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Last night I was offered 2 floor tickets in row D center, right at the edge of the left corridor. So I managed to get a very up close view of the show, that I’d like to share with you. Please understand that some of these are my personal opinions and experience and please respect that. There were some truly amazing moments in the show but also some really bad ones. The audience interaction was much better than TOAC but still a bit forced and unnecessary. Could have been cut down quite a bit. I wish she used a live band rather than pre recorded tracks. Also most of the projections were extremely lazy and tacky. I would have liked it better if she kept them to a minimum or actually come up with more original ideas (like the Frozen video). The show started close to 11 and everyone was a bit tired and annoyed by that time. If it wasn’t for this extreme delay probably everyone, including me, would have enjoyed this experience so much more. The no phone policy makes complete sense. The venue is very small and intimate and phones would be so much more distracting than at her previous tours. The merch wasn’t that great in my opinion. The only thing I liked was this shiny bomber jacket with the logo and the Madame X manifesto embroidered on the back. Also it looks fashionable and expensive. I was very disappointed because the tour book was still not available. First act was the weakest in my opinion. The opening is a bit too long and repetitive and unmemorable. Madonna finally comes out in a horrendous George Washington inspired costume. She performs God Control similar as Pride, with visuals from the video projected behind her. Next is Dark Ballet, similar to Eurovision with projections from the music video. At this point she strips part of the GW costume and wears a loose piece of white cloth strapped at the waist by a corset, military boots and the eyepatch. At the end of DB she’s awkwardly captured by 2 policemen and thrown into jail, which is a circular opening in one of the set pieces. She performs Human Nature while doing a coreo that could be really cool but she seems to struggle with it. Also I felt the costume made no sense and was in the way. Towards the end of the song this guy comes on stage with conga drums and Madonna joins him to play them together, which is a very cool moment. Then she starts talking to the audience, plays the EY snippet acapella and the twins and Mercy join her on stage for a bit. Then she goes behind a little screen and continues talking while we see she’s changing for the next number. The Madame X manifesto is projected on the little screen and Vogue starts. It’s the same version from Pride but I think it’s not as effective because Madonna is not hidden between the other dancers in the beginning. Also she doesn’t Vogue at all and barely dances. She mostly moves around the stage and that’s all. The projections are of the Steven Klein trench coat images and typewriters. Then she goes into I Don’t Search I Find. To me this was one of the highlights of the show. It has a French film noir tone with 2 spies capturing Madame X. As all these cool black and white projections are everywhere. After this it’s all a bit messy. She sings a snippet of a reworked version of Papa Don’t Preach and talks about women’s rights and tries to sell the Polaroid selfie. This poor guy offered something like $160 for it. You can tell he’s a hardcore fan cause he had this whole American life inspired outfit on and front row tickets. But she’s very rude to him and dismissed his offer. Eventually she sells the photo to a girl who offered $1000. The whole moment was kind of bad and off putting. Then she goes into American Life. Great performance on her end and the rap part was very intense and well done. Similar to the album version. It was hard to pay attention though because during this song there was a lot of commotion around me. A lot of people got up and left the concert at this point lol. I hated the staging. There was an American flag and 2 guys dancing in uniforms also a mattress on which military uniforms were being dropped from the ceiling. Maybe I missed something but it didn’t make a lot of sense. The projections were from the uncensored music video. At the end of the song these guys in marine outfits carry a coffin covered with the American flag across the stage. And the 2 of them perform a dance similar to the Beast Within in the Girlie Show. The projections are of old ships and maps, from the 1700s. Visually this was not great or original but the song was beautiful. The interlude ends with the thunders from Batuka and the Batukadeiras invade the stage coming from behind the audience on the corridors. They go and sit in a circle on the stage, and there’s a carpet on the floor, just like in the second half of the music video. The projections are again from the music video. Madonna comes out