The august Roseland Ballroom had Lady Gaga get all wistful over the impending closure, it was quite a moment for the music fans who have drunk on the music that was born within its walls, it was quite a moment. In that sense, the "Poker Face" musician is in for a residency program. When she ends it, Roseland would call it a day too.
For those who came in late, Roseland Ballroom located on West 52nd and Broadway in upmarket Manhattan, New York City, is soon going to take a bow. Shutdown would just be the prelude for demolition followed by subsequent resurrection in the form of a bouquet of residential apartment. All through its existence in 1958, Roseland has had a couple of resurrections itself.
What started out as a Gay Blades Skating Rink, writes John Seabrook, the three-storey building housed Art Deco Bar as well. In its role as the destination for mind-boggling generation-defining (defying?) music, Roseland was where Kurt Cobain recovered from his drug-abuse stint to play Nirvana show in 1993. This is where Fiona Apple staged a spectacular performance and left some memories; and this is the same stage which saw generations of music stars turn their fortunes around -- right from Fred Astaire to Gene Kelly -- the diva Madonna to today's rage Beyonce!
Reporting for the New Yorker, John Seabrook is witness to Roseland's last days.
Otherwise known as the "bizarre star" for her outrageous costumes and neon highlighted impossibly large wigs, to regurgitation performances, how did Lady Gaga mourn the death of Roseland where she staged some of her finest performances?
Well, that was easy. The NY born-and-bred musician with contralto range for her 'vocal' chords staged a residency program last week with a seven show run, just around her 28th birthday last week, and went all nostalgic about the Ballroom.
To a packed audience, with nearly 3,200 rocking themselves to some good times with her high-octave music, lady Gaga reminisced the times when she snorted dope in the bathrooms of Ballroom. Her mum, sat right through this confession, gleefully hoping that those days of her daughter's 'otherwise' behavior are over. Well, she did say 'sorry mom' to her mother seated in the balcony.
What's debatable, however, is the question whether Roseland Ballroom gave the supernova to superstar -- Lady Gaga, her time of life or whether it was vice versa. When Roseland's closure started to hog the headlines last year, many musicians were all set to perform during the last dates, only to hold the candle high.
However, what worked for Lady Gaga who had put up some insufferable puke-laden performance in the name of creativity was her composition of the presentation, the stage craft and also her music. This was a sure indicator that the star who turned 28 years in the midst of Roseland performance, was here to stay. Her journey of stardom from galaxies to grass roots owing to some horrible performances in the past, seem to be well resting. Roseland had her voice in top form, husky, buttery and lilting on low notes while on high octave it was chillingly high holding up all fine. The show was a hit. But, the memories will soon fade away, along with Roseland. At 95, the Ballroom has died short of touching a century.