Gaga opted for a "darker, edgier" appearance for the tour in contrast to the pink cyberpunk look from Chromatica's earlier promotional imagery; her wardrobe included outfits by designers she frequently worked with in the past, such as Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, and her sister, Natali Germanotta.

On numerous American dates, Gaga interpolated political statements to her piano performances, addressing topics such as gun violence and abortion rights.

The tour was originally announced via Gaga's social media on March 5, 2020, as a six-date-long, limited concert series for the summer of that year, in support of her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020).

The announcement was accompanied by a dual-sided graphic, one side an extreme closeup of Gaga's face, sporting the 'Chromatica symbol' on her cheek, mostly covered with a long, straightened, pink wig.

The other side of the graphic featured the tour's limited itinerary surrounded by imagery from the music video and promotional campaign for "Stupid Love", the lead single from Chromatica.

[10] To commemorate the event, a Japanese tour edition of Chromatica with extra content was released on August 31, 2022, and a pop-up shop selling merchandise items opened on the same day.

"[14] Rolling Stone's Hannah Ewens noted that the concert series was "carefully and successfully designed with Gaga's illness in mind", with fewer dates than any of her previous world tours, and the more complex choreography reserved for the latter section of the show.

[16] On the day of the first tour date, Gaga posted a video on her Instagram account, giving an explanation behind the show: "The stage was inspired by brutalist architecture, materials, textures, crudity, transparency.

[26] Throughout the show, Gaga wears outfits by Gareth Pugh, Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix, Aziz Rebar, Vex Latex, Dead Lotus Couture, and her sister Natali Germanotta's fashion brand, Topo Studio NY.

[16][27] Christian Allaire of Vogue noted Gaga omitted her pink cyberpunk look from the music video of "Stupid Love", and instead "reviving her signature 'Mother Monster' style, which favors a darker, edgier aesthetic".

[28][27][30] Removing the garment revealed a nude latex bodysuit splattered in red, blood-like goo, with taped X's over Gaga's nipples, along with a big, spiked necklace.

[27][29][30][32] Lauren O'Neill from i thought this "authoritarian" look recalled Gaga's music video for "Alejandro" (2010),[2] while The Philadelphia Inquirer's Dan Deluca found it to be "an homage to 'Justify My Love'-era Madonna".

[24] Gaga appears atop a set piece reminiscent of a giant slab of concrete singing the track, while standing still inside a leather sarcophagus-type garment with only her face visible .

[19] Gaga then returns on stage seemingly covered in blood, and continues with three songs which share a common lyrical theme: the singer expressing her fears and internal struggles.

"[22] For "Monster", Gaga performs a dance routine with zombie motifs, and gets attacked and "eaten alive" by her dancers, only to re-emerge in a latex red jacket with pointy shoulder pads and jet-black sunglasses.

[17] After proclaiming that she sees plenty of people in the audience who know exactly who they are,[22] she performs her self-acceptance anthem "Born This Way", initially in a stripped back rendition, before switching to the song's uptempo and choreographed version.

[15] She talks about the sorrowful state which inspired her to write "1000 Doves" and expresses regret for concealing her pain with a joyful pop track before playing it in on the piano, the way she originally intended.

[25] Reviewing the show in Düsseldorf, Boris Pofalla from Welt compared it to a rock concert, because of the "hands in the air, flashing bracelets around the wrists, several guitarists with trapezoidal instruments on stage booms, twirling dancers and, very impressively, many flamethrowers."

[25] In a five-star review for The Telegraph, Neil McCormick commented that the concert "clearly meant as much to the artist as the audience, adding real emotional impact to an absolutely slam-bang pop spectacular.

She called Gaga "one of the best performers in the world to watch live", while praising the production, the dancing, and highlighting the acoustic section of the show, saying that "there are few vocalists who do better when it's just their voice and the keys".

[2] Writing for Rolling Stone, Hannah Ewens gave the show a five-star review, praising Gaga as "one of the greatest living musical performers" and pointed out the piano section as the highlight of the night.

[3] According to Adam Davidson of Clash, "the show was as predictably unpredictable as you’d expect from a Lady Gaga concert with everything from incredible choreographed dances to avant-garde theatrics and lots of special effects that made it a night to remember for all in attendance.

"[38] Arwa Haider of the Financial Times rated the show with the maximum 5 stars for its "tremendous attention to detail", saying that "Gaga's designer costumes and mid-song metamorphoses were spectacular, her vocal power — soaringly soulful and screamingly punkish in turn — and slick choreography triumphant".

[4] The London Evening Standard's Gemma Samways found it an "extraordinary stage show that more than matched the ambition of the album", which was "as ludicrous as it was compelling, and all the more unforgettable for it."

[5] Writing for Consequence, Sarah Kurchak called the concert the "can't-miss pop event of the summer", which "mixed moments of triumph, vulnerability, celebration, defiance, heartache".

[21] Similarly, Selena Fragassi of the Chicago Sun-Times complimented the piano section, saying it was "the most evocative" part of the show where "Gaga finally sat still long enough for her impeccable vocals to shine".

"[40] Bob Gendron of the Chicago Tribune praised the show and called it "a performance for the ages", where "Gaga exuded bigger-than-life confidence yet repeatedly exhibited generous degrees of sincerity and humility."

[19] The Dallas Observer's Carly May Gravley thought that "the show felt bigger than just one album and served as almost a manifesto for the singer, combining her love of music, fashion, film and theater to pull together her sprawling catalog and create a cohesive statement.

[42] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times called Gaga "a live singer through and through", and opined that with her show, she — more than most other performers in pop music — is "committed to exposing" the cracks "in the armor of a superstar’s self-mythologizing.

"[43] Writing for Yomiuri Shimbun after the concerts in Japan, Yusuke Tsuruta noted Gaga's "lively" presence and "eccentric costumes [which] are synonymous" with her, and added that thanks to her confident singing voice, the stripped-down, piano part of the show managed to captivate the audience just as much as her choreographed, high-energy performances.