looking absolutely stunning. With the brown wig and the gorgeous purple sparkling dress. Also she wears these amazing silver high heel sandals. The performance is absolutely stunning. These women are such an inspiration and they radiate pure joy. At the end, this Asian lady comes out with a cello and closes out the song as Madonna and the Batukadeiras hold hands in a circle. A truly amazing moment. Then she has the “soccer mom/moving to Lisbon” speech. It would have been great if we didn’t hear it 100 times by now haha. Then she introduces this young talented musician and they perform a snippet of a fado song. I thought she sounded a bit off and her voice was a bit too aggressive for that specific. Then the whole stage turns into a whimsical Lisbon street, similar to the billboard performance but more extravagant. She performs Killers and Crazy. Both were good but she should have shortened it somehow. I can’t say why but by the time Crazy was over I was a bit bored. Welcome To My Fado and the snippet of La Isla Bonita were very cute and after she went into this amazing rendition of Sodade. She should release this cover since it’s incredible. Then a typewriter is brought on stage for no reason and she sits down and writes the video intro to Medellín, as the words are projected over the entire stage. Made absolutely no sense and was very boring. Then the song starts and towards the end her and the dancers descend into the crowd. It’s a magical moment since I’m right by the corridor where they come. I dance a bit with one of the dancers and Madonna walks right by me. It was incredible to see her so close! She was very tiny, beautiful and happy. Some people tried to touch her but I thought that would be very disrespectful. Since she didn’t engage I didn’t want to be intrusive. Then she went on the other corridor and randomly started to chat with someone from the audience as she sat in his chair. Next she did this incredible performance of Extreme Occident. No projections. Just her moving around on these set pieces and a guy playing the accordion. Very intimate and theatrical. The next interlude was my favorite. There were 6-8 dancers all wearing white shirts and black pants dancing on rhythmic breathing sounds. At one point the spoken lyrics from Rescue Me are played over the breathing. It’s very eerie and conceptual. It would have been great if this went into an actual Rescue Me performance. But it awkwardly transitions into Frozen and it seems like a second interlude. But it’s not. Madonna appears with the nude scarf from the album cover and a similar black dress. But she’s behind the projection screen and looks like she’s floating. The video of Lourdes is simply amazing and the way it’s superimposed with Madonna singing creates a truly artistic moment. Also it’s very moving. Probably my favorite part of the show. After that the whole stage lights up and there’s all these colorful projections of Moroccan art and everyone is wearing North African inspired costumes. Come Alive starts and Madonna shows up wearing the same head scarf and a Versace robe. The whole thing seemed messy and I wasn’t into it. Then a piano is brought on stage and she starts Future. Another terrible moment. This slower version makes no sense at all. Wish she either did the album version or an actual piano ballad. There were projections of the Amazon burning and a post apocalyptic world. Also there were 2 awkward dancers wearing these cheap looking gas masks with flowers (similar to Dark Ballet but much worse). Next is the dance remix of Crave. This doesn’t really work at all but somehow she makes it work and fun. She comes out wearing the same Versace robe but with a matching military hat. The ensemble looks great. The projections are a mix of the music video and NYC streets. The dancers wear flashy 70s inspired outfits similar to the God Control video. And the twins come out on stage and dance with everyone. The whole moment is very cute and a great show closer. The first encore is Like A Prayer. For me was extremely boring since it was the same performance she did since Super Bowl and she was wearing a boring black robe with crystals on it. The stairs were in an X position and the choir was on the steps in an X formation, while wearing black robes with red fabric draped as an X on the chest. Madonna was standing in the center on the X and the projections were of multiple red X letters. After this the curtain came down and lights turned on and some people started to leave. But then she came on again with the Pride version of I Rise. She wears a military jacket decorated with a lot of gold jewelry and the I Rise video is projected. The performance was good but not great. At the end the choir comes out and everyone leaves the stage through the corridors in the audience. Unfortunately Madonna and the dancers exited through the left corridor so I didn’t get to see her walk past me again.

