Lady Gaga made her triumphant return to the Coachella stage Friday night, headlining the 2025 festival with a high-octane, career-spanning performance that thrilled fans and honored her legacy in pop culture.
The 39-year-old music icon kicked off the nearly two-hour set in Indio, California with “Bloody Mary” from her 2011 album “Born This Way,” launching into an electrifying medley of fan favorites including “Abracadabra,” “Judas,” and the era-defining “Poker Face.”
The response from Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters? Rapturous applause and cheers echoing across the desert.
Lady Gaga Stuns With Nostalgic, Theatrical Return To Coachella
I’m gonna need Lady Gaga to release a studio recording of that dramatic synth-heavy version of “Paparazzi.”
From the start, Gaga signaled that this wouldn’t be just another greatest-hits run, as the set was layered with references to her most iconic visuals and moments.
During “Paparazzi,” she brought back the metal crutches seen in the 2009 music video, and for “Bad Romance,” she theatrically laid beside skeletons while a dancer donned a white crown evocative of her original look.
“Lady Gaga absolutely OUTDID HERSELF,” one user wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after seeing the performance. “That was the most incredible, artistic, theatrical performance of her career. She is what you call an ARTIST.”
“THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LADY GAGA,” another expressed. “THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANT AND MORE.”
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Throughout the night, Gaga continued to blend old and new, debuting tracks from her seventh studio album, “Mayhem,” including “Disease” and “Killah.” The latter featured a special appearance from producer Gesaffelstein, who collaborated with Gaga on the track.
“I really love that record,” she told Uproxx ahead of the show. “It’s the Gesaffelstein feature. It’s ultra confident, ultra funky, super unique and cool.”
She added, “I’ve never done anything like it before, so that’s making me feel really excited just to do something I haven’t done yet before.”
Fans also clearly loved it as the praise poured in on social media, with one Little Monster saying, “Wow! Lady Gaga really outdid herself with this show!”
“Lady Gaga… You might have just taken that #1 spot for the best Coachella performance of all time,” another declared.
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Teasing the show in advance, Gaga promised there would be “Mayhem in the Desert” but initially kept the details under wraps.
“I genuinely don’t want to give anything away about Coachella,” she told Uproxx. “I know that is heartless of me, in a way, but I could honestly cry on the phone with you just thinking about how excited I am to do this show, and I want it to be a total surprise, and want everyone to have as much fun as possible.”
This year marks Gaga’s second time leading Coachella’s main stage. She previously headlined in 2017, stepping in with just two weeks’ notice after Beyoncé canceled due to her pregnancy with twins Rumi and Sir.
“Following the advice of her doctors to keep a less rigorous schedule in the coming months, Beyoncé has made the decision to forgo performing at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival,” a rep for the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer said at the time.
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Despite the short prep window, Gaga delivered a standout show that year, including hits like “Poker Face,” “Telephone,” “The Cure,” and “Bad Romance.”
She also used Weekend 2 of the festival to make a major announcement, her role in “A Star Is Born,” giving fans a first look at the film’s production, some of which was shot at Coachella itself. On stage, she gave a heartfelt thanks to her co-star and director, Bradley Cooper.
That 2017 performance also included a deeply emotional acoustic rendition of “The Edge of Glory” dedicated to her friend Sonja, who was battling cancer at the time.
“I’ve been lucky that I’ve had some real success since the last time I performed at Coachella,” Gaga reflected in her Uproxx interview, acknowledging her journey between then and now.
Lady Gaga’s 2025 Coachella Setlist
“Bloody Mary”
“Abracadabra”
“Judas”
“Scheiße”
“Garden of Eden”
“Poker Face”
“Perfect Celebrity”
“Disease”
“Paparazzi”
“Alejandro”
“The Beast”
“Killah” (with special guest Gesaffelstein)
“Zombieboy”
“Die With a Smile”
“How Bad Do U Want Me”
“Shadow of a Man”
“Born This Way”
“Shallow”
“Vanish Into You”
“Bad Romance”
If Lady Gaga’s performance is any preview of what Coachella 2025 has in store, it’s clear fans are in for an unforgettable experience.
