Best of the Day: Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett – June 30, 2015
Welcome to Best of the Day, our daily recommendation for what to check out around town. If you do one thing in Boston today, consider this.
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett / Courtesy photo via BSO
Back when Lady Gaga was hatching out of space eggs at the Grammys for her grinding, synth-soaked anthem “Born This Way,” we never suspected that someday we’d be watching Mother Monster sharing the same stage with Tony Bennett for a performance of swingin’ jazz standards. But we must have fallen into a wormhole to an alternate universe because here we are: Tonight, Bennett and Gaga play Tanglewood together, as part of their Cheek to Cheek tour.
If you’re hoping to see meat dresses, we’ve got bad news for you. You’ll almost certainly be getting an eyeful of vintage glam instead—think feather boas draped over strapless sequined dresses (the better to flaunt Gaga’s tattoos) and impeccably tailored suits, as the duo sing such jazzy numbers as “The Lady Is a Tramp” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”
By crossing over to the cabaret fare that’s more traditionally been Bennett’s turf, Gaga proves that her reverence for the retro goes way beyond copping Madonna’s steez. Is it a gimmick? Sure, but the gimmick works, and the pair’s highly endearing May-December chemistry (Gaga is 29, while Bennett is 88) has been thoroughly charming audiences nationwide. So tonight, pack yourself a posh picnic basket, grab a lawn seat in front of the Shed, and get ready for a night where “Anything Goes.”
$30-$179, June 30, 8 p.m., Koussevitzky Music Shed, Tanglewood, 297 West St., Lenox, 888-266-1200, bso.org.