I have to laugh to the people telling this is the worst tour and they didnt even attend. It's surreal.

It's absolutely hilarious to see people go on these long rants about how much they hate the show and describe how bad it is in all ways when not only they never attended it, which can be excusable, but they don't even have one single video clip or a photo to judge by, nothing, nada. They are pissed that she's not doing their Borderline or Causing a Commotion so they decide right then and there that it's the worst show ever

Negative reactions can't do much for the mood of the forum

Ok. So it definitely doesn't stay like that. And there's definitely more that you cant see. Theres doors and openings in all of those stairs pieces. Every single inch of every part of the stage is used. The projections are so precise that something will be projected on the stairs and something different on the wall behind the stairs with no overlap. You can imagine with the stage props moving every song how complex this can be.

My brave comment which she will never read: Having said that, I don't think we can say we have the right to film or recorded. The have the right to forbid recordings. Still, they have to give the audience something back: promo pictures, promo videos, tour book, punctuality.

like a prayer is what eurovision should have been and the projection of lordes almost looks like she is wrapping herself round madonna ...looks really cool

Yeah. A lot of people in my area have left during American Life. I guess they got top notch tickets for free and they thought they’re gonna see a 60yo lady playing the harp lol. I felt bad for all the real fans who can’t afford to be there while these idiots wasted these prime tickets. As for my review, it’s my experience and my opinions. And it’s supposed to be taken with a grain of salt. Yes Madonna is 61 and I don’t care if she dances or not but I do wanna see her evolve and be the true innovator and artist that she is. If she can’t Vogue she should just leave it out of the show instead of doing a subpar rendition. Honestly my favorite parts of the show were the slower more stripped down ones. I feel like that’s when to show was the most creative and she was at her best. But this is only the 3rd night. I’m hoping it will evolve and grow.

In my honest opinion it is her worst and I don't have to attend to judge it. The setlist and the production of the tour renditions along with the whole concept/set-up of the show are enough to objectively judge it. I am a long-time Madonna fan and I have expectations, especially if people pay exorbitant prices to see her. It's my right to criticize her and be entitled. A forum is a place where people exchange thoughts, opinions and reviews. Not everyone will agree with everything and not everyone will like everything she does. It's a fact that her tours have been declining in terms of production value and her setlist or song choices have been very predictable for the last three tours. Coincidentally, her tours have been rather disappointing ever since Kevin Antunes was chosen as musical director. The tour seems very last minute, improvised, unfinished and a lot of the performances are way too short. 1 hour and 30 minutes of music for an artist with such a big and diverse catalogue and she does the same songs she's been doing for the past three tours. Even similar renditions...there is just absolutely nothing exciting, inventive or interesting about this show. There were some interesting choices on the preliminary setlist but they have all been cut in favour of her "wannabe standup jokes" and cover songs. It's not worth the money she's charging.

Man she's right to try and make her fans less entitled. Don't like it, don't support it.

What is she talking about? Don't we only have one picture and one tiny video where we can barely see anything? I understand what she's saying and I respect her wishes, but fans will be fans. Fan culture that has always existed is not gonna change overnight. I think it's awesome that we don't get everything and that the show is still largely mysterious to most of us, but if we didn't have the crumbs we've gotten, then i would be really sad about not being able to see this tour. At least, for the rich people in the front row, it will be completely new and they won't have those low quality recordings that we are surviving on lmao, since i doubt they care that much to be browsing all over the internet for the tiny amount of Madame X Tour material we have so far.

It’s really Sad to read all those bad things by her fans, while the reviews are Very good. And most of us didn’t see the show. I think we all calm down and enjoy the fact that she is still here, perfect or not. I’m not saying that we have to like everything she does, simply not be so hard with her.

she really need to kick this habbit of being late on stage i agree with the reviewer here who said he would have enjoyed it more if she wasnt so late ...people get tired ..she should be aware of this it can ruin the atmosphere too

Another official picture from the concert!!

There's already a thread to talk about the setlist. Please use that thread. Topic locked for half an hour. ?

We once went to shows without phones, and did just fine. We werent hungry for information all the time. It's funny how when you take people's phones away, they start displaying behaviors of withdrawal...you know, like addicts. They get cranky and upset and want MORE. Theyre just PHONES. Not organs. We've turned into addicts who cant be bothered to put them down for two hours and be a SPECTATOR. And aborb. And enjoy. And BE PRESENT, in the moment. We dont need to be documenting everything. Im glad artists are doing this at show now. People cant be bothered to have manners, then you have to treat them like children: take their phones away.

Of course not! and I'm not asking for her greatest hits. I'm asking for a balance of old songs and new material along with some fan favourites and diversity from the previous three tours. It's not much to ask for her to fucking change it up a bit, okay?

rotfl I stopped right there. bye

As Madame X, Madonna Is Her Most Authentic Onstage Self In Years https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8530575/madonna-madame-x-tour-bam

Finally a good pic of the stage structure

I love the fact that there are no pics or videos of the show ! It gives a real mystery feel to it and it has so much more beauty to it.

