Lady Gaga celebrates her birthday at Staples Center

Lady Gaga brought her Monster Ball tour to Los Angeles' Staples Center on Monday night -- and celebrated her birthday with her crew and dancers onstage. As the video above shows, they brought out a cake and all of the pop singer's "little monsters" in the crowd sang her a song. No word on who the cake designer was (no doubt the most celebrated, innovative one in the world), but if the number of candles atop it is any indication, the woman born Stefani Germanotta turned 6 Monday night.

[Updated, 4:44 p.m. March 29: The original version of this post misspelled Lady Gaga's birthname, and incorrectly identified the name of the Monster Ball. We have corrected both above.]

It was, in fact, Lady Gaga's 25th birthday, and Pop & Hiss's Margaret Wappler was at the show. Later Tuesday morning she'll offer an overview of this installment of the neverending Monster Ball, which has twirled through Los Angeles at least four times in the last two years. The difference, besides Monday night being Gaga's birthday? It was the first time in L.A. she has performed her recent hit, "Born This Way," since its official release.

Related:

Frank Talk with Lady Gaga: Ann Powers interviews the superstar

Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' video: Making goddess culture accessible

Lady Gaga, sexuality, and 21st Century Pop

-- Randall Roberts

Comments

[Hunter]

(This is Gaga's speech after she received her birthday present, a pair of Ruby Red slippers from The Wizard of Oz. In the set, this happened prior to a piano only rendition of "Born This Way".)

GAGA: I have a funny little story. So, one of my favorite presents I was given for my birthday is from everyone that takes care of my clothes backstage, the wardrobe department. They bought me an original pair of one of the sets of shoes that Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz. Little did they know that I have a real background with these shoes.

Because, number one, the Monster Ball was created as a sort of punk rock answer to The Wizard of Oz. But secondly, because when I was in high school we did the Wizard of Oz in school and I auditioned for the show and the biggest bully who bullied me when I was a kid got the role of Dorothy.

She was older than me, and I'll never forget it because I wanted to be Dorothy so bad, but I was in eighth grade and she was a junior. And I definitely deserved to get it. But I didn't get it. And then, I remember, she'd be in the dressing room when I was getting ready. I was one of the... one of the people in the chorus. Like the worst role. She used to pour... Do you know? Are any of you dancers? She used to pour Coca Cola on her shoes ... If you pour Coca Cola on your shoes they don't slip onstage. So she would would pour the Coca cola on her shoes. And she'd look at me and say, "Just in case I slip in my ruby slippers." Fucking bitch.

As I talk today to the Wizard of Oz and my life, which ended up a little bit of differently, I just have to say on behalf of myself, and all the girls bullied around the world, now these fucking ruby slippers are mine.

And maybe you don't feel like Dorothy today. Maybe you feel like someone else, or the Scarecrow, or maybe you feel like the Tin Man, or the Wicked Witch. Just know that the only way of accomplishing things in your life is to change things, and that someday, somebody will hand you a pair of ruby slippers.

- Lady Gaga's Birthday Speech

[gayle]

The cake designer was Chef Roberto Cortez!!!

[Steffi Scott]

And I catched a candle!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Greetz from the skull-couple in the 1st row... Xo

[Jessica]

I was there at the concert!!

[Meg]

I was there and it was without a doubt the best birthday party I've ever been to. I don't care that I'm exhausted from only two hours of sleep, it was worth it ten times over. This was my second time seeing her and she is only getting better. And to all GaGa fans out there who havnt see her live. Dress up, dance your heart out, and do whatever the heck GaGa says to do.

[Cara Wheat]

I wish i went!!!

[Rene Cortez]

See photos of the birthday cake and backstage desserts"

http://www.robertocortez.com/blog/2011/03/sweet-lady-gaga/