Lady Gaga took the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on Friday night, delivering a performance that left fans both mesmerized and divided.
The 39-year-old pop icon, headlining the festival for the second time since 2017, transformed the desert stage into what she described as an “opera house in the desert,” pulling out all the stops for a visually stunning and theatrical set that has since gone viral.
Opening with her hit Bloody Mary, Gaga set the tone in a striking red dress, performing against a gothic-style backdrop adorned with gargoyles and angels.
According to the Daily Mail, the dramatic imagery prompted some fans to liken the visuals to a “satanic ritual,” a reaction that fueled heated online discussions.
Despite the controversy, many praised the performance as a career-defining moment, with social media posts calling it “the best Coachella performance in history” and comparing its grandeur to “being there when the pyramids of Giza were built.”
The set was divided into four acts, each showcasing Gaga’s signature blend of creativity, vocal prowess, and storytelling.
Songs like Abracadabra, Judas, and Scheiße kept the energy high, while a standout moment came during Poker Face, where the stage morphed into a giant chessboard.
Gaga and her dancers engaged in a choreographed “dance battle,” with the star emerging victorious, further cementing her reputation for bold, narrative-driven performances.
Fans took to X to express their amazement, with one writing, “Satanic rituals, fighting doppelgangers, chess queen dance battles, zombies, unsettling crutch walks…
It’s a Lady Gaga opera at Coachella. Our girl is back.” Another declared, “The creativity, the vocals, the storytelling, the visuals…
Insane. One of the greatest performances of her career.” Gaga was also joined by French producer Gesaffelstein for their collaboration Killah from her latest album, Mayhem, which has been tipped to debut at No. 1 on U.S. charts.
However, not all reactions were positive. Some attendees and viewers found the elaborate visuals unsettling, and the “satanic ritual” comparisons sparked debate about the artistic intent behind Gaga’s gothic aesthetic.
This isn’t the first time the singer has faced such accusations—her 2017 Super Bowl halftime show similarly drew fringe theories about occult symbolism, though Gaga has consistently framed her work as art meant to provoke and inspire.
The performance wasn’t the only highlight of Coachella’s opening day.
Elsewhere, Benson Boone surprised fans by bringing out Queen’s Brian May for a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody, while Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong joined The Go-Gos for an energetic rendition of Head Over Heels.
Yet Gaga’s set dominated the conversation, with its mix of spectacle and controversy ensuring it will be remembered as a defining moment of the 2025 festival.
