Lady Gaga approaching Super Bowl set with 'dive bar' philosophy

Lady Gaga is keeping her nerves in check ahead of the Super Bowl by approaching the huge stadium show as if she is performing in a small dive bar.

The Born This Way hitmaker has been handed the honor of headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show during the big football game in Houston, Texas on Sunday (05Feb17), when the New England Patriots will face off against the Atlanta Falcons to be crowned the NFL champions.

Gaga admits she is playing down the enormity of the occasion in her mind to help her focus on her job by imagining she is simply playing to a small crowd in a low-key neighborhood bar in her native New York, much like she did at the start of her career - instead of the thousands who will pack the stands at the NRG Stadium and the millions more who will be watching on TV and online around the world.

"When you play a dive bar, my philosophy has always been that you should play like it's the (Madison Square) Garden, so when I play the NRG Stadium in Houston, I'm gonna play it like it's a dive bar," she told breakfast show Good Morning America. "But I'm gonna do it my way."

Gaga, who is known for her creative costumes and stage sets, has promised a concert spectacular for her loyal following and sports fans alike, and reveals she is training for the big show like an athlete.

"I work out a lot and I also do versaclimbing while I sing...," she explained, referring to the popular climbing exercise machine which gives users a full body workout. "I'm singing the show while I'm doing it, because the show is full on cardio - my performances most of the time (are) - but it's cardio while singing."

The pop superstar will need to be in tip-top shape for the gig if reports suggesting she will be flying through the air at the NRG Stadium are true. Gaga stopped short of confirming the show stunt at her pre-Super Bowl press conference on Thursday (02Feb17), but did credit her sister Natali for the idea.

"She said, 'I know, let's suspend you in the air!'" Gaga giggled.

The singer also recently confessed she had been waiting a long time to perform on one of the biggest stages in the world: "I've been planning this since I was four, so I know exactly what I'm going to do," the 30-year-old said. "For me, it's all about giving to the fans and bringing people together that wouldn't normally come together."