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8 hours ago, Ayyyy said:

Haha.... I don’t think so. She did her sound check very late every day (usually around 6:30-7), so late that all of our staff were already in position by the time she arrived. For some reason she always entered through the side door on Lake street. When she arrived, all of our staff- ushers, security, concessions, etc- that we’re positioned in that main hallway were required to leave their positions and gather by the main stairs with their backs turned while she entered the theater. 

Normally I’d say someone from the theater must have talked to her at some point. But she has so many people coordinating things for her and security is so tight that I honestly don’t know if anyone employed by the theater spoke with her directly.

I did speak with one of our security guards who was working load in though. They said that she showed up on the second day of load in and she was surrounded on all sides by 4 security guards and her dancer boyfriend. Her security team communicated for her the whole time. However, this person also said that she seemed to be making a concerted effort to make at least 5-10 seconds of direct eye contact with everyone that was there. 

Also, between her exit at the end of the show and leaving to get in her car, she changes her clothes near the door. Some of us that were in that general area could hear her talking while she changed. I don’t think she ever said anything particularly interesting though. She mostly just complained about being cold. 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Ayyyy said:

“Wild” May have been a misleading term. Just really weird stuff that we weren’t used to. For example, I have it on good authority that we were required to change the toilet seat in her dressing room every few hours. 

That late start is definitely not the norm. In fact, almost all of our shows end before 11 because performers get fined for breaking the noise ordinance if they go past 11. It was very hard on us. Most of us got there around 5-6 everyday and didn’t get home until around 3 (and the majority of our staff either go to school or have another job). The hardest part though was that we didn’t have any days off when she wasn’t performing. We haven’t had a day off since the first show. Between shows 2 and 3 we day 5 Jim Gaffigan shows and a graduation. 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Ayyyy said:

The environment is way different. The first day when I arrived I looked around and immediately thought “oh my god, there are so many people here”. It’s just such a big production with so many moving parts. It is also a little more stressful because we have to coordinate with her security team the entire time. We also have to constantly be on the lookout for phones because we can’t let anything make it online if someone somehow snuck something in or broke their pouch open. There’s also just a lot of things for guests to complain about at these shows “why is she going on so late” “why can’t I use my phone” “why’s it so hot in here” etc. Fortunately though, Madonna and her people have been very happy with us and even said things ran much smoother at our theater than in Brooklyn. 

This was such an interesting read, thank you. The staff were wonderful. I was escorted to my seat by a young lady who had a smile on her face all evening, despite running up and down the aisle a million times. When I was coming back from the bathroom one of the hall employees came up to me, smiled, and said enjoy the show. That was so nice! Us fans definitely should be mindful of how hard this is on these theaters. We already know what a bitch she can be! I, too, don't like this turning your backs nonsense. It's insulting and she should really knock that off.

And, yes, it was hot in there. I was getting annoyed at the ppl seated nearby when I smelled body odor but then realized it might be me! We were all sweating and hot.

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1 hour ago, andifeel said:

It is. Circuit queens stuck in 2005 wanting Confessions 2 won’t like it; but she’s damned if she repeats herself and damned if she does something new, so fuck them. Note that the main noise is coming from people who haven’t been to the show. 

If you go in expecting Madame X : The Musical of the Album (rather than a Madonna Concert) then you know what to expect and embrace.

The pacing is a little off to my personal taste but this is a show that you warm too with multiple viewings. Come show 4 I was hooked.

 

Personally I didn’t take to the album and I haven’t warmed to it much since, but there’s songs on it that I absolutely love and they’re all in there! Personally I’m hoping the show does a Rebel Heart and features a few additions by the time my show comes around... but we will see. It is what it is, being the Madame X tour I wasn’t expecting Sticky and Sweet Round Two!

 

Yeah the pacing seems weird to me from the bootlegs, a bit too much chatter for my liking and those covers as beautiful as she sings them are essentially taking up space for something more audience pleasing but... hey ho! I’m not going to pretend what I’ve seen looks like high art theatre, but it all looks incredibly entertaining...

 

and if you’d said to me twelve years ago when I first joined tribe that we would one day be seeing Madonna in a theatre I’d have told you to get in the shit bin... speaking of which, can you have a word with her about that trap version of Like a Prayer next time she plonks herself in your legroom? We want Ray of Light Neil. You know we want Ray of Light. She needs to know, you need to pal up with her like you are with the Housewives :lol::thinker:

 

I’m really looking forward to my show in February... and I look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

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8 hours ago, Ayyyy said:

It’s much worse than that actually. She wants the heat on at all times. It’s so hot in there. 

This makes me laugh cause I remember freezing during a Book of Mormon performance, in the same theatre, we asked the staff to turn it off during the intermission! My friend and I almost left because of the cold. But this us a common problem from us Europeans when we come in the US :laughing:

Thanks for the info. Can I ask a few more questions?

The tough one: what happened with unsold seats? Especially the last night seemed almist empty in the morning of the show. How did they fill the theatre?

Did you have the chance to see the show from backstage too? Are the musicians playing backstage?

Did you catch anyone filming? Who has that precious phone now? :devil:

Thank you @Ayyyy!

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Fascinating read @Ayyyy Thanks so much for your insights.  I enjoyed every bit of it.  Also, it seems most everyone, including the staff enjoys her shows. 

I don't find the switch of toilet seats all too weird.  I suspect she prefers only her ass sitting on that throne.  LOL!

That whole business where staffs must have their backs to her when she enters, is very weird.  Seems a bit disrespectful.  Why do the employees need to be lined up there in the first place? 

Thanks again.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Enrico said:

 

The tough one: what happened with unsold seats? Especially the last night seemed almist empty in the morning of the show. How did they fill the theatre?

