Never before has the gleeful mayhem of a performance been so phenomenal.

Lady Gaga’s headlining set on the main Coachella Stage on Friday night represented the glory and splendor of an ambitious, maximalist, unforgettable live music extravaganza immediately tailored for the pop culture history books. With impeccable vocals, experimental costumes, enrapturing themes and some of the most lively choreography of her career, the 39-year-old superstar took Coachella by storm. For Gaga to defy sky-high expectations once again – especially after headlining Coachella eight years ago in 2017 – only emphasizes her enduring prowess for making a concert a transcendent experience.

Gaga’s 20-song performance began with an introductory video titled “The Art of Personal Chaos: The Manifesto of ‘MAYHEM,’” in which two versions of herself were presented on either side of the screen. On the left was a version of Gaga dressed in red with short black hair, while a different Gaga on the right donned a lacy white outfit with her hair falling in long blonde curls. For the remainder of the performance, Gaga switched between playing the two characters with elaborate styling changes and corresponding wigs, crafting a thematic throughline as the two sides of herself dueled each other.

As the video ended, the first of five acts – titled “Of Velvet and Vice” – commenced with “Bloody Mary” as Gaga stood atop a platform in an opulent scarlet dress and cloak that concealed an undercarriage of dancers. The track from the 2011 “Born This Way” album gave way to her latest single “Abracadabra” as she descended through a cage, picked up a cane and danced ferociously with her troupe while perfectly replicating the fast-paced, voguing-adjacent choreography of the song’s music video. As Gaga twirled her magnificent crimson train and reclaimed the platform, “Abracadabra” segued spectacularly into “Judas” and “Scheiße.”

[Related: Album Review: Lady Gaga’s ‘MAYHEM’ brings the magic with danceable tunes, quirky lyrics]

The thrilling performance of “Garden Of Eden” that followed was a particular standout as green lights gradually consumed the stage. Gaga crawled across the stage toward one of her guitarists during the first chorus, capturing the track’s carnality and passion before strapping on a white electric guitar herself and striding down the catwalk to the end of the stage. Toward the end of the song, she burst into an explosive dance sequence that received some of the loudest applause of the night. During the ensuing chess-themed rendition of “Poker Face” at the end of the stage, Gaga pursued a dancer portraying the other version of herself before the alter ego in white collapsed.

The death of the white Gaga character played brilliantly into the narrative of the concert as the dancer was carried back up the catwalk and discarded in a sandbox. Gaga swapped places with the dancer to begin the second act, “And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream,” emerging from the sandy grave and rolling and screeching for “Perfect Celebrity” and “Disease.” Now in a white dress with blonde locks, Gaga wore a voluminous matching cape while walking on crutches to the end of the stage for “Paparazzi” before climbing to a balcony for “Alejandro.” As the clock struck 11:59 p.m., her dancers encircled her while she sang the corresponding lyric from “The Beast.”

The third act, titled “The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name,” continued with Gaga playing the blonde version of herself and was easily the most jovial and carefree of the night. Wearing a blue and silver bodysuit, Gaga frolicked to “Killah” before putting on a buttoned jacket. The presentation of “Zombieboy” was another delightfully whimsical marvel only Gaga could have executed, as she and her backup dancers each spun and swayed with a skeleton dummy in a variety of humorous positions while delivering the song’s flirtatious lyrics. Gaga then played “Die With A Smile” on a piano decorated with skulls before walking out on the main catwalk to the tune of “How Bad Do U Want Me” in a sea of fluorescent rainbow lights.

“To Wake Her Is to Lose Her” followed as the penultimate act with Gaga shifting back to the short black wig while wearing a gray top, black latex hotpants, fishnet stockings and knee-high leather boots. An intricate routine for “Shadow Of A Man” placed Gaga on the main stage before a celebratory rendition of “Born This Way.” The singer-songwriter did not speak to the audience much throughout her set, but she paused between the two for a longer stretch to express her gratitude for her family, fiancé and fans while reminding the crowd about the value of acceptance.

In the same costume, Gaga performed “Shallow” from a piano at the tip of the stage, gazing out often toward the vast expanse of assembled festivalgoers. “Vanish Into You” marked the conclusion of the act with Gaga leaving the stage to run alongside the barricade. Her interactions with fans – which ranged from selfies to signing autographs – were cast on the main stage’s screen. Her voice did not falter once as she bounded along, beaming the entire time.

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A classic Gaga finale for the one-song act “Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart” brought the show to an epic conclusion to the tune of “Bad Romance.” Clad in white and a blonde wig once again, Gaga was wheeled out by her dancers on a medical table, climbing up and parading down the catwalk as flames were shot into the sky from the stage. Many attendees pumped their hands in the air in the shapes of paws as Gaga exited the stage, a blitz of fireworks marking her departure following the song’s titanic final chorus.

Taking the set as a whole, the only variable to possibly be lamented would be the omission of material from dance-forward Gaga albums such as 2013’s “ARTPOP” and 2020’s “Chromatica.” However, these setlist choices are negligible when considering the unstoppable zeal Gaga brought to the stage for almost two hours before her set’s 1 a.m. conclusion. The only other small hiccup was Gaga’s microphone cutting out briefly during the first two songs – a mishap she not only acknowledged to the crowd later on in the show but made up for by attacking the remainder of the show with unbridled intensity.

Best of all, Gaga appeared to be truly joyful and uninhibited onstage in a way that felt fresh and exciting for longtime fans. The 14-time Grammy winner has always been a world-class performer but has spoken in the past about struggles with injuries. For Gaga to appear so jubilant, so grateful, so genuinely happy and deliriously giddy – all while nailing every step, spin and skip – made the entire show a true gift for everyone in attendance. The effort Gaga put forth ensured that the performance was incredible, but the unquantifiable quality of her infectious mood made Friday’s set a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Gaga’s set included the message that “monsters never die,” and with her latest Coachella triumph, she can be certain that her legacy as a live entertainer for the ages will never die either.