Thank you @thegoldencalffor your great review! Together with @RUADJAIaccount you guys took us straight inside BAM!!! The story of the poor fan who offered money for the selfie and was rejected almost made me cry. Felt really really bad. A material, a material whore

When I first saw this image I thought she had the infamous 1979/1985 nudes projected! Lourdes looks so similar to her.

1. George Washington outfit with hat and jacket 2. George Washington outfit only white shirt/dress 3. Trench coat (like Pride) 4. Black lace top and shorts (similar to rehearsals) 5. Sparkling purple dress and silver sandals and brown wig (one of the best looks she ever had on tour) 6. Album cover look. Nude scarf and black dress 7. Nude scarf and Versace robe 8. Versace robe with matching hat 9. Black robe with embroidered with crystal crosses 10. Military jacket with metallic gold details.

Some pics...

I cant wait to Lisbon. What I have seen looks amazing and a truly experience different to the other tours I attended.

It shows a lack if respect to the audience. Respect your audience, especially when they’ve paid a fortune to be there

I'm all for criticism, I've been vocal about any artist's career that I follow. Madonna or otherwise. That's passion. But your post is an example of a knee-jerk decision inspired by brief clips, murky recordings, and hearsay. You may not like the tour but good god, you haven't seen it.

She's owes you (or me, or anyone else) absolutely NOTHING. Life is really quite simple; if you don't like something, don't engage with it. Unless you're a masochist. You're right that a forum is a place to share all opinions and you're welcome to yours but why continually disparage something you haven't seen (no, you can't base a critique of a live show on set-list alone). I suspect most fans aren't thrilled with the set-list but M is putting on a tour, still performing, still creating and doing it in a setting where we can get closer to her as a person that we've even been able to before. I'd hear her sing Candy Shop all night for that... try and find the joy, please.

I LOVE that she didnt do another semi greatest hits tour, as she said on opening night, shes not concerned with popularity and it shows how much she believes in the album.

There should be a Madame X Tour - Psychological Breakdowns Regarding Visuals thread

well if you dont like madame x album you will prob not like this tour she did say it would be 80 percent madame x she is not a nostalgic artist ..not yet anyway ...she is creative and like her music she is trying to reinvent her shows and im proud of her

human nature madame x version is the best yet ..i would love a studio version of this mix

i know right portugal inspired the album and people are shocked the concert has themes of portugal lol ...and tbh i love the welcome to my fado audio ...

Truly the worst tour she has ever done. I'm shocked she was able to do something that is even worse than the Rebel Heart Tour. I'm shocked at the sheer mess that is the setlist. I wouldn't want to pay a shit ton of money to hear Madonna tell jokes and talk more than actually singing. That Welcome to My Worst Tour thing and the cover songs are a total waste of time. Papa Don't Preach is even shorter than the MDNA Tour Version, Vogue & Human Nature are just beefed up album versions and there just barely any surprises in the setlist. It's trash from beginning to end. Where are Easy Ride, X-Static Process and Rescue Me?

The one song I really miss and that would have been a perfect fit is Nothing Really Matters, especially the Demo Assembly version. Aside from that I think it's a good setlist, mainly because Madame X is such a wonderful, warm album.

So wait... is there video out there?! Or did she hear my recording too?! ?

She writes about the respect and consideration for her wishes and explicitly uses more than once the expression "my request". It's true that the mobile free policy is common in theaters to safeguard the productions copyrights and the audience experience but it's not universal, I don't think that a theatre would have denied her the right to let people use their mobiles during her own performance. I studied at a drama school, l acted for many years and go costantly to theatres. I know how it works and I think I'm perfectly able to understand what I read. It was not kind of you to use those words.

Unfortunately, this album lacks a track that can work as a great opener. God Control is not doing well enoough, from the first fan reaction. Maybe cause the first part is slow, then there's the choir, then it's a spoken part. It's not Express Yourself. I need to see the show to understand what IDSIF has to do with this political section. The coffin interlude gave me the idea that she could be killed many times during the show and the survive at the end, singing I rise. The 2nd Segment is interesting, but risks to be boring. I think it would have been perfect had she reworked some of her old songs as fado, as we heard Like a virgin in the documentary. The 3rd Segment is the most confusing. Rescue me as an interlude only is of course the greatest disappointment. Crave remix is not for me.