Did you have the chance to see the show from backstage too? Are the musicians playing backstage?

Did you catch anyone filming? Who has that precious phone now? :devil:

Thank you @Ayyyy!

There were some comps given out, but I don’t think it was that many. I think a lot of tickets just sold last minute. It’s not uncommon with long runs like this for people who have already gone to buy tickets for another show day of. We also get a lot of walk ups during ingress when there’s a big name on the marquee. We were relocating people from the rear balcony, but it did feel pretty full. 

I didn’t get a chance to go backstage during the show. There’s way too much going on back there. There were times that I could see someone sitting down playing a cello in the wings. I don’t know where any other musicians were located. 

We did catch some people filming. Note to people going to future shows: if you pull out your bright, glowing phone screen in a dark theater (as long as the staff at your venue is doing their jobs) YOU WILL BE SPOTTED! NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU HIDE IT! Once we see it, you’ll be asked to step out into the hall. Someone from Madonna’s security team will come over and make you delete whatever photos or videos you took (and they will stand there until you do it. There’s no getting out of it. One person tried to refuse and the police ended up getting involved) and then you will be escorted out of the venue. Madonna’s team already know all the tricks people try when they get caught, so don’t bother trying to hide the phone under/around your seat or hand it off to someone near you, it’ll be found. 

If you’re thinking about trying to sneak some videos, just do yourself, the people sitting around you, and everyone working the show a favor and don’t do it. It’s not worth it. There will be video of the show eventually, I’m sure. 

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2 hours ago, MarXus said:

Fascinating read @Ayyyy Thanks so much for your insights.  I enjoyed every bit of it.  Also, it seems most everyone, including the staff enjoys her shows. 

I don't find the switch of toilet seats all too weird.  I suspect she prefers only her ass sitting on that throne.  LOL!

That whole business where staffs must have their backs to her when she enters, is very weird.  Seems a bit disrespectful.  Why do the employees need to be lined up there in the first place? 

Thanks again.

 

 

The weirdest part of making everyone leave the hall and turn their backs when she enters is that she doesn’t need to come in through that door. In all my years working at the theater, I’ve never seen any performer enter the building through that door. There are plenty of places she could enter where she would already be backstage and wouldn’t have to walk past any venue staff. It seems like a bit of a power move to me. I think she wants to pretend she doesn’t like the attention, but she actually really does. 

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42 minutes ago, Ayyyy said:

The weirdest part of making everyone leave the hall and turn their backs when she enters is that she doesn’t need to come in through that door. In all my years working at the theater, I’ve never seen any performer enter the building through that door. There are plenty of places she could enter where she would already be backstage and wouldn’t have to walk past any venue staff. It seems like a bit of a power move to me. I think she wants to pretend she doesn’t like the attention, but she actually really does. 

This is why I can't stand her preachy speeches about love and humanity. I dont treat ppl like crap in my daily life, now turn the mirror on yourself, lady. Until then, shut up and dance.

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4 minutes ago, Winn said:

This is why I can't stand her preachy speeches about love and humanity. I dont treat ppl like crap in my daily life, now turn the mirror on yourself, lady. Until then, shut up and dance.

I love her dearly and always will ( like I know you do and everyone here), but this "elitism" thing with most (not all) celebrities is a turn off. At the same time, I think they are scared of someone hurting them or their family especially in such a violent age. So, they put up a lot of walls and security. Even still, that's no excuse for showing love for everyone and treating everyone like you'd want to be treated. 

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1 minute ago, Voguerista said:

I love her dearly and always will ( like I know you do and everyone here), but this "elitism" thing with most (not all) celebrities is a turn off. At the same time, I think they are scared of someone hurting them or their family especially in such a violent age. So, they put up a lot of walls and security. Even still, that's no excuse for showing love for everyone and treating everyone like you'd want to be treated. 

I feel the same.

I adore her as a performer and as an artist, but I don’t believe any of her love and humanity speeches actually represent how she would treat her audience, or treat a stranger on the street. It’s been well documented for years that’s she’s probably not what many of us would consider a ‘nice’ person.

Its a hustle... it’s a con... 
 

But again, that’s okay, I wouldn’t say any of us are fans of her because of her sparkling

, kind and friendly personality... she’s an artist and performer, and she does that very well.

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2 hours ago, Ayyyy said:

The weirdest part of making everyone leave the hall and turn their backs when she enters is that she doesn’t need to come in through that door. In all my years working at the theater, I’ve never seen any performer enter the building through that door. There are plenty of places she could enter where she would already be backstage and wouldn’t have to walk past any venue staff. It seems like a bit of a power move to me. I think she wants to pretend she doesn’t like the attention, but she actually really does. 

 

2 hours ago, Winn said:

This is why I can't stand her preachy speeches about love and humanity. I dont treat ppl like crap in my daily life, now turn the mirror on yourself, lady. Until then, shut up and dance.

 

I'm not sure I believe it's a power trip on her part or has anything to do with the lack of "love and humanity".  I have to wonder if her people are making these demands based on their knowledge that she just wants to get in quickly without much fanfare.  Maybe it's a long ritual on her part.  It does sound strange though and hard to defend. 

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Britney has done it too where she's made other musicians turn around and not say a word to her (or someone on her team demands this) I love Madonna to death but it doesn't justify it especially given the user posting this information says there are other doors that lead directly to the backstage area directly. Whether she wants to engage with staff or not, it's simple to walk to A to B without needing people to turn around. You are human after all and that's why the whole "treat others as you want to be treated" thing she constantly promotes is hollow because of things like this. There's privacy and safety issues of course but she's always surrounded by her security so I find it hard to believe there's some deeper reason other than a star thinking mentality. If they can do, they'll do it. She's not the only celeb that has this before shows. 

