Lady Gaga Brings ‘Harlequin Live’ Christmas Eve Concert Special to YouTube Inspired by Joker Sequel
Lady Gaga is giving her fans a very special holiday treat this year. Her long-awaited concert film, “Lady Gaga in Harlequin Live — One Night Only,” will debut on YouTube at 4 p.m. PT on Christmas Eve. The announcement comes shortly after the film’s premiere at the Grammy Museum, where Gaga joined Variety‘s Chris Willman for a Q&A about the project and her 2024 album, “Harlequin.” The album is currently nominated for a Grammy for best traditional pop album.
The concert was filmed at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles on September 30, 2024, during a post-midnight performance. Only a small group of fans attended the show, and Variety was the only outlet to cover it at the time. Gaga described the release of the film as “a rebellious project” and said, “Christmas is the perfect time to release something rebellious.”
Originally, the idea was to perform just three songs from the album, but Gaga and her team decided at the last minute to perform the entire album live. “When we first saw the footage, we said, ‘This is not the right time to put this out,’” she said, explaining that they wanted the performance to develop a kind of legendary status among fans. She called the upcoming release “like a Christmas present.”
The performance was energetic and theatrical, with Gaga and her six-piece band performing in a deliberately messy, apartment-like set. It was inspired by the “Harlequin” album artwork and by Gaga’s early days living in a small apartment on the Lower East Side. She explained, “That’s how the emotional and raw quality of how we made it made its way into this performance.”
Fans will see stripped-down arrangements of songs like “That’s Entertainment,” “That’s Life,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” along with a couple of originals from the “Harlequin” album. Gaga’s performance was lively and physically intense, showcasing her dancing and vocal skills even on a small stage.
The concert also pays subtle tribute to Tony Bennett. During her performance of “Smile,” a tiny black-and-white TV shows Bennett’s version of the song. “Well, he loved ‘Smile,’” Gaga said. “Having him there, it was one of those wild moments in a stage performance where you’re bringing in a little bit of the real world, with a little bit of a wink.”
Gaga emphasized that while she is now nominated for best traditional pop album on her own, she feels supported by Bennett and her longtime collaborators. “I’m not in the category alone, I don’t feel, because I guess I’ll always feel like Tony is with me in the category — and also all these musicians that I’ve been making music with for the last two decades are with me.”
The concert film promises a raw, unique experience that combines Gaga’s jazz influences with theatrical storytelling and playful production design. Fans will finally get to experience a special night that has been almost mythical in its absence.
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