I apologize, because I don't fully understand your grammar / English but I respect your opinion. Personally, I think it's a fantastic show. I was disappointed when I saw the setlist online but when I actually saw the show, I understood what she was going for, and the theatrical arc she presented. FROZEN, LAP are amazing. Best Ever. Future she plays the piano - and why shouldn't she? It allows her to focus on the vocals too. People who complain about the 'late' start look silly, in my opinion. It's one night of the year. Have you never been to a club extra late? Can you survive on 4 hours of sleep one night a year? I had to fly on a plane at 8am the next day for work, and I had no issues with her start time. For those who can't handle it, have an afternoon nap before the show and turn up at 9.30pm, and then perhaps you'll be ok? #precious

Adorable!

What I've seen looks amazing too. I admire her for wanting to do a different kind of show and trying a more intimate setting.

They took my damn fitbit. Opening night was one of the greatest nights at the theater I've had in over a decade. Respectful, no bright screens blocking my view. People talking and connecting. Ugh, a flicker.

Seriously, the only people who are actually able to attend are rich people and older folks who would like anything she's been serving. The Madonna fanbase has ALWAYS been extremely shitty towards people who are critical about her choices. It's exactly the reason why this forum went offline so many times. Just accept that not everyone will like the tour and stop quoting me if you don't agree with me. Feel free to react to my post or put me on your ignore list if you don't like what I have to say. I'm not sorry, it's human nature.

Third show in a row done!

Can you start a new thread somewhere. This is for the Madame X Tour in New York City.

The setlist could really be much better than what it is honestly. The qualities of this show, wich seems to be amazing, are certainly others imo. The arrangements could have been much more exploratory, the most commented tracks are actually the most reworked and live sounding, Humann Nature, Frozen and Future. The first set seems cahotic, confused, it seems that the spy scene (Vogue/I don't search I find) interrupts the flow of the political theme and I was finding very nice the live strings orchestration of Papa don't Preach wich I do think she should have sung for a full three minutes rendition. The second set, wich I found gorgeous as the prefinale (Frozen, Come alive, Future), lacks inexplicably a retreat of an old gem in a fado/morna style ( ... of course Rain would have been the best possible choice ... as erasing Medellin ). The finale seem extremely weak by the audio rec, I do dislike the Crave remixed version, wich could have been substituted by an old track (what about Nothing really matters with an afro shade, in continuity with Come alive?) and the closing of Like a Prayer should have definitely been enhanced by a choir crescendo. So, leaving the main structure and idea coherent to her vision, these are the adjustments I would make to the setlist Intro God Control Dark Ballet Human Nature Papa don't Preach American life Coffin Interlude Batuka Fado Pechincha Killers Crazy Welcome to my fado club/La isla bonita Sodade Rain Extreme Occident Rescue me Interlude Madame X manifesto/Vogue I don't search I find Crave Frozen Come alive Future Nothing really matters Like a prayer I rise

