Lady Gaga tour returns to North America for ‘Monster’ arena concerts

After filling arenas across the UK and Ireland this winter, Lady Gaga has expanded production on her Monster Ball Tour with plans to return to North America for a full-length arena run on this side of the pond.

The 31-date jaunt launches June 28 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, and concludes September 19 at RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. The nearly three-month itinerary includes gigs on July 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY; August 11 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA; and September 7 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Besides the summer jaunt’s opening night, only three other dates are booked for the provinces at this point. Those gigs are slated for July 11 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON; August 23 at general Motors Place in Vancouver, BC; and August 26 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, AB.

The first public onsales begin March 19, with additional tour markets and onsale information yet to be announced. According to current listings on Ticketmaster.com, tickets to the summer venture will range from $50 to $175 for U.S. dates and CA$65 to CA$190 in Canada.

Lady Gaga is currently in the middle of her international tour plans. Since completing a sold-out leg of dates in the UK and Ireland, the Monster Ball moved on to Australia and Japan, where it will play through April. From there, the pop performer will hit markets across mainland Europe before returning to UK for a second run.

Despite its international success, the Monster Ball Tour has not been without its share of controversy.

Lady Gaga faced backlash from UK media and fans alike when ticket prices doubled for the upcoming leg of late May and early June concerts. Prices for her first run of the region had ranged from £27.50 ($41) to £35 ($53), but tickets jumped to £50 ($76) and £75 ($114) for the new dates.

Furor over the pricy passes prompted a response from Arthur Fogel, chairman of global touring for tour promoter Live Nation.

“What was a small arena/theatre production is now a massive, first rate arena production,” Fogel explained in a statement to the BBC. “Ticket prices for the previous dates were set long before the current Monster Ball show was developed. Ticket prices are comparable and fair.”

Lady Gaga launched the Monster Ball Tour in late 2009 , primarily visiting large theaters in addition to a few smaller arenas across North America. But demand for those dates, plus her initial sold-out sessions overseas, led to a reimagining of the production for large arena stages.

“It’s still called Monster Ball, but it’s more of a musical and less of a concert,” Lady Gaga said of changes to the tour structure during a February interview with Ryan Seacrest. “It has a New York theme, it’s a story, and the story is that me and my friends are in New York and we’re going to the Monster Ball, and we get lost.”

Lady Gaga itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)