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I remember being asked at a Janet show to stop recording. The show was as dull as dishwater and paying $200+ for a seat because I was a new fan was off-putting while they allowed others to do the same thing I was policed for. Yeah, I agree the bright light is a dead giveaway. I've seen it done and people think dimming the brightness to zero helps. Take it from a college kid that tries to sneak a glance at social media during a boring lecture, it is almost like a flashlight. 

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Madonna is the biggest star in the world and people don't know how to act around stars. Even BASIC stars. They scream at them, stare at them, hound them for autographs... I can imagine when she gets to work she doesn't want everyone just gawking at her the whole time. Most places also have their own rules about talking to or approaching a celebrity, I would imagine she can't rely on every place to have sufficient guidelines though and her team know what to request so there is no confusion. 

Thats why almost every celebrity I've met I just treat them the same as anyone else. With a few exceptions cuz even I can't contain myself sometimes. 

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tbh I can't be mad at celebrities doing those kinds of things. We have no idea what it is like to be treated like an alien everywhere you go and have everyone stare at you.... but then again I wouldn't want to be a celebrity like her :yarn:(especially nowadays with social media)

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22 minutes ago, MDMWhat said:

I’ve finally managed to put together all my notes and thoughts about the show I saw on October 23rd at the Chicago Theatre. Hope no one minds another review. :lol:

I got to the theatre around 9:30pm. The process of getting in was pretty smooth – you show your phone ticket, get a physical ticket with your seat number written on it, have your phone ticket scanned, have your phone sealed in a pouch, and then go through a security gate. Kudos to the personnel who were all extremely polite and professional. The theatre was already buzzing with people lined up to the bar and merchandise booth and just hanging and chatting. I have to add that the theatre inside is absolutely stunning.

I had a seat next to a couple of gentlemen from Ohio, longtime fans and overall very nice people. Then a couple of ladies came in and took seats to my other side. They enthusiastically told us that after they had taken their original seats in the back of the balcony, a member of Madonna’s team came up to them and said that “Madonna wanted” them to be closer to the stage. So it looked like they were just moving fans to fill in the empty floor spots. Two more fans behind us were singing Madonna songs a capella. ? The no-phone policy definitely made the pre-show atmosphere more friendly and relaxed.

Around 10:20-10:30pm four musicians from Madonna’s band walked up to the stage and took positions on its right edge. They played instrumental renditions of four Madonna songs (“Secret”, “Like a Virgin”, “Don’t Tell Me”, “Who’s That Girl”) as well as three or four pieces of what I assume was Portuguese music. Without exaggeration, her band is absolutely phenomenal. Classy, laid-back, super talented, and just cool. The audience sang along and gave them a deservedly warm welcome. They left the stage, and some jazz music was played from the speakers after.

Shortly after 11pm a pre-recorded announcement from Madonna was broadcast throughout the theatre (“Welcome to the world of Madame X”, etc), and the show started. “God Control”, “Dark Ballet” and “Human Nature” are performed without a pause. The bit where she has a confrontation with the police at the end of “Dark Ballet” seemed rather trite, since she has done something very similar in the past during the Re-Invention Tour’s “Die Another Day” and “Lament”, and also for the “Secret Project” and her performance of “Between the Bars” with Rocco. “Human Nature” drew a lot of cheers, and her playing the drums with a band member was quite cute. During a speech after “Human Nature” she seemed to be in very good spirits, thanked us all, and said we were much better “than the Monday crowd”. Not sure if she says that at every show though. ? A short “Express Yourself” snippet that followed was definitely a hit among the audience.

A vanity is then set up onstage and she does a costume/hair change behind it with help of two dancers and also a person in a doctor’s robe (there was some sort of joke behind it, which wasn’t particularly uproarious). Then there were the “Mozart from my pussy” bit and of course the small penis joke, which she said she never gets tired of telling. Answering the question (“What do you call a man with a small penis?”), an audience member in the front row yelled “Elton John”, presumably in reaction to news reports that he had called Madonna “nasty” after her “reductive” remark about Lady Gaga. Madonna either didn’t know about it (my guess) or simply chose to take the high road and said “Elton John? Interesting. His husband probably wouldn’t like that”. The spy persona is revealed and “Vogue” brings the house down. “I Don’t Search I Find” is a cool number with a nicely staged interrogation scene.

Her auctioning off a Polaroid selfie, thankfully, wasn’t as painful and cringy this time as it has been reported at some earlier dates. She had trouble taking a picture with the original camera that was onstage, and, after several unsuccessful attempts, one of the dancers (still in his “Vogue” attire) ran out from backstage and brought her a replacement. Madonna wasn’t mad or anything and even playfully tried to take a selfie with the dancer but eventually changed her mind. Reports regarding this date’s auction itself seem to have been a bit contradictory, but to the best of my recollection, two sisters from Nashville, TN that were wearing matching “I’m a Bitch” T-shirts initially offered $3,400. Another person offered $4,000, but when Madonna saw it was Detox, she politely refused his bid, which was rather nice of her. After no one else offered more, she ask the sisters (who she first thought were a couple) if they had any more cash, and they produced another $75. Madonna said she didn’t like odd numbers, and someone (I think Detox) added another $25 for a total of $3,500.