MADAME X-Static Process: Madonna sets herself free in darkly joyous theater-show debut Source: BoyCulture - New York City - 17 Sep. 2019 Matthew Rettenmund Tonight was Madonna's Madame X tour debut in Brooklyn, and it's safe to say the crowd was feeling it — because Madonna was feeling it. After so many rumors of an imaginary short show that could be dubbed Disarray of Light, Madame X turned out to be a thematically cohesive, at turns effusively warm and chillingly foreboding, triumph of her spirit, a near-total departure from her over-the-top arena and stadium tours, a show that clearly challenged her and invited her audience to reimagine the woman we so often see as an untouchable icon. All my friends and I arrived between 7:30-8:00 p.m., having been urged to show up by 8:30 p.m. by our Ticketmasters. Figuring the venue's no-cameras policy (your phones are entombed in Yondr cases) and ridiculous ticketing warnings ("You can only use your phone as your ticket ... unless you have a hard ticket ... and you have to just remember where you're sitting!") would mean a clusterfuck of an entry process, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it all was. You just get in line, staffers give you a hard ticket of sorts once they see your seat on your phone, your phone is Yondr-swallowed, you go through a metal detector (be sure they do not put your Yondr in a bin with anyone else's as they're indistinguishable), then you're in. It was crowded, but not a mob scene. It was a little scary that her dancer Marvin arrived through the lobby around 9:45 p.m., and it was funny to see Anderson Cooper slither in because while he was safe from selfies with no cellphones around, he was still a moving target that did not desire to be hit up for small talk. Inside: It's alarming how close the front row is to the stage, and to Madonna. I had asked one of the frail-looking BAM employees if they truly felt confident they could hold the crowds at bay, and she told me Madonna would have security between the front row and the stage, which is only a few steps up. Instead, she had her main security guy we have all seen 100 times — and that's it, though I've been told there are hidden precautions. It just appears that the only thing keeping people from jumping onstage is the honor system, and fucking Roger Friedman was in the house! Honestly, I think I'd have let people use cellphones and spent more energy on hiring a wall of brutes to keep me safe, but I'm not Madame X, I'm Monsieur XY, and I guess I'm more fearful than Madonna is ... of people like me. I didn't see a single camera or phone in the orchestra — not even Kevin Mazur or any house photographer, not even press. Zip. I later found out that people on upper levels were able to use the Yondr areas to unlock their phones and then go back to their seats without re-Yondring them. So whoever's in charge upstairs was asleep at the wheel, and there will likely be plenty of videos of the show from a distance. In truth, I don't buy the argument that not taking pictures means you're more present; it's simply a matter of preference. That said, the one thing I noticed about my enjoyment of the show, sans phone or camera, was that I danced my ass off nonstop. Still, depriving us of phones — Madonna wickedly teased us about it at one point, which made me laugh and proved that the decision was at least as much a power move as it was a desire for connection — didn't do away with the most annoying part of any concert: Being seated near a roaring drunk straight guy thrilled to be so close to Madonna as a show of status, but who also heckled her any time she talked politics. This is the guy who told my Asian friend he thought he was in The Hangover in spite of him looking nothing like Ken Jeong. I still can't believe he didn't rush the stage, but his sexy straight friend seemed to be a good influence. Then there was the straight Republican couple behind me trying to tell the gay couple next to them that Trump isn't bothered by gay people — even as the Trump Administration just this week denied a kid citizenship because he was born outside the U.S. to two gay parents who are U.S. citizens, arguing he was born out of wedlock! Fuck off. Trump may not care, but it's not in the sense that this doofus meant. Anyway, in spite of well-documented sweating of the details all over her Instagram, the show kicked off at a relatively timely 10:45 p.m. (The most recent advertised time was 9:30 p.m., but the wait in this festive, small venue isn't bad at all and she — GASP! — apologized. The woman who is always on Grace Jones time joked, "I don't mean to do it ... I'll never do it again ..." before winking.) One of my only criticisms of the show is it has an extremely weak opening. The words of James Baldwinare projected overhead as an old-fashioned typewriter bangs them out, a lone dancer moving to each stroke before being metaphorically gunned down. Then he does it again, all the same words and a few more. Then, he's gunned down ... and he does it again. Finally getting all the way through, the static kickoff gave way to a killer "God Control" that is close to what she gave us at Gay Pride, with lots of stomping Hustle choreography, though Madonna's pirate lewk is new — making her, one would imagine, an ahoy!