Bill Clinton and Lady Gaga (Barbara Kinney/Clinton Foundation)The Decade of Difference concert at the Hollywood Bowl celebrated Bill Clinton's 65th birthday and the 10-year milestone of the Clinton Foundation. Throughout the night, unexpected moments surprised, shocked, and in the end, delighted the crowd.
Lady Gaga befriends First Family
The moment that had everyone buzzing on Twitter was a backstage conversation between Lady Gaga and the Clintons. Lady Gaga switched outfits to a retro-looking gold gown with elbow-length gloves and even a faux beauty mark (solidifying the Marilyn Monroe comparison). She showed up in another backstage pose before the concert with former President Bill Clinton, and also Chelsea Clinton.
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Lady Gaga and Chelsea Clinton (Photo: facebook.com/chelseaclinton)Chelsea shared the image on her Facebook page. “A highlight of tonight was meeting Lady Gaga backstage,” she said. “Her combination of creativity, intelligence and activism are inspiring – and, yes, she’s even more remarkable on stage than on youtube.”
Lady Gaga also delivered on stage. The singer changed the words of the song "Bad Romance" to "Bill Romance," stripping out of her dress to reveal a nude body suit underneath.
To the shock of the president, his wife, and his daughter, the singer proceeded to serenade the president, who was sitting just a few feet away from the dance diva. But the Lady won over the former First Family, who was caught up in the performance and dancing to the beat. Gaga slithered over to the stage where Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea stood and told them, "I'm going to dance with the whole family." She sang, "I love you Bill, and Chelsea too."
But Bill was warned: Clinton admitted that when he invited Lady Gaga, she told him her idea. The former president, who had a quadruple bypass in 2004, joked, "I got nervous when Gaga said she was planning to have a Marilyn moment, and I thought, 'I will have a heart attack for my 65th birthday.'"
The Clintons did not need to worry. Lady Gaga turned the intro of "You and I" into a family affair. She changed the words to celebrate Hillary's White House run: "Hillary, sit back down where you belong/In the office, with those high heels on. /Sit back down where we watched you charm the whole world and the country."
She added the line, "There's something about this place/Something about America/When a Clinton makes us all feel safe/Something about a cool Arkansas guy/ There's something about Bill-ary, that's your new celebrity name. To the Clintons, you and I."
Usher rips his pants
The R &B singer brought the house down with the Joe Cocker version of the Beatles tune "With a Little Help From My Friends." But what he needed was a little help from his wardrobe. During a dance routine to the tune "OMG," the performer ripped his pants. But the show must go on. Usher kept on dancing, then explained with a smile, "I work hard."
The Edge and Bono surprise with an extra song
The music legends ended the evening with some classic tunes from U2, including "One," and dedicating "Sunday Bloody Sunday" to Hillary Clinton. The two performers left the stage, then returned with former President Clinton between them. Clinton announced that the show, which was running late, was almost over: "They are going to pull the plug on the Hollywood Bowl," he said, but before that happened, the rockers were going to sneak in an encore. Talk about going out with a bang: The performers then brought onstage an entire string orchestra to accompany them for "Miss Sarajevo."