The already well-documented lyric change of “I’m not keeping my baby” in “Papa Don’t Preach” and the following abortion/women’s rights speech caused some bizarre yells from the audience’s straight men about straight men (I couldn’t make that out, unfortunately). It visibly ticked Madonna off and she half-angrily answered “What did you say??” No response followed (:lol:), and, luckily, it all ended immediately right there. To my surprise, the fans went pretty crazy about “American Life”, which I also personally love. She messed up a line in it and managed to squeeze in a remark about the theatre being too cold (it really wasn’t).

As several dancers dressed as soldiers carry a coffin across the stage, a video is projected behind them highlighting different places on a map (all seem to be Portuguese speaking regions but I could be wrong), ending with Cabo Verde. “Batuka” starts and most batukadeiras come onstage from the floor aisles. Two elderly members appear from the back of the stage already seated. Unlike the previous shows, Madonna was no longer wearing a knee band throughout the fado segment. All in all, this was a great number definitely boosted by the batukadeiras’ authenticity and musicianship. To allow time for the stage to be turned into a Portuguese street, the projection sheet comes down, and Madonna gives her “moved to Lisbon/became a soccer mom/ate too much/got fat/got depressed/found new inspiration in Portuguese music” speech in front of it. It did drag on for a little too long, and here is where things turned sour. I couldn’t hear it very well, but someone on the main floor talking over her caused her to SNAP. “Can you shut the fuck up ‘cause I’m onstage talking?!?, she pretty much barked. Man, did that cool down the whole theatre. :stare: A lot of people of course cheered her on, and she tried to promptly recover by smiling and continuing with her story, but that little incident without a doubt left an unpleasant aftertaste.

Moving on with her story, she invites onstage a member of her band named Gaspar, a Portuguese guitar player and the great-grandson of the late singer Celeste Rodrigues. He brings her a bottle of “beer” and she makes a salty joke about coming from a family of alcoholics. In a demonstration of her love/hate relationship with America’s Heartland, she half-condescendingly addressed us as “smart, sophisticated people of the Midwest” when she asked if we knew what “fado” meant (some did). She and Gaspar then perform a fado song which I don’t think many (including me) found particularly outstanding. The curtain is lifted and the Portuguese themed sets are revealed. She does “Killers Who Are Partying” and “Crazy”, which were both pretty amazing in my opinion. In “Killers”, she replaced “I’ll be Israel” with “I’ll be Palestine.” “Welcome to My Fado Club" and “Sodade” then follow with her sitting on top of a piano and playing the guitar. Now in all honesty the whole segment would have absolutely benefitted from omitting “Welcome to My Fado Club" and either of the two fado songs. The former is just one of those non-sensical ditties she tends to come up with (see “Lisa Come Undress Me”) in which she keeps saying over and over in a rather grating manner “One-two sha-sha-sha” (exactly). It does feature one “La Isla Bonita” chorus (where the “lullaby” is Portuguese this time), but that doesn’t really save it. A second fado song just slows things down way too much. And she again asked the “smart, sophisticated people of the Midwest” about the meaning of “sodade”.

Still on top of the piano, she jokes about needing “years of sleep”, and then has the audience repeat “One-two cha-cha-cha” to make her get off it. “Medellin” was simply impeccable (you really get to see her fantastic dancers shine during the whole segment), and then came the beer chat… She came down to the orchestra pit from the right side, and after some chair mix-up (someone also said she could sit on their lap to which she quipped “I’m not gonna sit on your lap. You couldn’t bear the weight of me”), she settled by a guy whose name I sadly didn’t catch. The guy was very soft-spoken and was mostly giving one-word answers to her standard questions (star sign, etc). Drinking the beer, she again half-jokingly mentioned her “family of alcoholics” ancestry. She also kept asking the guy “Why do you like going to the theatre?” but didn’t seem to get an answer she would have liked. The whole bit was painfully awkward, and frankly she didn’t handle it very graciously. She wrapped it up quickly by saying “Maybe next time you can come up with better answers”. Those guys from Ohio sitting next to me were really taken aback by that as were many others in the theatre. “Extreme Occident” features some great staging with the stair cases moving around the stage. The line “I came from the Midwest” drew expected cheers from the crowd.

One of the biggest surprises to me was the “Rescue Me” interlude. Just her dancers in front of a white sheet performing a very Pina Bausch-like number to Madonna’s reciting some of the song’s lyrics. I couldn’t figure out why but it was just mesmerizing. Everybody erupted in applause as soon as it was finished, and deservedly so. A lot has been said about “Frozen”, and it totally lived up to the hype – simple, beautiful, and very melancholy. “Come Alive” transformed the stage into a bustling African town full of song, dance, and celebration, and once again the batukadeiras elevated it greatly. “Madonna playing the piano” during “Future” is really an overstatement since all she does is play the same three notes throughout the song. The number’s message is great but I found the execution lacking something. Perhaps I just didn’t like her vocals that were way too processed even by this show’s standards. Now where do I start with “Crave”… I love the original version. However, I thought the remix used for the show didn’t do the song any justice, and the number itself was just a poor man’s “Deeper and Deeper” from the Girlie Show. Not to mention, it just felt out of place. I think if she dropped it completely, continued with “I Rise” instead, and finished with “Like a Prayer” as an encore, that would be perfect. Interestingly, during “Like a Prayer”, its original music video is projected as the backdrop. And of course it had the entire theatre on their feet and singing along to it.

As things stand now, “I Rise” is the encore. The dancers contribute some great choreography, and at this show Madonna and company exited the stage through the middle aisle, which allowed me to catch a glimpse of her from just 3 feet away. ? “Thank you, Chicago. Good night!”

I love this review! It literally is the best description of the show we have thus far! 

I enjoyed reading it very much!

