Lady Gaga Is Surprise Guest at Intuit Dome Opening to Perform “Die With a Smile” With Bruno Mars

As someone who has attended numerous concerts and events in my time, I must say that last night’s Bruno Mars concert at Intuit Dome was nothing short of spectacular! The energy in the room was electric, and the collaboration with Lady Gaga on their new duet “Die With a Smile” was truly unforgettable.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but feel thrilled about being one of the first to step inside the brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood – our city’s impressive $2 billion sports complex. While the Los Angeles Clippers will undoubtedly call it home, Thursday night saw a different kind of grand opening as two music titans took center stage instead.

Bruno Mars, our main act, inaugurated the stage with a packed house on the opening night of consecutive shows accompanied by his group, The Hooligans. The electrifying two-hour performance ended with not one but two encores. One encore featured a surprise guest: Lady Gaga, who wowed the audience by appearing nearly 11:30 p.m. for an exclusive worldwide debut of their new duet “Die With a Smile”. This song was released at 9 p.m. PST on Thursday following its announcement that very morning.

“What’s your mood, L.A.?”, Gaga inquired while she was comfortably seated at a keyboard, sporting an oversized blonde wig, white tights, and a glossy pink-and-white minidress. With the crowd erupting in excitement, Mars grabbed the microphone, announcing: “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give it up for the legend, pop royalty, Lady Gaga. You all are privileged to be the first audience to witness us performing this song live.”

Ladies and gentlemen, @BrunoMars & @ladygaga ❤️

— Intuit Dome (@IntuitDome) August 16, 2024

The unexpected track titled “Die With a Smile” was jointly penned by Mars, Gaga, D Mile, James Fauntleroy, and Andrew Watt, and it was collectively produced by Mars, Gaga, D Mile, and Watt. This collaboration signifies the first new music from Mars since his duo work with Anderson .Paak in Silk Sonic, as well as from Gaga since her album “Chromatica” (and her recent Rolling Stones collaboration). A country-style music video for this song was unveiled on Thursday.

Following their performance, Gaga sprinted across the stage in her high heels to curtsy towards various sections of the freshly built venue, with her fellow Super Bowl Halftime Show veterans adding to the applause. Once she descended a set of stairs and vanished into the backstage darkness, Mars continued under the spotlight for “Uptown Funk,” marking the end of an encore.

Prior to that, however, Mars had already set the stage ablaze with his funky tunes by performing his greatest hits. With a crowd of 18,000 enthusiasts standing throughout most of the concert, he declared it a groundbreaking event to launch Intuit Dome. The playlist included “24K Magic,” “Finesse,” “Treasure,” “Billionaire,” “That’s What I Like,” “Versace on the Floor,” “Marry You,” “Grenade,” “Talking to the Moon,” “Leave the Door Open,” “When I Was Your Man,” “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Just the Way You Are.”

Officals at Intuit Dome and local leaders didn’t require any prompting to know that Thursday held significance for Inglewood and the Clippers. The day began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a concert, during which remarks were made by Steve Ballmer (chairman of the L.A. Clippers and champion of Intuit Dome), Gillian Zucker (CEO of Halo Sports), Mayor James T. Butts Jr., and Sasan Goodarzi (CEO of Intuit). Upon reaching the stage, Ballmer expressed his excitement, saying “I’m really pumped up!” He also admitted to feeling a bit nervous, stating “I must admit I’m a little apprehensive tonight. I’m proud of what we’ve created, but I hope all of you will share in that pride.”

The construction they completed is a $2 billion complex, painstakingly developed over the years, covering 26 acres, boasting cutting-edge technology, and showcasing a unique double-sided “Halo Board” scoreboard that surrounds the arena. This complex includes five basketball courts (one for games, two for practice, one for promotions, one on the expansive outdoor plaza), a training facility, medical and player areas, an indoor pool, and an 80,000-sq.-foot plaza equipped with two bars, a restaurant, and a large team store. The arena, designed to resemble a net with a ball at its center, is also decorated with local art pieces such as murals, sculptures, digital displays, and even a ship made of basketball hoops and backboards, crafted by Glenn Kaino.

A diverse group of celebrities graced the Bruno Mars concert, among them were Jennifer Lopez, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance, Meghan Trainor, Kelsea Ballerini, Chase Stokes, Simu Liu, Halle Bailey, Sophia Bush, Victoria Justice, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Kenya Barris, Jimmy Jam, Derek Hough, Jimmy O. Yang, Chris Olsen, Amanda Kloots, Bozoma Saint John, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Rob Minkoff, Babyface, Irving Azoff and Shelli Azoff, WME chairman Richard Weitz, Doug Walden, Cam Christie, Derrick Jones Jr., Jordan Miller, Kai Jones, Kobe Brown, Mo Bamba, DJ D-Nice, as well as other notable figures.

“It’s truly delightful and an honor for me to extend my welcome to you,” Ballmer mentioned in his speech, which discussed the thrilling journey of constructing the Clippers’ permanent home following their shared tenure at Crypto.com Arena with the Los Angeles Lakers. “Initially, when I acquired the business, the LA Clippers basketball team, I thought one of the advantages was that we wouldn’t have to build an arena,” he continued. “All these other teams sell, and then they need to construct arenas. We wouldn’t have to worry about that… However, it only took around six months for me to realize that having our own stadium might be a beneficial idea.”

Tonight, as we opened the house, Ballmer made sure to address potential issues since Intuit Dome is entirely technology-dependent, being a cashless and app-required venue that utilizes facial recognition and smartphones for transactions. He jokingly admitted, “People often talk about tech. Let me clarify what tech is: it’s software, and I truly hope everything runs smoothly tonight. … But honestly, it probably won’t. I’ve launched the first versions of numerous software products, so please be patient with us if there are any glitches.”

The plea for understanding and tolerance turned out to be a prophetic warning, as the app encountered issues leading to a congestion at the entrance from 7-8 p.m. A large group, estimated to be hundreds strong, gathered in the courtyard, although the delay in getting people inside didn’t significantly impact the festivities since Mars began his performance shortly after his scheduled 9:30 p.m. showtime. During the night, Mars paused briefly to call for security to handle an urgent situation involving a male attendee in the front section. The nature of his condition remains unspecified at this time.

The Intuit Dome, recently started construction in September 2021, is situated close to Inglewood’s other prized possessions, SoFi Stadium and Kia Forum. Already, the Intuit Dome has made promises to organize the NBA All-Star Game in 2026 and basketball matches for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Coming up on its schedule, the Intuit Dome will welcome comedian Sebastian Maniscalco this weekend, followed by performances from Marco Antonio Solis, Olivia Rodrigo, Twenty One Pilots, Usher, Weezer, and Billy Joel.

Ballmer emphasized, “This is our place.” He added that he and his team knew their venue needed to be more than just a basketball court. They aimed to create a space that would embrace music and basketball, a welcoming environment where everyone feels at ease. In my opinion, this is the finest basketball facility ever constructed, and I truly believe that. I hope you share my sentiment, but regardless, I firmly believe it. Whether it’s globally recognized or not, we invite everyone to come experience it.”

See below for more views inside the opening night.

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2024-08-16 13:25