Lady Gaga Survives First Day in Manila
Amidst the rain and rallies, the Lady Gaga proceeded with her Born This Way Ball tour. And round two is up next.
Lady Gaga has been allowed to continue the second part of her 2-day concert after city censors decided her "provocative performance" was within legal limits. The officials of Pasay City, where the concert was held, found no violations of the permit banning nudity, blasphemy and lewd conduct, according to Antonio Calixto, the mayor of the city.
"Admittedly, some of the statements and choreography were provocative but the content and presentation taken all together can be considered as part of an artist's expressions that are protected by the constitution," Calixto said. "
Therefore, the city government of Pasay sees no compelling or legal reason to disallow the second concert from proceeding."
Filipino lawyer Romulo Macalintal also sought to cancel the Manila show. However, when the city government handed down its ruling, he said he just leaves the decision "to God".
The international pop star infamous for her controversial fashion and onstage performances was met with protests even before she arrived in the country. The protests came from conservative Christian groups who staged street rallies, carrying placards condemningLady Gaga's supposed immoral acts.
These groups specifically called out her song "Judas" for being blasphemous. One church leader even described her show as tantamount to "devil worship".
Before a sold-out crowd of 20,000 fans who lined up at The Arena concert grounds, Lady Gaga declared that she was "not a creature of your government" before opening her controversial song "Judas".
This is not the first time that Lady Gaga has met resistance while on her Born This Way Ball tour in Asia. Her upcoming concert permit in Indonesia was already been withheld for security purposes, after religious conservatives in this predominantly Muslim country threatened violence. These groups were also calling out her supposed blasphemous acts.