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26 minutes ago, MDMWhat said:

I’ve finally managed to put together all my notes and thoughts about the show I saw on October 23rd at the Chicago Theatre. Hope no one minds another review. :lol:

I got to the theatre around 9:30pm. The process of getting in was pretty smooth – you show your phone ticket, get a physical ticket with your seat number written on it, have your phone ticket scanned, have your phone sealed in a pouch, and then go through a security gate. Kudos to the personnel who were all extremely polite and professional. The theatre was already buzzing with people lined up to the bar and merchandise booth and just hanging and chatting. I have to add that the theatre inside is absolutely stunning.

I had a seat next to a couple of gentlemen from Ohio, longtime fans and overall very nice people. Then a couple of ladies came in and took seats to my other side. They enthusiastically told us that after they had taken their original seats in the back of the balcony, a member of Madonna’s team came up to them and said that “Madonna wanted” them to be closer to the stage. So it looked like they were just moving fans to fill in the empty floor spots. Two more fans behind us were singing Madonna songs a capella. ? The no-phone policy definitely made the pre-show atmosphere more friendly and relaxed.

Around 10:20-10:30pm four musicians from Madonna’s band walked up to the stage and took positions on its right edge. They played instrumental renditions of four Madonna songs (“Secret”, “Like a Virgin”, “Don’t Tell Me”, “Who’s That Girl”) as well as three or four pieces of what I assume was Portuguese music. Without exaggeration, her band is absolutely phenomenal. Classy, laid-back, super talented, and just cool. The audience sang along and gave them a deservedly warm welcome. They left the stage, and some jazz music was played from the speakers after.

Shortly after 11pm a pre-recorded announcement from Madonna was broadcast throughout the theatre (“Welcome to the world of Madame X”, etc), and the show started. “God Control”, “Dark Ballet” and “Human Nature” are performed without a pause. The bit where she has a confrontation with the police at the end of “Dark Ballet” seemed rather trite, since she has done something very similar in the past during the Re-Invention Tour’s “Die Another Day” and “Lament”, and also for the “Secret Project” and her performance of “Between the Bars” with Rocco. “Human Nature” drew a lot of cheers, and her playing the drums with a band member was quite cute. During a speech after “Human Nature” she seemed to be in very good spirits, thanked us all, and said we were much better “than the Monday crowd”. Not sure if she says that at every show though. ? A short “Express Yourself” snippet that followed was definitely a hit among the audience.

A vanity is then set up onstage and she does a costume/hair change behind it with help of two dancers and also a person in a doctor’s robe (there was some sort of joke behind it, which wasn’t particularly uproarious). Then there were the “Mozart from my pussy” bit and of course the small penis joke, which she said she never gets tired of telling. Answering the question (“What do you call a man with a small penis?”), an audience member in the front row yelled “Elton John”, presumably in reaction to news reports that he had called Madonna “nasty” after her “reductive” remark about Lady Gaga. Madonna either didn’t know about it (my guess) or simply chose to take the high road and said “Elton John? Interesting. His husband probably wouldn’t like that”. The spy persona is revealed and “Vogue” brings the house down. “I Don’t Search I Find” is a cool number with a nicely staged interrogation scene.

Her auctioning off a Polaroid selfie, thankfully, wasn’t as painful and cringy this time as it has been reported at some earlier dates. She had trouble taking a picture with the original camera that was onstage, and, after several unsuccessful attempts, one of the dancers (still in his “Vogue” attire) ran out from backstage and brought her a replacement. Madonna wasn’t mad or anything and even playfully tried to take a selfie with the dancer but eventually changed her mind. Reports regarding this date’s auction itself seem to have been a bit contradictory, but to the best of my recollection, two sisters from Nashville, TN that were wearing matching “I’m a Bitch” T-shirts initially offered $3,400. Another person offered $4,000, but when Madonna saw it was Detox, she politely refused his bid, which was rather nice of her. After no one else offered more, she ask the sisters (who she first thought were a couple) if they had any more cash, and they produced another $75. Madonna said she didn’t like odd numbers, and someone (I think Detox) added another $25 for a total of $3,500.

The already well-documented lyric change of “I’m not keeping my baby” in “Papa Don’t Preach” and the following abortion/women’s rights speech caused some bizarre yells from the audience’s straight men about straight men (I couldn’t make that out, unfortunately). It visibly ticked Madonna off and she half-angrily answered “What did you say??” No response followed (:lol:), and, luckily, it all ended immediately right there. To my surprise, the fans went pretty crazy about “American Life”, which I also personally love. She messed up a line in it and managed to squeeze in a remark about the theatre being too cold (it really wasn’t).

As several dancers dressed as soldiers carry a coffin across the stage, a video is projected behind them highlighting different places on a map (all seem to be Portuguese speaking regions but I could be wrong), ending with Cabo Verde. “Batuka” starts and most batukadeiras come onstage from the floor aisles. Two elderly members appear from the back of the stage already seated. Unlike the previous shows, Madonna was no longer wearing a knee band throughout the fado segment. All in all, this was a great number definitely boosted by the batukadeiras’ authenticity and musicianship. To allow time for the stage to be turned into a Portuguese street, the projection sheet comes down, and Madonna gives her “moved to Lisbon/became a soccer mom/ate too much/got fat/got depressed/found new inspiration in Portuguese music” speech in front of it. It did drag on for a little too long, and here is where things turned sour. I couldn’t hear it very well, but someone on the main floor talking over her caused her to SNAP. “Can you shut the fuck up ‘cause I’m onstage talking?!?, she pretty much barked. Man, did that cool down the whole theatre. :stare: A lot of people of course cheered her on, and she tried to promptly recover by smiling and continuing with her story, but that little incident without a doubt left an unpleasant aftertaste.

