/ 21 January 2013

Lady Gaga set to headline inaugural ball for Obama staff

Lady Gaga Set To Headline Inaugural Ball For Obama Staff

Neither Lady Gaga nor the White House have announced the secret show, which unnamed sources confirmed to the Associated Press and Hollywood Reporter. But Gaga's tour takes her to Los Angeles on Monday and Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday, with a convenient gap on Tuesday, the day after Obama's formal inauguration. All through last year, the pop star supported Obama's re-election, saying that if Republican candidate Mitt Romney won, Americans ought to move to "a new planet".

Four years ago, Jay-Z and Arcade Fire headlined a similar party, organised for the staff of Obama's first presidential campaign. That ball drew around 4 000 people to the DC Armory, including the new president, vice-president, and their spouses. At the event, Arcade Fire's Win Butler reportedly joked: "This is the funnest party I've been to for people who have all just lost their jobs."

Obama's formal inauguration will take place on Monday, at the US Capitol. Organisers have promised pomp, circumstance, and Beyoncé, as well as performances by Kelly Clarkson and James Taylor. More musicians appeared at Saturday's Kids' Inaugural Ball, which featured Usher, the cast of Glee, and a stars-and-stripes-clad Katy Perry. – Guardian News and Media 2013