The night when Lady Gaga performed in a basement club in Madrid

What did audience members feel during the Jackson 5¡¯s first concert in 1969, or during Madonna¡¯s debut in a New York club in 1982? Perhaps it was a similar feeling experienced by the lucky attendees of the first concert Lady Gaga gave in Spain, in a basement club just off Madrid¡¯s Gran V¨ªa. When Lady Gaga performed in the Spanish capital on February 27, 2009, she had not yet reached megastardom. But she had enough of a reputation to pack out the Ocho y Medio nightclub, at a free concert organized by record label Universal and the now-extinct website MySpace. So many fans were left outside the venue that she decided to repeat the concert for them.

¡°There were around 800 people waiting in line, many dressed up as her,¡± explains Borja Prieto, former content director of MySpace. ¡°As they say now, it was a fantasy. It was when I realized the incredible power of the internet. Lady Gaga didn¡¯t exist in the media, only online,¡± explains Prieto, who now runs Est¨¢ Pasando, an advertising and marketing agency.

¡°One of the maintenance workers called us up because there had been a line outside since 8am,¡± explains Bel¨¦n Chanes, member of the indie group L-Kan and promoter of Ocho y Medio, which has since moved to a different venue. By 1pm, the line was stretching all the way to nearby Plaza de Callao.

The huge crowds took the event¡¯s organizers by surprise. ¡°She had just released first album, and the singles Just Dance and Poker Face,¡± explains Angel Carri¨®n, who is responsible for promoting the American artist in Spain. The nightclub where the artist performed wasn¡¯t big enough to accommodate all of her fans, but there was a reason behind the choice for a smaller venue. ¡°We wanted to hold a concert in a typical Madrid club like the New York venues in which she had come up,¡± Carri¨®n explains.

The small stage, which was barely eight meters square, didn¡¯t stop the artist from jumping up and down, dancing and sweating, accompanied by Space Cowboy, her DJ, and two backup dancers. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe that she could do all the choreography on such a small stage,¡± Chanes recalls with awe. All of the attendees felt that despite the modest space, they were in the presence of a genuine star with incredible potential.

Standing on tables wearing a flesh-colored bodysuit, a black jacket, belt and high heeled boots, the artist belted out songs such as Beautiful Dirty Rich, Money Honey, Love Game and Fame. She also sang an a capella version of Quicksand, a song she composed for Britney Spears.

¡°I was surprised at how she connected, and the strength of her voice,¡± explains Blanco. ¡°She had the crowd in the palm of her hand from the very first moment. She touched and greeted those in the front rows and they went crazy,¡± explains V¨ªctor Hermida, who was also at the gig.

¡°Gaga asked us, ¡®Are all these people here to see me?¡¯¡± say Prieto and Carri¨®n. When they told her that more were waiting outside because the venue wasn¡¯t big enough to hold them all, Lady Gaga offered to do a second concert. ¡°Gaga has always tried to ensure that her fans are treated as well as possible,¡± says Carri¨®n.

Nearly two years after that mini-concert, Lady Gaga performed at Madrid¡¯s Palacio de los Deportes arena at a sold out show where tickets cost more than €60. ¡°When someone tells me they¡¯re going to a Lady Gaga concert, I always tell them my story,¡± explains Hermida. Today the artist not only fills stadiums across the world, but has also won an Oscar for her work in the movie A Star is Born. ¡°My mother always says that Lady Gaga is where she is now thanks to us,¡± jokes Chanes.

English version by Asia London Palomba.