The first section of the Monster Ball tour kicks off next month in Montreal and carries on into the New Year, wrapping with a pair of shows at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall Jan. 20-21.

Round two of dates will see Lady G hitting arenas all over the U.K., beginning Feb. 18 at Manchester Evening News Arena and winding down March 8 at Trent FM Arena in Nottingham.

The curtain goes up on the third act of the Monster Ball March 17-18 at Hordern Pavilion in Moore Park, Australia. Other stops Down Under include Canberra, Melbourne, Boondal, Hindmarsh and Perth.

There’s been a lot of buzz about what Gaga has up her sleeve for this outing, which the singer has described as a “pop-electro opera,” so she sat down with Rolling Stone last week to shed some light on the matter.

“I wanted to really put together a show that would be the most beautiful, expensive-looking, delicious show, but that my fans wouldn’t have to pay a ton of money to come see,” Gaga told RS. “So we’re playing a few nights in a row. I’ve got super loyal fans, so I feel this tremendous obligation to take care of them.

“The theatrics and story elements are in the style of an opera. Imagine if you could take the sets of an opera, which are very grand and very beautiful, and put them through a pop-electro lens. I’ve been thinking about ways to play with the shape of this stage and change the way that we watch things. So what I’ve done is I’ve designed a stage with Haus of Gaga that is essentially a frame with forced perspective, and the frame is put inside the stage.”

The singer explained that the design of the set means that fans will all get the same visual experience – regardless of the size or shape of the venue where they see the show, the theme of which is “evolution.”

And don’t worry that all of Lady G’s creative energy has gone into the sets: her notorious fashion sense will rear its eclectic head at every turn.

“The fashion, certainly, is going to be another exploration and another level from where we were with the Fame Ball,” the singer told RS. “The theme of monsters is certainly going to be an influence, as well as the theme of evolution and change. It’s going to be a truly artistic experience that is going to take the form of the greatest post-apocalyptic house party that you’ve ever been to.”

Speaking of Gaga’s – um – cosmic sense of style, fans who shell out $100 for the super deluxe edition of The Fame: Monster will get a lot more than just the singer’s smash debut and eight additional tracks. The package features a number of innovative bonuses, including an “art table” book “documenting Gaga’s journey into pop superstardom,” behind-the-scenes photos, a puzzle, paper dolls, 3-D glasses and – wait for it – a lock of her hair.

It’s not clear how many of these special sets will be available, but I’m guessing the hair comes from the singer’s multitude of wigs. That, or she’s been saving her hair every time it’s been cut for the last few years in case just such an opportunity arose.

Okay, I think now would be a good time to talk about Gaga’s softer side. Despite the fact that many people think she might have arrived here on some sort of spacecraft, Lady Gaga is actually from New York City where she was once known as Stefani Germanotta and where her very proud parents still live. (And I mean proud. Last December, when Pollstar featured Gaga on the cover as Hotstar, her mother sent me a lovely note of thanks for doing such a nice article on her through her publicist.)

The singer’s father features prominently in The Fame: Monster in a song called “Speechless,” in which she begs him to deal with a serious illness.

“I’ve known about my father’s condition for about 15 years,” Gaga revealed this morning to NYC’s Z-100 radio station. “He told me whatever happens, happens. I was getting ready to lose my dad.

“I say this with such sincerity. I wrote this song called ‘Speechless’ that was a plea to my father. I sent it to him. I have a lot of fans who are really, really lovely, young, troubled fans, but I want to remind them that you only get one set of parents.”

Apparently the trick worked: Gaga’s father had successful open-heart surgery last Thursday, prompting her to tweet: “My Daddy had open-heart surgery today. And after long hours, they healed his broken heart, and mine. Speechless” and “At the hospital. Giving daddy a foot rub while he falls asleep. He’s my hero.”

Oh that Lady Gaga: singer, composer, dancer, choreographer, costume and set designer and now family counselor and massage therapist. What will she tackle next?