Plasticity is prized in pop. Lady Gaga is about is malleable of a pop star as there is these days, which is to say that she can shift shiny surfaces from song to song and it all sort of fits with her radio art-project image.
On “Joanne,” her 2016 release, the singer slides from big Broadway belters that owe something to Meat Loaf, the Killers and Springsteen, into dance numbers that borrow from Caribbean beats and on to an almost folky acoustic guitar tune. Sometimes she’s strangely robotic, but one can’t tell if that too is intentional. It’s not exactly cohesive, but then again, she did a record of standards with Tony Bennett and she once wore a meat print dress, so just about anything should be within the realm of the possible for Gaga now.
There are tunes, like the very “Papa Don’t Preach”-ish “Perfect Illusion,” that continue to show Gaga’s debt to Madonna, but Lady Gaga seems a little more invested in her eclecticism and in her chops. “Hey Girl,” with its taffy-pull groove, might make you think of Prince. But if, like some, you’re more interested in Gaga’s older fame-glitz material, she’s certain to play much of it.
Lady Gaga will perform at Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, on Thursday, Nov. 9, and Saturday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $50. 860-226-7711 and mohegansun.com.