Moving on with her story, she invites onstage a member of her band named Gaspar, a Portuguese guitar player and the great-grandson of the late singer Celeste Rodrigues. He brings her a bottle of “beer” and she makes a salty joke about coming from a family of alcoholics. In a demonstration of her love/hate relationship with America’s Heartland, she half-condescendingly addressed us as “smart, sophisticated people of the Midwest” when she asked if we knew what “fado” meant (some did). She and Gaspar then perform a fado song which I don’t think many (including me) found particularly outstanding. The curtain is lifted and the Portuguese themed sets are revealed. She does “Killers Who Are Partying” and “Crazy”, which were both pretty amazing in my opinion. In “Killers”, she replaced “I’ll be Israel” with “I’ll be Palestine.” “Welcome to My Fado Club" and “Sodade” then follow with her sitting on top of a piano and playing the guitar. Now in all honesty the whole segment would have absolutely benefitted from omitting “Welcome to My Fado Club" and either of the two fado songs. The former is just one of those non-sensical ditties she tends to come up with (see “Lisa Come Undress Me”) in which she keeps saying over and over in a rather grating manner “One-two sha-sha-sha” (exactly). It does feature one “La Isla Bonita” chorus (where the “lullaby” is Portuguese this time), but that doesn’t really save it. A second fado song just slows things down way too much. And she again asked the “smart, sophisticated people of the Midwest” about the meaning of “sodade”.

Still on top of the piano, she jokes about needing “years of sleep”, and then has the audience repeat “One-two cha-cha-cha” to make her get off it. “Medellin” was simply impeccable (you really get to see her fantastic dancers shine during the whole segment), and then came the beer chat… She came down to the orchestra pit from the right side, and after some chair mix-up (someone also said she could sit on their lap to which she quipped “I’m not gonna sit on your lap. You couldn’t bear the weight of me”), she settled by a guy whose name I sadly didn’t catch. The guy was very soft-spoken and was mostly giving one-word answers to her standard questions (star sign, etc). Drinking the beer, she again half-jokingly mentioned her “family of alcoholics” ancestry. She also kept asking the guy “Why do you like going to the theatre?” but didn’t seem to get an answer she would have liked. The whole bit was painfully awkward, and frankly she didn’t handle it very graciously. She wrapped it up quickly by saying “Maybe next time you can come up with better answers”. Those guys from Ohio sitting next to me were really taken aback by that as were many others in the theatre. “Extreme Occident” features some great staging with the stair cases moving around the stage. The line “I came from the Midwest” drew expected cheers from the crowd.

One of the biggest surprises to me was the “Rescue Me” interlude. Just her dancers in front of a white sheet performing a very Pina Bausch-like number to Madonna’s reciting some of the song’s lyrics. I couldn’t figure out why but it was just mesmerizing. Everybody erupted in applause as soon as it was finished, and deservedly so. A lot has been said about “Frozen”, and it totally lived up to the hype – simple, beautiful, and very melancholy. “Come Alive” transformed the stage into a bustling African town full of song, dance, and celebration, and once again the batukadeiras elevated it greatly. “Madonna playing the piano” during “Future” is really an overstatement since all she does is play the same three notes throughout the song. The number’s message is great but I found the execution lacking something. Perhaps I just didn’t like her vocals that were way too processed even by this show’s standards. Now where do I start with “Crave”… I love the original version. However, I thought the remix used for the show didn’t do the song any justice, and the number itself was just a poor man’s “Deeper and Deeper” from the Girlie Show. Not to mention, it just felt out of place. I think if she dropped it completely, continued with “I Rise” instead, and finished with “Like a Prayer” as an encore, that would be perfect. Interestingly, during “Like a Prayer”, its original music video is projected as the backdrop. And of course it had the entire theatre on their feet and singing along to it.

As things stand now, “I Rise” is the encore. The dancers contribute some great choreography, and at this show Madonna and company exited the stage through the middle aisle, which allowed me to catch a glimpse of her from just 3 feet away. ? “Thank you, Chicago. Good night!”

Thank you thank you! You took us right there! I love all the details. Fantastic review! Thank you!!! ?????

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1 hour ago, MDMWhat said:

I’ve finally managed to put together all my notes and thoughts about the show I saw on October 23rd at the Chicago Theatre. Hope no one minds another review. :lol:

I got to the theatre around 9:30pm. The process of getting in was pretty smooth – you show your phone ticket, get a physical ticket with your seat number written on it, have your phone ticket scanned, have your phone sealed in a pouch, and then go through a security gate. Kudos to the personnel who were all extremely polite and professional. The theatre was already buzzing with people lined up to the bar and merchandise booth and just hanging and chatting. I have to add that the theatre inside is absolutely stunning.

I had a seat next to a couple of gentlemen from Ohio, longtime fans and overall very nice people. Then a couple of ladies came in and took seats to my other side. They enthusiastically told us that after they had taken their original seats in the back of the balcony, a member of Madonna’s team came up to them and said that “Madonna wanted” them to be closer to the stage. So it looked like they were just moving fans to fill in the empty floor spots. Two more fans behind us were singing Madonna songs a capella. ? The no-phone policy definitely made the pre-show atmosphere more friendly and relaxed.

Around 10:20-10:30pm four musicians from Madonna’s band walked up to the stage and took positions on its right edge. They played instrumental renditions of four Madonna songs (“Secret”, “Like a Virgin”, “Don’t Tell Me”, “Who’s That Girl”) as well as three or four pieces of what I assume was Portuguese music. Without exaggeration, her band is absolutely phenomenal. Classy, laid-back, super talented, and just cool. The audience sang along and gave them a deservedly warm welcome. They left the stage, and some jazz music was played from the speakers after.

