Joanne World Tour

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Development began weeks before the album's October 2016 release with the Dive Bar Tour across US bars. On October 24, 2016, Gaga confirmed a worldwide tour to Howard Stern, clarifying it would start after her Super Bowl LI halftime show on February 5, 2017. Although Coachella organizers announced her as a main headliner in March 2017 following Beyoncé's cancellation, choreographer Richard Jackson confirmed those performances were exclusive to the festival, though elements from both the festival and Super Bowl were integrated into the tour. The original schedule included a European leg for fall 2017, but the European leg faced postponement on September 18, 2017, before resuming in Barcelona on January 14, 2018. A planned Rock in Rio date in Brazil was not part of the Joanne World Tour, and the performance happened as scheduled.

In Their Own Story

The tour's narrative arc was deeply personal, anchored by Gaga's desire to honor Manchester Arena bombing victims at every show and connect intimately with fans through a 'dive-bar-like' setting. In July 2017, she discussed song selection and choreography plans with Billboard, noting an intention to release new music like the standalone single "The Cure" during the run. The complex stage design, built by Tait Inc. in Lititz, Pennsylvania, featured three moving platforms and five performer wave lifts that shifted into zigzag or staircase patterns, earning them the nickname "tetris stages." Despite technical ambitions, Gaga admitted the computer-coded cues created a tense backstage environment, making spontaneous new song additions difficult. In 2025, she revealed the tour's abrupt end in Birmingham was also due to a psychotic break requiring psychiatric care and lithium treatment while filming A Star Is Born.

Reader's Guide

Attendees encountered a highly technical production coordinated by Tait's proprietary automation software, which synchronized lifts, lighting, and bridges with choreography. The main stage spanned 85 feet (26 m) in width, flanked by two satellite stages and a b-stage accessible via three inflatable lightning pods hanging 60 feet (18 m) above the audience. These pods acted as bridges when descended, allowing Gaga to traverse the arena on elevated pathways. A laser-lit, heart-shaped piano adorned with 44 beams served as a centerpiece, enhanced by a dichroic filmed polycarbonate shell. The visual experience was complemented by merchandise featuring 50,000 Swarovski crystals used in costumes and props, alongside a look-book collaboration between Lobster Eye and Bravado shot against Ukrainian landscapes. DJ White Shadow opened select North American dates, while the documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two screened before European shows.

Did You Know?

• The tour's final 10 shows of the revised schedule were cancelled due to chronic fibromyalgia pain, with Gaga later revealing in a 2020 interview that a psychotic break and lithium treatment also contributed.
• Despite Coachella being announced as the tour start date, choreographer Richard Jackson confirmed those performances were exclusively for the festival.
• The stage featured three inflatable lightning pods hanging 60 feet (18 m) above the audience that could descend to form bridges connecting the main and satellite stages.
• Over 50,000 Swarovski crystals were used in designing the costumes and props for Gaga and her dancers.
• The tour grossed nearly $95 million from 842,000 tickets sold before its conclusion in Birmingham on February 1, 2018.