Up All Night With Gaga’s Little Monsters
When Lady Gaga announced her July 9th early morning performance on Today, her devoted "little monsters" responded by lining up as early as 30 hours before her set was slated to begin, camping out on NYC streets in the midst of a heat wave. Here, fans hang out Thursday afternoon, waiting for pizza and water which was provided to them by Lady "Mother-Monster" Gaga.
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Nicole Caporica
Age: 19
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.What She's Wearing: Caution tape and Diet Coke cans as hair rollers, inspired by Gaga's ?Telephone? video with Beyoncé.
Craziest Thing She'd Do For Gaga: Besides the tattoo? "I?d die for her," Caporica says. "She means everything to me.?
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Alejandro Hernandez
?If half of Lady Gaga's fans went to Washington, D.C., it would be five times greater than the Million Man March,? Hernandez says.
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Carlos Acevedo
Age: 18
Hometown: Paterson, N.J.Waiting in Line Since: 11:30 p.m. Wednesday
Craziest Thing He'd Do for Gaga: He and his friends narrowly escaped death to be the first in line. "The bus we were on from New Jersey was sideswiped by an 18-wheeler," Acevedo says. "Then we finally got here, and saw no one was here — but that clearly meant we were the first."
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Caiti Becker
Age: 21
Hometown: Westchester, PAFavorite Gaga Fashion: Classic, understated Gaga, like the studded lingerie dance sequence behind bars in the "Telephone" video. "I wish she would do more stuff like that," Becker says. "She looks so pretty!"
What She's Wearing: After going through 10 outfits, Becker decided on a "Poker Face" look, complete with a $20 hair bow from Ebay.
Craziest Thing She'd Do For Gaga: "I told my mom I'm tattooing over whatever part of my body she signs!" Becker says.
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Dottie Klein
Age: 20
Hometown: Brewster, N.Y.What She's Wearing: Inspired from the Origami dress seen in a performance of "Paparazzi," Klein's boyfriend worked off and on for a week to construct the pieces with jagged cardboard, a hot glue gun and gold spray paint.
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Vincent Hernandez
Age: 26
Hometown: New York, N.Y.What He's Wearing: An outfit of silver nylon from the Spandex House in the Fashion District. "She's never worn anything like this before," Hernandez says. "This is my version of the Fame Monster."
Craziest Thing He'd Do For Gaga: "I mean, I've run after limos before [for other stars]; I'd do it for Gaga," Hernandez says, recalling the time he chased a limo with Britney Spears inside until the bodyguard jumped out and yelled at him.
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Pizza Party
Ray's Pizza delivered a stack of pepperoni pies ordered by the "Mother Monster" around 9 p.m. Thursday. "Gaga pizza is the best pizza," says one fan.
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The Home Stretch
A blond-wigged fan hunches over as others pass out around her on the sidewalk a few hours before the show.
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Alex Grossman
Age: 22
Hometown: Fairfield, CTWaiting in Line Since: 9 a.m. Thursday
Craziest Thing He'd Do For Gaga: Grossman, who started a Facebook event page to promote Gaga's performance, was kicked out after jumping to the front of line. "I had to go home and shower," he says. "I?m just reclaiming my place in line. Anyway, none of you bitches would know about this if it weren't for me starting the Facebook event. I have the right to be up here."
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Ingrid Lochner
Nineteen-year-old Lochner of Collinia, N.J. takes a cigarette break before the show.
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Gemma Gibb
Age: 18 (far right)
Hometown: Cape Town, South AfricaWaiting Since: 1 p.m. Thursday
Favorite Gaga Fashion: Caution tape or whenever Gaga is "making an extravaganza."
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Monster Patrol
An NYPD officer keeps the crowd under control.
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Marsha Blemur
Age: 19
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.In Line Since: Blemur was second in line, arriving at midnight Thursday. "My friend who skipped out on work came with me," Blemur says. "I think she got sick, though."
Craziest Thing She'd Do For Gaga: "I'd jump on stage with her," she says. "I know she'd love it because we're both crazy. She'd let me stay up there. and I'd like it if she complimented me on my outfits."
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Haus of Gaga West Virginia
Michaela Williamson and Jordan Pack (from left)
Ages: 20 and 21
Hometown: Morgantown, W.V.Craziest Thing They'd Do for Gaga : The Haus of Gaga West Virginia's Morgantown chapter was founded by Michaela, Jordan and Sara Wise. They have over 1,000 followers on Facebook and over 2,000 followers on Twitter. The following allowed the trio to march alongside Lady Gaga in Washington, D.C. for gay rights this spring. But for Michaela, it all boils down to the wait: "Look, I'm a diva. And divas don't wait. But divas do wait for the Lady."
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Heather Esparza
Age: 21
Hometown: New York, NYFavorite Gaga Fashion: What she calls "the living dress," a white wild number Gaga wore during a Madison Square Garden performance of "So Happy I Could Die" this week.
What She's Wearing: "I made a classic Gaga "Just Dance" disco bra with hot glue gun that burned my fingertips," Esparza says.
Craziest Thing She'd Do For Gaga: She recently got a pulse tattoo spelling out the word "Monster" on her left bicep. "I mean, it doesn't get crazier; I'm inked for life," Esparza says.
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Olga and Spencer Jacobson
Age: 21
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.What They're Wearing: Olga's outfit is a hodge-podge of vintage and new wave Gaga: "Telephone" caution tape, "Poker Face" hair bow and suspenders and shorts for added androgyny.
Craziest Thing They'll Do For Gaga: "I'll knock down every bitch in my way if I have to," Olga says.
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Haves and Have-Nots
Around 5 a.m. the lines to see Lady Gaga perform in Rockefeller Plaza became more congested on both sides of the streets. As the performance drew near, fans toward the front of the line were given closer access to the stage, as new barricades were formed on either side of 5th and 6th Avenues.
Special Monsters also got the VIP treatment from the Today Show. The crowd's response? Boos and jeers. "They're not the real fans," said one bystander. Reporting by Mickey Woods.