Lady Gaga’s historic inauguration performance had to be changed at the very last minute
Lady Gaga had to be walked to the microphone because of the size of her dress at Joe Biden’s inauguration. (SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP via Getty)
Lady Gaga’s inauguration performance underwent a last minute change, it has been revealed – and it was all because of the size of her dress.
As Gaga arrived to perform the national anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20 January, marine captain Evan Campbell walked her down the steps at the West Front of the US Capitol, guiding her to the microphone – but that wasn’t the original plan.
Campbell has revealed that Gaga was supposed to enter by herself, but there were fears the “Stupid Love” singer might trip over if left to her own devices.
“There was some concern with Lady Gaga’s, obviously very beautiful but very large dress, that she might have difficulty coming down the stairs,” he told the Marine Corps Times.
Lady Gaga warned the marine that they were both at risk of tripping.
Campbell said that in a last-minute meeting, he was promptly selected as the lucky service member to escort Gaga because he was the tallest person there, meaning he would have an easier time navigating her dress while also making sure she didn’t take a tumble.
“She looked at me and she’s like ‘a fair warning… we have an equal chance of tripping on this,'” Campbell said.
Campbell was surprised to see how nervous Gaga was about the performance.
“She told us inside that this was perhaps the biggest day of her life, and that she really wanted to sing for all Americans,” he continued.
“As a person that was an amazing thing to hear, but as a service member too, the way she prepped to sing the national anthem, obviously resonated with me very deeply as someone that’s sworn an oath to defend their country.”
Campbell revealed that he prayed with Gaga, at her request, before escorting her to the podium, and he gave her some words of encouragement to help calm her nerves.
The marine also said he is not a fan of Gaga’s music – a concept we can’t relate to – but he insisted that he is “a fan of her as a person” after meeting her at Biden’s inauguration, saying he was impressed by how “genuine” she was.