Shortly after 11pm a pre-recorded announcement from Madonna was broadcast throughout the theatre (“Welcome to the world of Madame X”, etc), and the show started. “God Control”, “Dark Ballet” and “Human Nature” are performed without a pause. The bit where she has a confrontation with the police at the end of “Dark Ballet” seemed rather trite, since she has done something very similar in the past during the Re-Invention Tour’s “Die Another Day” and “Lament”, and also for the “Secret Project” and her performance of “Between the Bars” with Rocco. “Human Nature” drew a lot of cheers, and her playing the drums with a band member was quite cute. During a speech after “Human Nature” she seemed to be in very good spirits, thanked us all, and said we were much better “than the Monday crowd”. Not sure if she says that at every show though. ? A short “Express Yourself” snippet that followed was definitely a hit among the audience.

A vanity is then set up onstage and she does a costume/hair change behind it with help of two dancers and also a person in a doctor’s robe (there was some sort of joke behind it, which wasn’t particularly uproarious). Then there were the “Mozart from my pussy” bit and of course the small penis joke, which she said she never gets tired of telling. Answering the question (“What do you call a man with a small penis?”), an audience member in the front row yelled “Elton John”, presumably in reaction to news reports that he had called Madonna “nasty” after her “reductive” remark about Lady Gaga. Madonna either didn’t know about it (my guess) or simply chose to take the high road and said “Elton John? Interesting. His husband probably wouldn’t like that”. The spy persona is revealed and “Vogue” brings the house down. “I Don’t Search I Find” is a cool number with a nicely staged interrogation scene.

Her auctioning off a Polaroid selfie, thankfully, wasn’t as painful and cringy this time as it has been reported at some earlier dates. She had trouble taking a picture with the original camera that was onstage, and, after several unsuccessful attempts, one of the dancers (still in his “Vogue” attire) ran out from backstage and brought her a replacement. Madonna wasn’t mad or anything and even playfully tried to take a selfie with the dancer but eventually changed her mind. Reports regarding this date’s auction itself seem to have been a bit contradictory, but to the best of my recollection, two sisters from Nashville, TN that were wearing matching “I’m a Bitch” T-shirts initially offered $3,400. Another person offered $4,000, but when Madonna saw it was Detox, she politely refused his bid, which was rather nice of her. After no one else offered more, she ask the sisters (who she first thought were a couple) if they had any more cash, and they produced another $75. Madonna said she didn’t like odd numbers, and someone (I think Detox) added another $25 for a total of $3,500.

The already well-documented lyric change of “I’m not keeping my baby” in “Papa Don’t Preach” and the following abortion/women’s rights speech caused some bizarre yells from the audience’s straight men about straight men (I couldn’t make that out, unfortunately). It visibly ticked Madonna off and she half-angrily answered “What did you say??” No response followed (:lol:), and, luckily, it all ended immediately right there. To my surprise, the fans went pretty crazy about “American Life”, which I also personally love. She messed up a line in it and managed to squeeze in a remark about the theatre being too cold (it really wasn’t).

As several dancers dressed as soldiers carry a coffin across the stage, a video is projected behind them highlighting different places on a map (all seem to be Portuguese speaking regions but I could be wrong), ending with Cabo Verde. “Batuka” starts and most batukadeiras come onstage from the floor aisles. Two elderly members appear from the back of the stage already seated. Unlike the previous shows, Madonna was no longer wearing a knee band throughout the fado segment. All in all, this was a great number definitely boosted by the batukadeiras’ authenticity and musicianship. To allow time for the stage to be turned into a Portuguese street, the projection sheet comes down, and Madonna gives her “moved to Lisbon/became a soccer mom/ate too much/got fat/got depressed/found new inspiration in Portuguese music” speech in front of it. It did drag on for a little too long, and here is where things turned sour. I couldn’t hear it very well, but someone on the main floor talking over her caused her to SNAP. “Can you shut the fuck up ‘cause I’m onstage talking?!?, she pretty much barked. Man, did that cool down the whole theatre. :stare: A lot of people of course cheered her on, and she tried to promptly recover by smiling and continuing with her story, but that little incident without a doubt left an unpleasant aftertaste.

Moving on with her story, she invites onstage a member of her band named Gaspar, a Portuguese guitar player and the great-grandson of the late singer Celeste Rodrigues. He brings her a bottle of “beer” and she makes a salty joke about coming from a family of alcoholics. In a demonstration of her love/hate relationship with America’s Heartland, she half-condescendingly addressed us as “smart, sophisticated people of the Midwest” when she asked if we knew what “fado” meant (some did). She and Gaspar then perform a fado song which I don’t think many (including me) found particularly outstanding. The curtain is lifted and the Portuguese themed sets are revealed. She does “Killers Who Are Partying” and “Crazy”, which were both pretty amazing in my opinion. In “Killers”, she replaced “I’ll be Israel” with “I’ll be Palestine.” “Welcome to My Fado Club" and “Sodade” then follow with her sitting on top of a piano and playing the guitar. Now in all honesty the whole segment would have absolutely benefitted from omitting “Welcome to My Fado Club" and either of the two fado songs. The former is just one of those non-sensical ditties she tends to come up with (see “Lisa Come Undress Me”) in which she keeps saying over and over in a rather grating manner “One-two sha-sha-sha” (exactly). It does feature one “La Isla Bonita” chorus (where the “lullaby” is Portuguese this time), but that doesn’t really save it. A second fado song just slows things down way too much. And she again asked the “smart, sophisticated people of the Midwest” about the meaning of “sodade”.

