs of the past quarter-century, Gaga has to play “Bad Romance.” If she didn’t, those in attendance would riot. Surely there’s no chance she’ll omit the dark tune, but it’s worth putting it in here, just in case.

“I Get a Kick Out of You”

Tony Bennett won’t be joining Gaga on the road, as he is now officially retired from performing, but that doesn’t mean she can’t bring him out virtually. It would be odd if she chose to actually sing any of the songs they recorded together, turning them from duets to solo tunes, but she could still give a nod to her work with the legend. Perhaps during a costume change the Grammy-nominated “I Get a Kick Out of You” could play?

“Just Dance”

Another single Gaga will never not have to play, “Just Dance” deserves to be on the setlist. In fact, it deserves to be on every setlist, but for now we’ll just focus on this upcoming tour. Her first proper single as a lead artist, “Just Dance” made history and altered the sound of pop music forever. It became her first of many No. 1s on the Hot 100 and went on to establish itself as one of the bestselling tracks ever. It would be especially fun if she recruited featured musician Colby O’Donis for just one show, though that seems highly unlikely.

“Rain on Me”

The biggest single on Chromatica, there’s no way Gaga is going to forgo this ’90s house-inspired smash. The Ariana Grande duet went right to No. 1 on the Hot 100, and fans of both stars everywhere lost their minds when “Rain on Me” dropped in the spring of 2020. The tune also earned both women another Grammy, and it quickly became the centerpiece of the set.

“Shallow”

It’s not featured on Chromatica, and it doesn’t fit stylistically with the tunes that are on the CD, but Gaga should still find a way to slow things down for a moment and play “Shallow.” Any concert when the superstar doesn’t spend at least a little time behind a piano is a shame, as she really shines when she’s playing her instrument. “Shallow” was another chart-topper for Gaga, and it won her the Best Original Song Oscar for A Star is Born a few years back. She hasn’t yet had a chance to highlight it on tour, so hopefully summer 2022 is the time.

“Sour Candy”

Released just one day before Chromatica dropped in full, “Sour Candy” was a last-minute promotional cut, and fans around the world devoured it. A slinky, bratty number, it features South Korean girl group Blackpink, who claim one of the biggest followings in the music industry. That meant it was destined for success, and if she includes it on her tour’s setlist, she could possibly bring the band out on stage, which would instantly become a viral moment.

“Stupid Love”

Gaga introduced Chromatica with “Stupid Love,” which was a welcome return to the dance-pop that made her a household name. After venturing into different territory with Joanne and A Star Is Born, to hear weird electro glitches coming from the superstar was just wonderful. “Stupid Love” immediately bolted into the top 10 on the Hot 100, and it is truly one of the best compositions on the LP.

Something from Dawn of Chromatica

A little less than a year and a half after Chromatica arrived, Gaga released a remix set titled Dawn of Chromatica, which featured reworkings of the tunes featured on the original project. It was certainly a very odd offering, and the singer and her collaborators were clearly not going for any commercial wins, but rather making an artistic statement with the set. It would be very weird if Gaga chose to actually perform any of the remixes on Dawn of Chromatica, but they could serve as perfect choices for interludes.

Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism

These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!