-toy. (The eyepatch made appearances off and on — literally.) Next is "Dark Ballet" (or, as that Good Morning America hussy would say, "Dark Bullay") which finds her showing off her Atelier Elizabeth threads while writhing on a piano before she is brutally arrested by riot police. This reminded me of #secretprojectrevolution. Imprisoned in a recessed circle — "Get outta my cell!" she snaps at the pigs — she launches into a sizzling rendition of a song I thought I never needed to hear again but did: "Human Nature." Madonna is not sprinting across the stage anymore, but is as gesturally articulate and witty as ever, and when she walks herself upside down in the cell, it at once calls to mind the music video, a human peace sign and her Re-Invention tour headstand. It bears mentioning that her twins popped up here, sauntering, bewigged and spitting out dialogue on command. I wonder if some will find their presence during a song littered with expletives worth condemning. But ... it's Madonna, so, yeah, they will. Daily Mail, take it away. "I think my manager is here tonight," she cooed. (He was.) Then she hissed, "He just wants me to sing hits." Perhaps as a concession to the reality that we all want to hear not only new but old songs, she surprised even those of us who've been searching for and finding spoilers with a chunk of "Express Yourself" sung (perfectly!) a cappella. I think it's wise of her to cave and throw us pieces of classic songs like that. It totally satisfied my sweet tooth for the past. Her hair guru Andy Lecompte, dressed as a doctor, escorted her behind a dressing mirror so that we (even we in the front) could only see Madonna's killer, fish-netted legs sticking out as she was given a not-so-quick-change onstage in real time. Ironically, she was talking about how she wanted to do a theater tour so as to connect with us — while shielded from us. Classical music played, so she joked that her legs were spread so we could hear Mozart from her pussy. "I'm a classic bitch," she confessed. She did not indulge in any actual stand-up, but she did offer us the joke: "What do you call a man with a small penis? I don't know, because I've never called a man with a small penis." Unveiled in her straight blonde wig, eyepatch and black trench, it was time for a snappy version of "Vogue" staged on stairs (a regular up-down suite) to remind people she made music prior to Madame X. It brought down the house, and nearly did bring down the upper levels, which swayed like background shots from 1974's Earthquake. (One of the dancers even had a Victoria Principal 'fro!) This segued perfectly into "I Don't Search I Find," a song that's probably more fun to hear than it is a song that demands to be performed live. I did like the film noir, '40s-NYC projections, and the Burberry spy coats were chic. Madonna then took a Polaroid of herself (earlier, a dancer pretended to take an upskirt shot of Madonna using a Polaroid — it was such a throwback I was waiting for her to whip out a Commodore 64 or to challenge us to a game of Pong) and teased that she would give it to one of us. Sadly, Rosie O'Donnell(other celebs spotted: Spike Lee and Debi Mazar) offered her $1,000 for it, so she got it. I guess the idea is we're all supposed to bid on the Polaroid each show, and Madonna will probably donate that cash to a charity, like she did with her dollar bills from the MDNA tour. I'm not sure I'd want it because modern Polaroids are incapable of taking sharp, clear, Warholian-wonderful snaps like the '80s Maripol versions, but bring your rent money if you want it. Because we deserved it, she gave us a bit of "Papa Don't Preach," but pointedly sang, "I'm not keepin' my baby." (I shouted, "I'll take it!" — she gave me wonderful eye contact several times throughout, seeming to appreciate my energy.) She talked about how nine states are attempting to get Roe v Wade overturned and stressed the importance of a woman's autonomy. "American Life" is probably her most hated Top 40 hit, but as she did at Gay Pride, she sang the hell out of it and it fits so well in this show. The staging included bloodied combat fatigues dropping from the ceiling, and it ended with her dancers solemnly carrying a coffin, presumably of a metaphorical dead soldier, across the stage as some sort of Portuguese dirge played. Two female dancers peeled off from the pallbearers, engaging in a violent dance that ended with love. One of the show's clear highlights came next: "Batuka." Coming to the stage from the aisles, the Batukadeiras brought us into a place of pure spiritual joy before Madonna appeared high above in a truly stunning navy costume (legs up to here, still) and a gorgeous brunette wig that moved with her. It's one of her best-ever tour looks, and she had a ball singing this song with the women. Madonna recycled a bit of her sentiments about moving to Lisbon for a short speech at this point, which seemed to invite some riff-raff to shout out to her to get her attention, but she was on a roll and never became Bedtime Stories Pajama Party pissed off. After asking me and the guy next to me to define "fado" — we choked, so I told her, "Teach us!" — she then sang a lovely fado song apparently called "Fado pechincha" as a tribute to the late, great Celeste Rodrigues (1923-2018), who she met while preparing her album. She did this with instrumental assistance from — who's that boy? — Rodrigues's great-grandson Gaspar Varela, a beautiful and talented kid who is this tour's Chris Finch. Honestly, Madonna was at her very best with this and the other fado material. Her voice is rich and her adoration for the form bleeds through every note. "Killers