Lady Gaga received a heartfelt pep talk from her fiancé, Michael Polansky, ahead of her Mayhem Ball tour stop in New York City.
The 39-year-old pop superstar returned to her hometown on Friday (Aug. 22) for a two-hour show at Madison Square Garden, marking her first performance in the Big Apple since headlining MetLife Stadium during The Chromatica Ball in 2022.
During the concert, Gaga paused to share the words of encouragement she received from Polansky, 41, and a close friend before taking the stage.
“I think about walking on the concrete, going all around the city and just — I remember fighting really hard, fighting really hard for my dreams and what I believed in and for myself,” she told the crowd, according to People. “I was with my friend China before the show… and I said to her, ‘I think I might just fight my way through this whole show, ‘cause when I’m in New York, I fight. I gotta earn it, and I gotta go for it.”
Gaga said her friend responded with something that shifted her mindset. “Sometimes you don’t have to fight, you just have to show up,” she said.
The singer and actress added that Polansky echoed a similar sentiment. “Right before I came onstage, my fiancé, Michael, said, ‘When you go out there, let them fill you up,’” Gaga recalled, visibly emotional.
From there, Gaga introduced her next song “Hair,” which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2011. It marked the first time she had performed the Born This Way track on the Mayhem Ball tour, which launched in mid-July.
She described her second album as “very special” and credited New York as its creative foundation. “I’m sure all my albums could not be made without New York, but I am sure that this album would not have been made without New York,” she said. “This is for all of you and for all your dreams, for maybe sometimes no more fighting, just showing up.”
As noted in Billboard‘s recap, Gaga’s homecoming concert marked the start of a six-night run at Madison Square Garden as part of her globe-spanning Mayhem Ball tour. Check out the best moments from Friday’s show here.