Cherry Grove bar manager recalls Lady Gaga performing at a Fire Island underwear party just weeks before becoming a global superstar:
“[The owner] thought she would cancel because ‘Poker Face’ had just dropped, and she was like, ‘No, I’m going to keep to my commitments.’ I had never heard of her. And I’m like, “I don’t know who this person is, but the people that were here were in awe. It was spectacular.” I told her, ‘I’d love to see you again next year.’ And, it was not a condescending way, she goes, ‘You will not be able to afford me next year.’”