"Born This Way era nostalgia hitting hard tonight" - Fans react to Lady Gaga performing ‘Hair’ at the Mayhem Ball in New York

Fans of Lady Gaga online have been gushing about her recent performance during her Mayhem Ball tour. The Grammy-winning songstress performed Hair after over a decade at New York City's Madison Square Garden, thereby garnering widespread acclaim from fans across the world.

The Mayhem Ball tour is Lady Gaga's eighth concert tour that was announced to promote her 2025 album, Mayhem. Having kicked off on July 16 at Nevada's T-Mobile Arena, the tour is scheduled to consist of 63 shows and cover cities like California, New York City, Washington, and the like.

Gaga kicked off her string of six shows at Madison Square Garden on Friday, August 22. It was her first live show in New York City since performing at the MetLife Stadium in 2022 as part of her Chromatica Ball tour.

The Perfect Illusion songstress performed for over two hours, singing some of the most famous songs from her enviable repertoire.

“New York, you made me a star, you raised me. Thank you so much for always believing in me — it’s good to be back home,” Gaga said.

One of the most iconic moments during the show was when Lady Gaga sang Hair after over 10 years. Released on May 16, 2011, the song is one of the promotional singles from her second studio album, Born This Way. It was a massive commercial and critical success, charting within the top ten in Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and Spain. In the United States, Hair was included within the Billboard Hot 100 upon release.

The video of Lady Gaga performing the song at Madison Square Garden has gone viral on social media. She is seen sporting a black veil and playing the piano with a full-house audience cheering in the background. Before singing, a visibly emotional Gaga declared:

“I’m sure that all of my albums could not have been made without New York, but I am sure this album would not have been made without New York. This is for all of you, and all your dreams; for maybe sometimes, no more fighting, and just showing up.”

X user @Annie_MAGA1986 raved about the ambience, writing:

Annie🇺🇸

@Annie_MAGA1986

@PopBase That piano fog effect is giving me chills. Born This Way era nostalgia hitting hard tonight.

Some other reactions on X are as follows:

Eren 💋

@erenfromtargets

@PopBase yall just don’t know the amount of lives that was saved when she released this

Eser

@WrittenByES

@PopBase She dusted off a deep cut and made it iconic all over again. “Hair” live after a decade? That’s not just nostalgia. It’s Gaga reminding us she still owns every era she’s ever touched.

One user waxed lyrical about Lady Gaga's mastery over the piano, writing:

GⱯGCITYDOLLS

@GagCityDolls

@PopBase Such a beautiful beautiful song and the piano rendition is so magical. There is something so special about Gaga at the piano. MAYHEM era, thank you for gifting us such wonderful things!! 🖤

Shrutika Gawade

@ShruGawade

@PopBase A legendary comeback performance fans have been waiting for 🙌🎶

xxpen$ive giudice

@xpensivegiudice

@PopBase one of my all time favs. we were robbed of never getting a full production live version. piano is beautiful, but the full band would hit so hard. it add so much power to the song.

sam says BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER & FREE PALESTINE

@sam_grant121

@PopBase 10,000 queers just got their wings ❤️

Some other iconic songs sung by Gaga during her first of six shows at Madison Square Garden included Aura, Applause, Die With A Smile, and most of the songs from her Mayhem album.

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A tearful Lady Gaga thanked New York City after performing Die With A Smile

2025 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 1 (Image via Getty)

One of the highlights of Lady Gaga's performance at Madison Square Garden was her performance of Die With A Smile- the Grammy-nominated chart-buster from 2024 made in collaboration with Bruno Mars. After performing a rendition of the song, a visibly tearful Gaga spoke about what it felt like to be back in the city.

“I know that it’s me standing up here, but you’re all standing in here with me, you know what I’m saying? I feel so honored to be here tonight at Madison Square Garden,” she stated.

With several fans holding banners that welcomed the 39-year-old to New York, Gaga continued:

“I’m sure you can tell if you listen to the music that I am from here. Everything about my artistry, I think, was born in this town.”

Finally, Lady Gaga opened up about a conversation she had with backup dancer China Taylor before her performance. The pop crooner recalled feeling like she needed to "fight" through her set at Madison Square Garden. However, China Taylor reportedly said that she didn't have to "fight" and just needed to "show up."

Finally, Gaga didn't shy away from showing her love for the LGBTQIA+ community, something she has been vocal about throughout her career. Before performing Born This Way, she addressed the crowd, saying:

“We are here for the queer community, do you hear me? This show was made with love for you, because we need the world to love right now.”

After her string of shows at Madison Square Garden, Gaga is scheduled to perform at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The Mayhem Ball tour will continue till January 30, 2026, with the last concert slated to be held at Japan's Tokyo Dome on January 30.

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