Gig review: Pussycat Dolls

Scantily-clad burlesque pop act The Pussycat Dolls and newcomer Lady Gaga set teen pulses racing in Auckland. Reviewer Clio Francis and photographer Lawrence Smith were there.

Pussycat Dolls and Lady Gaga
Where: Vector Arena, Auckland
When: Saturday, May 16

As the smoke machine worked overtime, Lady Gaga's powerful voice belted out Paparazzi and the thousands of youth packed into Vector Arena were in heaven.

The show got off to a blistering start when peroxide-haired Gaga arose from a volcano covered in shards of glass, her sculptured curves clad in a little else but fishnets and a g-string. 

The sweaty adolescents writhing about in the crowd went ballistic for the raunchy star, whose brief tongue-in-cheek set - crammed into a tiny slice of the stage - managed to outshine the tawdry sexuality of the headliners.

Later Gaga - whose full name is Stefani Germanotta - highlighted her vocal talents with a ball-busting version of her disco anthem Just Dance. 

With back-up dancers in tow and dressed in a kooky newspaper print one-piece, Gaga stamped her dominance on the crowd as she stormed around the stage, at one point simulating masturbation.

As she eased into her hit song Poker Face - wearing a skin-coloured suit with oversized bubbles hanging around her groin - some of her latent musical talent was exposed.

Yelling to the crowd, "You know all the f**king words, don't you?,' she sung much of the chart-topper standing on a stool in sky-high stilettos, bent double over the piano hammering out the keys. 

During the intermission, security guards squirted dehydrated teens with water bottles like farmers drenching cattle as the momentum built for pop idols The Pussycat Dolls.

Lead-singer Nicole Scherzinger completely carries the torch vocally for the PCD, with the rest of the group - Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt - being reduced to near-naked back-up dancers.

The stage show was so minimal for PCD - just a block of black steps sat in the centre of the stage - it looked like an amateur high school production with strippers.

The sound quality throughout their set was mediocre at best, with the over heavy bass at times smothering any passable melodies.

The PCD set produced all the hits, including Beep, I Don’t Need A Man, Buttons and Stickwitu sending the young crowd into a euphoric state of delirium.

Scherzinger issued frequent shout outs for "her Kiwis and her Maoris" throughout the show, before turning to the side of stage where Gaga was watching and yelling: "It must be hard to have so many number one hits, we’re just trying to catch up with you now honey." 

Two solo ballads by Scherzinger, including Hush Hush, sent the eager and willing crowd into a mass comatose.

A predictable encore followed with crowd favourites, Don’t Cha, Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny) and When I Grow Up, bringing the night to a satisfying conclusion for most young fans.

As the 13-year-old girl sitting behind me said: "This has been, like, the best night of my life. They’re all so, so hot."

* Were you at the show? Post your comments below.

- © Fairfax NZ News