Still on top of the piano, she jokes about needing “years of sleep”, and then has the audience repeat “One-two cha-cha-cha” to make her get off it. “Medellin” was simply impeccable (you really get to see her fantastic dancers shine during the whole segment), and then came the beer chat… She came down to the orchestra pit from the right side, and after some chair mix-up (someone also said she could sit on their lap to which she quipped “I’m not gonna sit on your lap. You couldn’t bear the weight of me”), she settled by a guy whose name I sadly didn’t catch. The guy was very soft-spoken and was mostly giving one-word answers to her standard questions (star sign, etc). Drinking the beer, she again half-jokingly mentioned her “family of alcoholics” ancestry. She also kept asking the guy “Why do you like going to the theatre?” but didn’t seem to get an answer she would have liked. The whole bit was painfully awkward, and frankly she didn’t handle it very graciously. She wrapped it up quickly by saying “Maybe next time you can come up with better answers”. Those guys from Ohio sitting next to me were really taken aback by that as were many others in the theatre. “Extreme Occident” features some great staging with the stair cases moving around the stage. The line “I came from the Midwest” drew expected cheers from the crowd.

One of the biggest surprises to me was the “Rescue Me” interlude. Just her dancers in front of a white sheet performing a very Pina Bausch-like number to Madonna’s reciting some of the song’s lyrics. I couldn’t figure out why but it was just mesmerizing. Everybody erupted in applause as soon as it was finished, and deservedly so. A lot has been said about “Frozen”, and it totally lived up to the hype – simple, beautiful, and very melancholy. “Come Alive” transformed the stage into a bustling African town full of song, dance, and celebration, and once again the batukadeiras elevated it greatly. “Madonna playing the piano” during “Future” is really an overstatement since all she does is play the same three notes throughout the song. The number’s message is great but I found the execution lacking something. Perhaps I just didn’t like her vocals that were way too processed even by this show’s standards. Now where do I start with “Crave”… I love the original version. However, I thought the remix used for the show didn’t do the song any justice, and the number itself was just a poor man’s “Deeper and Deeper” from the Girlie Show. Not to mention, it just felt out of place. I think if she dropped it completely, continued with “I Rise” instead, and finished with “Like a Prayer” as an encore, that would be perfect. Interestingly, during “Like a Prayer”, its original music video is projected as the backdrop. And of course it had the entire theatre on their feet and singing along to it.

As things stand now, “I Rise” is the encore. The dancers contribute some great choreography, and at this show Madonna and company exited the stage through the middle aisle, which allowed me to catch a glimpse of her from just 3 feet away. ? “Thank you, Chicago. Good night!”

Wow, youre memory is amazing thank you for the recap. Sounds like she recycles. She said mozart joke at my night too.

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I love your thoughts on the show!

 

interestingly your views match mine and that’s purely from bootlegs, as I don’t see the show until February. The second act is certainly where the show seems to sag, and the communication between her and the audience is the weak point in the show. 
 

I would hate to spend all that money for her to sit down next to me and be rude to me. I’d rather her entertain me on stage (as that’s what I’d be paying for) than have her sit next to me, and then bitch that she doesn’t like what I have to say because I’m probably way too mortified that Madonna is sat next to me, in a questionable mood, with a microphone. 
 

I wonder if she’s aware of the way her remarks and general attitude seems to impact on her audiences emotions and perception? It’s something you touch upon twice in your review.  I seem to recall her I refractions in 2015/16 being really, really friendly. I wonder what’s happened? It’s like she’s trying to be a smart ass but maybe comes across more nasty than smart. We can all be a bit snarky at times but it costs nothing to be nice on the whole. 

I think I’m the only fan who LOVES the new remix of Crave! It’s AMAZING :heart:

ah well, just a thought. Some fans would relish in that type of contact with Madonna but personally it wouldn’t do anything for me, I’d much sooner be ten rows back and out of her target range :lol:

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Thank you guys! Believe it or not, I've never written reviews before which is why it took me almost a week to finish this one. :lol:

1 hour ago, scion said:

I would hate to spend all that money for her to sit down next to me and be rude to me. I’d rather her entertain me on stage (as that’s what I’d be paying for) than have her sit next to me, and then bitch that she doesn’t like what I have to say because I’m probably way too mortified that Madonna is sat next to me, in a questionable mood, with a microphone. 
 

I wonder if she’s aware of the way her remarks and general attitude seems to impact on her audiences emotions and perception? It’s something you touch upon twice in your review.  I seem to recall her I refractions in 2015/16 being really, really friendly. I wonder what’s happened? It’s like she’s trying to be a smart ass but maybe comes across more nasty than smart. We can all be a bit snarky at times but it costs nothing to be nice on the whole. 

I completely agree. I'd also prefer another well-staged number over a bizarre encounter. She might be catching wind of that as according to reports from a later Chicago date she was just sitting onstage near the orchestra pit chatting with a few fans (if I remember correctly) instead of coming down and picking out one.

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4 hours ago, RUADJAI said:

Madonna is the biggest star in the world and people don't know how to act around stars. Even BASIC stars. They scream at them, stare at them, hound them for autographs... I can imagine when she gets to work she doesn't want everyone just gawking at her the whole time. Most places also have their own rules about talking to or approaching a celebrity, I would imagine she can't rely on every place to have sufficient guidelines though and her team know what to request so there is no confusion. 

Thats why almost every celebrity I've met I just treat them the same as anyone else. With a few exceptions cuz even I can't contain myself sometimes. 

I was thinking something similar. Can you imagine the weird things people have said to Madonna when they meet her? Remember the story Rosie O'Donnell told about the guy in the elevator saying he thought her hair "looked like shit"? And remember extremely scary stalker too?

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