Before Lady Gaga captivated hearts on the big screen, she was a global pop star. Nowadays, the “Shallow” singer’s time as a fully-fledged musician seems far behind her. Unfortunately, one of Gaga’s former dancers supposedly has a bitter reminder of their time working together.
On January 20, in a series of videos shared on their official Instagram page, Graham Breitenstein alleged after joining Gaga on the road for her Monsters Ball Tour, they suffered ‘permanent’ hearing loss. Between 2009 and 2011, Breitenstein reportedly traveled the world with Gaga without issue until the tour’s European wing.
“While I was on stage, I believe I was in Germany or France, I had an experience on stage where my left ear all of a sudden it sounded like the crowd was in my ear the whole time,” he said. “We didn’t have in-ears at this time. So it was just raw ears in all these arenas.”
After seeking medical attention, Breitenstein learned that they had unrepairable damage. “I found out that I had lost 70 percent of hearing in my left ear and that it was permanent,” he said. “It could have been reversed if it was treated in the first two weeks of the onset with a direct shot of steroids. But we were six weeks [in], and it was too late. I would have to live the rest of my life with 30 percent of hearing in my left ear and full hearing in my right ear. So to say that I was devastated … is an understatement.”
Under the advisement of his family, Breitenstein claims he filed for worker’s compensation, providing his medical records to Live Nation (a financial supporter of the tour), but was reportedly denied.
According to Breitenstein, they hoped by coming forward, their story would serve “As a resource for other dancers that wanna perform at a high level.”
Watch Graham Breitenstein’s videos below.
Lady Gaga nor Live Nation have issued a statement regarding Breitenstein’s claims.