By Jazz Tangcay
Artisans Editor
During her performance in Las Vegas Sunday night, Lady Gaga dedicated her 2011 hit “Born This Way” to the victims of the mass shooting that took place in the city six years earlier.
Gaga stopped midway through a stripped-down version of the song and said, “I just want to remind everyone here what a resilient wonderful city this is.” She continued, “I want to dedicate this song to everyone we lost.” On Oct. 1, 2017, 59 people dead and more than 500 injured. when professional gambler Steven Paddock opened fire on the crowd at the Harvest 91 country music festival from his room at Mandalay Bay. It was the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history.
Gaga, who is playing her “Jazz and Piano” residency in the city, later paid tribute to her friend and collaborator Tony Bennett, who died on July 21. Before she sang “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words),” she shared how much she missed him and how thinks about him every day. Gaga who worked with him on the 2014 release “Cheek to Cheek” and the 2021 album “Love For Sale,” Gaga said, ‘I’m sure you know he was a wonderful amazing performer. He played jazz for as long as he could, he was singing a week before he passed away.” She went on to say, “He was just the most optimistic person. He could always find the good in everything.”
Gaga shared one of Bennett’s favorite stories. ‘He told me when he was a kid, ‘My family didn’t have enough money for the holidays. He entered a raffle and he won a turkey. He was so happy, he brought the turkey home for his family.’” Gaga said, “That’s Tony.”
The Academy Award winning singer will wrap up her 12 date Summer/Fall residency on Oct. 5. The dazzling spectacle features selections from the Great American songbook such as “Luck Be a Lady,” “Mambo Italiano,” “La Vie En Rose” and “Fly Me to the Moon” with jazzed up versions of “Bad Romance,” “Paparazzi,” “Born This Way” and “Stupid Love.”
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