Lady Gaga beats snow and groper to win over Paris

Should Lady Gaga get stuck in Paris, unable to get back to New York for Christmas because of the snow, she will at least be among friends. The 23-year-old singer won effusive reviews this morning from the French press after she finally appeared in concert at the Bercy stadium on Monday night.

Her pair of concerts were originally scheduled for late October but had to be postponed when the 28 trucks needed to haul La Gaga's stage sets and sound equipment into Paris got caught up in one of the strikes over President Sarkozy's pension reforms.

The concerts were rescheduled for Sunday and Monday night. But to the consternation of her fans, and the fury of Lady Gaga herself, Sunday's gig had to be scrapped because those same 28 trucks had been stopped by the snow. To be more precise, they had been stopped by the authorities who refused to allow any trucks to travel through the snow-bound Ile de France region.

With the French beginning to wonder whether they would ever see Lady Gaga in concert, Monday night's show went ahead as planned and as the pop critic for Gala.fr put it, it was well worth the wait. "The two-hour spectacle was exuberant, outrageous and stunning," wrote Jean-Christian Hay. Lady Gaga had promised Parisians the night of their lives - and she delivered.

More important she proved herself to be not just a pop star, but an artist - the ultimate in praise from a French critic. "Better known for her extravagances, her improbable outfits and her provocative taste, Lady Gaga is above all else an artist," wrote Hay. "She has the voice, she can play the piano, the guitar and dance..."

Crucially, given recent complaints in France about pop stars miming to pre-recorded sound tapes, La Gaga does not pretend. "Chez elle, pas de playback," write Hay.

Le Parisien tracked down a 24-year-old French girl called Fanny who said Monday's concert had been like a dream. "She changed her costume at least five times," said Fanny. "I adore what she does!"

Not as much as another French girl who, if latest reports are to be believed, groped Lady Gaga as she came out of her Paris hotel yesterday. The singer's minders were forced to remove the fan's hand from La Gaga's right breast.  

Sunday's night's postponed concert has been rescheduled for tonight. ·