Tour Preview: Why 2012 Is Shaping Up to Be a Monster Year

Lady Gaga takes a rather unusual approach to touring. Her Monster Ball tour ran for 201 shows between November 2009 and May 2011. In fact, it ended just weeks before Born This Way hit shelves. She couldn't exactly start another world tour right as the last one finished, so she sat out the latter half of 2011. She's made no secret that a big tour is in the works for 2012. "I just finished designing the stage," she recently said. "It's bigger and better than ever. I'm so happy."

Likelihood: 99 percent. Nothing's certain until she takes the stage on the first night, but this is as close to a lock as these things get. The tour is likely to go for a long, long time. The woman loves to perform.