July 12, 2011
Police to Fans: No More Free Lady Gaga
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Lady Gaga may have surprised fans with two unexpected gigs in Australia, but don't expect a third free show.
Police are urging ticketless fans not to throng the downtown Sydney area on Wednesday night, when she is scheduled to perform at a private concert for invited guests only.
"If you don't have a ticket, stay at home," said Superintendent Mark Walton, the police commander of the city's central district. "Don't waste your time coming to town and stand out in the cold to look at a sandstone wall."
He said Lady Gaga will not be making a public appearance before or after the concert, and it will not be broadcast on live screens outside the venue.
"Parents are urged to not allow their children to attend the city if they don't have a ticket," he said in a statement Tuesday.
The American pop singer drew more than 1,000 fans to Oxford Street in downtown Sydney when she gave unscheduled performances at two gay clubs, Nevermind and ARQ, on Monday night. She let her fans know about her impromptu plans via Twitter, where she has 11.5 million followers.
Fans queued for up to seven hours to see the singer perform three songs from her latest album - "Born This Way," ''The Edge of Glory" and "Judas" - at both venues.
Police are concerned that teenagers will once again come to the city with false hopes and be left to wander unsupervised, a situation that could lead to trouble.
The pop idol, who has used her music to push for gay and lesbian rights, is on an Asian tour that took her previously to Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. She arrived in Australia on Saturday.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
