One of the best parts of live music is the moment of realization that occurs when an artist steps out on stage and reveals that they are, in fact, a real person. As absurd as that may sound, when an artist exists only by voice on Spotify or pictures on Instagram, it becomes easy to forget that they are also a living, breathing human being.

When Lady Gaga descended on TD Garden on March 30, the exact opposite moment of realization happened.

With every minute she spent on stage, surrounded by giant skulls and smoke from the monstrous set behind her, while simultaneously bathed in light from the thousands of LED bracelets embracing fans’ wrists, the pop legend’s mystique only grew stronger, pushing her further and further away from the realm of mortality.

Part of the effect was due to the show’s intense themes, as she split the show into four acts with distinct feelings and dark meanings, all filled with Gothic and nightmarish ideas. But perhaps nothing did more for the atmosphere than the choreography — every single second of every last song was choreographed.

And goodness, were the dancers immaculate. During the “Abracadabra” remix that finished Act I — despite Gaga’s absence from the stage — her dancers embodied the intensely alien energy of the show, hand springing and flipping their way down the narrow catwalk, cleaving the arena in half.

Together, Gaga and her backup dancers set the scene for an incredible amount of storytelling, as in “Paparazzi,” one of the highlights of the night.

Gaga took the pop classic much more slowly than its recorded version, stripping it down to just a melodic backing, as she presented herself in shining armor and on two crutches with a white veil trailing her. In distorted, disjointed motions, Gaga sputtered her way down the catwalk, with the veil growing longer and longer behind her, all while serenading the Garden with a haunting rendition of her hit song.

The lyrics, strained movement, and harsh spotlight all evoked the terrors of losing fame — which Gaga called a dream — and she finished the song with a pained cry of “please don’t wake me up.”

“Paparazzi” was a perfect example of Gaga’s biggest, but perhaps most intangible, strength throughout the show: her unapologetic and emphatic sense of artistry. Every weird set choice, disturbing choreography, or insane outfit would have fallen flat had it not been for her absolute dedication to her vision, both musical and visual. Gaga embraced every moment, from the intimate scenes by herself at the piano to the waves of applause following every song — she was just as grand as them.

Gaga started Act IV, titled “Every Chessboard Has Two Queens,” with a scintillating light show that kicked off “Shadow Of A Man,” which, despite being well over an hour into the show, had an infectious energy.

Her powerful ballad, “Million Reasons,” seemed simple compared to previous songs — there were no backup dancers, just her, making her way down the catwalk and reaching out to her audience. Still, the feeling was electric. In a touching moment, she affirmed that, despite all the turbulence of fame, her “one good [reason] to stay” was the love and support from her fans.

As she reached center stage, a canoe — a perfect example of the brilliantly all-over-the-place props — appeared from the shadows, and with it began a slowed rendition of her Academy Award-winning song “Shallow” from the 2018 film, “A Star Is Born.”

In “Shallow,” Gaga soared. With the electropop that defines much of her earlier music, one easily forgets just how incredible a vocalist Gaga is. Undoubtedly, not one audience member present that night will ever forget that.

During the three goosebump-inducing minutes of “Shallow,” Gaga shot into her upper register with minute control. Every note seemed effortlessly plucked out of thin air, and she made the Garden into a makeshift cathedral for her vocals, reverberating through the arena in a magnificent display of prowess.

Her gentle performance of “Die With A Smile” was a sharp contrast from the preceding piece — stationary, somber, and seated at the piano. The more recent hit was clearly the crowd’s most familiar, and it encouraged a sweet moment of chorus throughout the venue.

A long, emotional, and vocally striking rendition of “Hair,” followed by a high-energy “Vanish Into You,” brought Gaga to her finale of “Bad Romance,” a song which answered the common question of “How much pyro is too much?” with a resounding “yes.” There was plenty of real fire, but also a metaphorical one that she lit the audience with as the show climaxed into her most defining song. A heartfelt encore later, and it was all done: Gaga left, the lights turned on, and the audience shuffled toward the exits.

A few days later, the concert felt like a dream — it honestly might have been. The show was positively too much — too many lights, too much dancing, too much emotion — to have really happened.

One day, it may turn out that Lady Gaga is human after all. But, for one night at TD Garden, even for just a couple of hours, she had the power to transport a crowd into the land of the ethereal.

—Staff writer Alessandro M. M. Drake can be reached at [email protected].

—Contributing writer Nika Imamberdieva can be reached at [email protected].