Who Are Partying" may be lyrically tone-deaf to those who refuse to believe people of privilege can imagine what it's like to be oppressed, but its execution on this tour is sterling. Madonna sings it astonishingly well, and her intention is much clearer in person than on the record — her caveat about knowing what she is and what she's not comes through loud and clear. It was a stunning rendition. With "Crazy" (I think this may have been the point when she was standing on a piano being manually turned and I cringed, fearing she'd tumble), an improvised snippet of a song welcoming us to her fado club (great set, like a '50s Minnelli-directed musical), a bit of "La Isla Bonita" and a gorgeous morna (from Cape Verde) song entitled "Sodade" — one of her best vocals ever — the show felt like a true window into how Madonna sees Lisbon, and also how she views musical collaboration in a city she raves is filled with it. "I see you, girl," she said around this point to someone in the audience, and I was thinking, "We hear you, girl." For "Medellín," Madonna came directly in front of me, nearly hitting me with her riding crop, and did the little booty pop from the Grammys choreography with me! She then cha-chaed into the audience past me, turned around and came back ... and I, of course, discreetly touched her arm. I hope she doesn't bring me up on cha-cha-charges. It was a thrill, not gonna lie. Okay, here is a hot tip: The next banter moment consisted of Madonna leaving the stage and plopping down next to a guy — James — in the front row (right side, stage left) for an extensive interview. James was brilliant! He said all the right things with just enough sass to be funny without upstaging or making her uncomfortable or turning her off. Madonna accidentally told a joke when she asked James if he were one of those mean fans on IG who says things like, "'I'm not gonna see your show unless you sing,' I don't know, 'Hard Candy.'" Nobody has ever made that threat, but it was still another example of her being cute and cuddly. "Extreme Occident" found Madonna being wheeled around on pieces of her stairs, pushing the limits of repurposing, but it was around then that I was really focusing on how simplistic the set pieces are. Seeing human beings pushing the stairs around, no hydraulics, brought home the intimacy of the show. And it is brave, in the end, to be Madonna and not rely on the splashy stuff nearly as much as all of her other recent tours have. It underscored her musicality, and her gameness to dial it all in. That said, I never want to hear about life being a circle again. Probably the only true disappointment for me was not her dropping of "Easy Ride" nor her dropping of "You Must Love Me" — both of which had been rehearsed and discarded — but her relegation of "Rescue Me" to a Robert Longo-inspired modern dance number; the song only exists in her spoken-word voice-over, a major missed opportunity to provide longtime fans with a hands-free orgasm. Spoke too soon! "Frozen" — delivered in her "I Rise" (Audio) music video look behind a transparent scrim — was better than sex, her best vocal on this song ever, and was enhanced by eye-popping black-and-white footage of her daughter Lola dancing. The interplay between solemn, stock-still Madonna and her fluidly sensual daughter's image was so striking; this will stick with me, and — I promise — you, for a long time. A cellist introduces "Come Alive," one of her new album's catchiest numbers, and it was brought to life with seriously colorful robes galore. Never has Madonna been more geeked performing live than on this tour. Stating she's not here to be popular, but to be free, Madonna sat at and played, albeit in a limited way, a grand piano as she de-reggaed (and vastly improved) "Future." Loved this new take, but not as much as her clubtastic airing of the Tracy Young remixof "Crave" — what a banger! Wham!-BAM, thank you, ma'am. No Madonna concert is complete minus one of her best-ever songs, and this show's "Like a Prayer" — delivered in a monk robe — was a stripped-down satisfier, proof that Eurovision was a fluke and that she can still sing the heaven out of this religious experience of a tune. The curtain closes only once at the end, so do not expect multiple encores. Instead, she ends on the relentlessly hopeful "I Rise." Spectacularly, after leading us through what feels like a lyrical revival meeting, Madonna simply marches right down the center of the orchestra, completely accessible to all with aisle seats for good-touch. Sometimes, when Madonna does a lot of new material in a show, I can see how it may be offputting to casual fans. I defy anyone with an open mind and open ears to begrudge her the desire to air these new gems. With just enough nods to her past, Madonna is too busy reveling in the present and making plans to go into the future to get mired down by deep cuts and too many of yesteryear's hits. There is always next time for a hits tour. Madame X is one of the biggest gambles Madonna has ever taken as a live performer (oh, I take it all back, what if she sang "Gambler"?), and it's one that pays off in the form of a show that perfectly showcases her musicality, her curiosity, her understanding of how to hold an audience and her resolve to be an artist who instigates, who "disturbs the peace," who leads and whose legacy is always whatever comes next.

Madonna coming early for her second madame x tour show! ❌

Fans’ reaction after opening night