Lady Gaga Performs ‘Imagine’ For Gay Rights

Tags:

Lady Gaga,LGBT,Barack Obama,Politics,Music,Celebrities

enlarge

1/4

Getty Images
Lady Gaga performs at the Human Rights Campaign’s dinner in Washington, D.C. on October 10, 2009
Getty Premium
Lady GaGa is never out of character as she signs autographs at the Berlin Airport in Berlin, Germany on September 6, 2009
NBC
Lady Gaga and Madonna face off on ‘Saturday Night Live’ on October 3, 2009
Getty Images
Lady Gaga shines at the Heartbeats by Lady Gaga headphones unveiling at The New York Palace Hotel in New York City on September 30, 2009

hottest galleries

more galleries

FIRST PUBLISHED: October 11, 2009 5:10 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: October 11, 2009 5:57 PM EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. --

Lady Gaga took a break from “The Fame” on Saturday night to “Imagine” a different tomorrow.

“I’m not going to play one of my songs tonight. Tonight is not about me. It’s about you,” she said in a video available on YouTube before launching into John Lennon’s classic song at the Human Rights Campaign’s dinner the night before the National Equality March in Washington, D.C.

Gaga wasn’t the only big name at the HRC dinner. President Obama also spoke, and in his opening remarks stated, “I’m honored to be opening for Lady Gaga tonight.”

Gaga’s version changed John’s lyrics to reference Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old college student whose tragic 1998 murder in Wyoming inspired government legislation against hate crimes which passed earlier this year.

Gaga also addressed the crowds in a speech at the march’s rally on Sunday, as did “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, the cast of Broadway’s “Hair,” and Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. The rally was carried live on C-Span and cable channel Logo went dark in honor of the march.

CLICK HERE to watch Gaga’s performance from Saturday night.

Keep your Access to everything in Hollywood! Breaking news and personal commentary from Nancy, Billy, Tony, Shaun, Maria & all of our producers! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter now!