Lady Gaga in Philippines: Kicked off concert in Manila with more than 40,000 fans

The American pop singer and songwriter  Lady Gaga is on world tour dubbed as "The Born This Way Ball" amidst the outcry of conservative Christians and Muslims in Asia.

Lady Gaga in Philippines: Kicked off concert in Manila with more than 40,000 fans

Lady Gaga, who is famous for her eccentric costumes, kicked off her concert in the Philippines on Monday night wearing a conservative Filipiniana-like dress due to the protests in the Catholic-majority nation.

Lady Gaga appeared on the stage riding a black stallion and blew away the huge crowd of fans with her famous number "Born This Way."

According to Agence France-Presse reports; at least 40,000 of Gaga fans have bought the tickets costing up to P15,840 each to watch her performances in Manila on Monday and Tuesday.

Lady Gaga's latest world tour has been surrounded by controversy in Asia, and an upcoming concert in Muslim-majority Indonesia has been cancelled on police orders for fear of violence from religious hardliners.

In the Philippines, Catholic leader Archbishop Ramon Arguelles urged the public to boycott her two concerts. "Her fans are in danger of falling into the clutches of Satan," he told reporters.

Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza said he was not against Lady Gaga herself but only against "certain acts and passages" in her songs and music videos.

This included the use of a crucifix in "a very denigrating manner" as well as one of her songs "where she is belittling Jesus Christ himself and praising Judas as heroic", he told AFP.

"We respect freedom of expression in this country. We also appreciate art and culture... but the laws should be respected."

Lady Gaga is performing at the Arena, a new, oblong theater built in Pasay by the country's richest man, Henry Sy of the SM shopping mall chain.

Outside the arena, about 100 "little monsters" -- the name given to Lady Gaga's devoted followers -- were lined up hours before the show, sporting her signature outrageous clothing, hairstyle and makeup.

Report Tags: Lady Gaga, Born this way, Born this way ball world tour, Lady Gaga World Tour, Lady gaga in Philippines, Lady Gaga concert in Philippines, Manila Concert,