'I went to Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball twice and life will never be the same'

Sitting here after experiencing two of the best nights of my life, I'm struggling to articulate exactly how it felt to see Lady Gagaagain, 15 years after going to The Monster Ball tour. As Little Monsters will understand, getting tickets to see Mother Mayhem is almost impossible, so when one of my besties managed to bag us some, we were thrilled. Then, I received an invitation to see her with Collection Cosmetics, and my jaw dropped. Not one night, but two? Count me in.

It's really difficult to explain how much Lady Gaga and her music mean to me. She was a voice for the LGBTQ+ communities before it was 'trendy.' Her music comes from the heart, and she's shown women that they don't have to conform to traditional gender roles and can carve their own path.

I'd liken my love for Gaga to a Swiftie's love for Taylor. I know all the lyrics to all her songs (even the more niche ones), and when I was a teen, she was my poster girl.

My walls were adorned with pictures of her, and people who knew me in school were more than aware of how much I loved Gaga. I did my make-up like her, watched countless interviews - chuckling when she'd be sassy to the person quizzing her about silly things - and wrote down lyrics to her songs in a notebook.

So seeing her come on stage in Manchester at the Co-Op Live not once, but twice, was the best thing. I screamed my head off, not being able to believe I was breathing the same air as my idol, the woman whose music shaped my childhood.

On the first night, I sang my heart out with my girlfriends. We cried at the piano version of Speechless and Dance in the Dark and danced like total maniacs for two and a half hours. By the end, we were hot! Our setting sprays were working overtime.

We were treated to just over two and a half hours of major hits from Bloody Mary, to Zombie Boy, and even How Bad Do You Want Me. Not only that, but everyone was given a light wristband, which provided some incredible effects throughout the evening.

Gaga also gave an emotional speech before Born This Way, referencing Manchester's queer community.

"This show is for you. For your pride, your freedom, the way you look. You have been so special to me my whole life, my whole career," she gushed, and the crowd went wild.

She also later said: "I've always had the best time when I come to Manchester. I don't know how to explain it, but there's a lot of Little Monsters here, I can tell".

To say that my voice was hoarse at the end of the night is a major understatement. I spent most of the next morning in bed feeling equal parts sorry for myself and ready to go again.

Night two brought the same incredible energy, just from a different view of the stage, and I was lucky enough to experience it with my mum this time round. She absolutely adored every second, and she knew almost as many lyrics as I did thanks to my blasting many of the tunes as a teen.

It was just as amazing, but this time around, Gaga sang Edge of Glory. I was floored, and so shocked to hear this amazing hit played on the piano - something I never thought I'd hear.

Everything was seamless and looked absolutely effortless. But it's not. She's dancing and singing live, and she also has fibromyalgia. She's literally a pocket rocket.

She asked whether we'd still come to another Lady Gaga concert in 20 years, and honestly, yes, yes, I would. In 20 years, she'll be nearing 60, and I reckon she'd still be putting on the greatest piece of theatre I've ever seen in my life - even if she is just sitting down at the piano rather than throwing herself around on the stage.