Taiwan's Gays Welcome Lady Gaga

Gay fans and others turned out in force Sunday for Lady Gaga’s first concert in Taiwan, a free promotional event held in the city of Taichung.

The pop star performed for an hour, singing nine songs — five more than scheduled, according to Focus Taiwan. There were 6,000 fans in the Fulfillment Amphitheater for the event, while another 30,000 watched the concert via two large TV screens set up outside the venue.

The Taipei Times reports that an LGBT contingent planned to hold up signs during the concert expressing gratitude for Gaga’s support. Slogans included “Born This Way, Born This Gay” and “Gaga Loves Gays, Gays Love Gaga.”

One member of the group put together a costume that won a “creative outfit” contest organized by Mercedes-Benz in conjunction with the concert. The man, identified only as Chris, “covered himself with black feathers and a cage to symbolize the discrimination and repression that gay people suffer, but that rather than be cowed by such attitudes, gay people are determined to fight for their rights,” the Times reports. He got 10,000 votes on the Internet to win the contest, and he hoped to meet Lady Gaga.

No word on if he did so, but the concert left “tens of thousands of fans in ecstasy,” Focus Taiwan reports. “Her ‘little monsters’ were surprised by the singer's improvisation of the lyrics and spontaneous interaction with them, such as singing ‘Taiwan you and I’ or stopping in the middle of a sentence to let fans finish singing the rest,” the news site notes.

Sunday was declared Lady Gaga Day in Taichung; the city welcomed her with a ceremony (pictured) featuring Mayor Jason Hu and a performance by children in traditional costume. She is scheduled to give a press conference in the capital city of Taipei Monday.