Before the Consol Energy Center went out and got a decorated knight, Sir Paul McCartney, for its grand opening, it was looking like the honors would fall to Lady Gaga, setting the stage for such awkward next-morning headlines as:

• Lady Gaga christens Pens Arena soaked in blood

• Lady Gaga hits the Pens' new ice in latex nun outfit.

• Lady Gaga rocks new arena for all her "gay Pittsburgh Steelers [fans]"

Yes, while the Consol braintrust obviously made the right choice going with "something old, something new" in that order, both turned out to be sensational, in their own way.

Having never graced one of our stages while opening for Pussycat Dolls or New Kids on the Block, Lady Gaga -- the most dazzling new pop star of the young century -- made her Pittsburgh debut last night with her raucous, eye-popping Monster Ball Tour, one that travels with nearly two dozen semis full of toys.

More than a mere concert -- that would be far too pedestrian -- she dropped the curtain on a fan lovefest and four-act "pop-electro opera" that splattered her full erotic artistic vision across the stage. For some artists (here's looking at you, Britney) the lavish spectacle is a cover-up for a shortage of talent.

For Lady Gaga, who could rock a cabaret with just a piano, it's more about expressing herself as a full-frontal performance artist. Last night, to the screams of her "little monsters," a k a the fans, she emerged from behind a scrim that magnified her silhouette as she introduced "Dance in the Dark," doing the dancing in her typical spastic fashion.

The backdrop for Act 1 was a cityscape highlighted by a dayglo green jalopy that held her keyboard under the hood. Looking like Marilyn Monroe in a purple leopard corset she led her dancers through an electrified version of her first hit "Just Dance."

"In the home of the Steelers, we're going to be Suuuperrrr freak!" she screamed, before donning a bizarre red-bowed get-up for "The Fame." Later, she said, "I don't want your money, Pittsburgh, I want your Black and Gold soul." She also told them that when she was "Baby Gaga," her grandparents from Wheeling, who were in attendance, brought her to Pittsburgh to ride go-karts.

Needless to say, it was a very Pittsburgh-tailored event.

The nun suit came out for "LoveGame," which started Act 2 in a subway car and ended up on the ramp right to her little monsters, who were treated to frequent motivational speeches. "You made me brave, little monsters," she told them flirtatiously.

"Telephone" had her in a black leather bikini waving and posing with a Terrible Towel. It's hard to say what kind of karma that will bring to the Steelers, but the monsters went wild.

Most of the songs were thumping club bangers, but she settled down at the piano for bawdy, bluesy "Speechless" and the new Elton-like "You and I," showing off a voice that could pop the glasses of bubbly or scrape the paint off the jalopy.

"We sing live at this pop show," she said to more fanatical screams.

Act 3 of this journey to the Monster Ball was a jagged forest where she appeared in what looked like a giant frilly white lampshade for "Monster," before she was "attacked" by her ghoulish dancers and left bloody in a black corset for the bombastic "Teeth" and more joyful "Alejandro."

Lying bloody on the stage she yelled to her gay-heavy crowd, "I'm certain that Jesus must love EVERYBODY!"

She closed out the main set in a jeweled suit for "Poker Face" and returned for the final act, where she was caught in the tentacles of an animatronic Fame Monster, which she battled with a spark-shooting bra.

No joke.

Once at the Monster Ball, she unleashed the full "Gaga ooo la la" of "Bad Romance" on a stage sparkling with the spiky silver helmets of her and her dancers.

She may not have left real blood on the stage but the dynamic Lady Gaga left everything else, putting on one of the "Greatest Spectacles on Earth" and coming off as fully fun and human in the process.

Flamboyant NYC glam band Semi Precious Weapons got the monsters prepped with a rowdy, gay-friendly five-song set that could have served as singer Justin Tranter's audition for the New York Dolls.

"Thank you, parents," he said, "for being cool enough to bring your kids here and expose them to real rock 'n' roll." Doing his costume change right on stage, he exposed them to a little more than that.

Everything about the event was a celebratory blast, from the fashion eye candy outside to a crazy dance-off in the seats to Michael Jackson songs during the liveliest intermission you could imagine.

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.