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Madame X Tour | Philadelphia


Voguerista
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2 hours ago, madenis said:

Performing “La Isla Bonita” and “Crazy” before a cover of the late Cesária Évora’s “Sodade.” Joining her onstage during this performance and throughout the evening was Évora’s grandson, Celeste Rodrigues, who even brought out a beer for Madonna as she told the crowd he was brought up correctly with manners."

Not reliable.

Gaspar is not Evora's grandson, but Celeste's.

They seem to have just copied another review.

The sentence "She even gave fans the story behind her latest album" is sooo funny!!

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47 minutes ago, DickTracy said:

Great review in The Philadelphia Inquirer!!

Awesome! Here's the text....

Late nights with Madonna’s ‘Madame X’ tour at the Met

Dan DeLuca

Madonna. Her 'Madame X' Tour played the Met Philadelphia on Saturday night and is scheduled to return Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. No photographers were permitted at the show. This photo is from a dress rehearsal that preceded the tour.

The first words Madonna used to express herself on opening night of her four-show run at the Met Philadelphia on Saturday were written by James Baldwin.

“Art is here to prove that all safety is an illusion.” Percussive sounds were tapped out as the silhouette of a woman hunched over a typewriter was shown on a video screen. “Artists are here to disturb the peace.”

On her big, messy, maddening and sometimes spectacular “Madame X Tour,” Madonna casts herself as that provocateur, the brave woman who pokes her finger in society’s eye, forcing the world to look.

She’s not here to play greatest hits, though a handful did appear in the aggressively intimate 2½-hour show, staged in a theater tiny by her standards. She’s also scheduled to perform on North Broad Street on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Express Yourself” was sung a cappella by the two dozen or so musicians and dancers, plus three of the singer’s daughters. “Vogue” and the heart stopping “Frozen,” were showstoppers, the latter with clips showcasing another daughter, dancer Lourdes Leon.

Other oldies but goodies were included. In “Papa Don’t Preach,” the 61-year-old singer made a point of changing a key lyric to “I’m not keeping my baby,” and gave a speech about women’s rights being under attack.

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The back catalog song that fit best was “La Isla Bonita,” the 1986 hit that was the singer’s first foray into Latin pop. It was part of a “Fado Club” segment at the heart of the Madame X show.

In 2017, Madonna moved to Lisbon to accommodate her son David’s passion for soccer.

That led her to fado, the mournful Portuguese music whose name translates as “destiny.”

The Madame X album blends fado melancholy and propulsive rhythm from Cabo Verde, the nation off the coast of northwest Africa, with familiar dance pop.

On stage, the influence is more pronounced, and often effective. The backup musicians include several fado players who entertained with Madonna covers before she took the stage.

(The show had a scheduled 10:30 p.m. start, and likely would have begun at 11, but was delayed an additional 25 minutes on Saturday due to technical difficulties.)

Midway through, 14 women percussionists of Cabo Verde’s Orquestra Batukadeiras came down the aisles, filling the room with joyous energy. Then the singer paired with Gaspar Varela, guitarist grandson of the late fado singer Celeste Rodrigues. Madonna handled herself admirably.

The set piece also included “Killers Who Are Partying,” a well-intentioned Madame X track in which the singer has the gall to present herself as a selfless heroine willing to shoulder the sufferings of oppressed people throughout the world.

“I will be gay, if the gay are burned / I’ll be Africa, if Africa is shut down,” she sang. “I’ll be Islam, if Islam is hated / I’ll be Israel, if Israel is incarcerated.” Madonna: She’s all things to all people. Rendered with musical subtlety — and some lyrics sung in Portuguese — the song was not as wince-inducing as on Madame X.

Madonna. Her Madame X Tour played the Met Philadelphia on Saturday night and is scheduled to return Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. No photographers were permitted at the show. This photo is from a dress rehearsal that preceded the tour.

The impressively elaborate show is casually paced, giving the star time to riff like a stand-up comic.

She expressed confusion about the popularity of cheesesteaks (“What’s up with that?”) and said she was thrilled to be in “this beautiful opera house with M’s all over the place. It looks like they built it for me. They did, didn’t they?”

Madame X is not loaded with bangers. But “Medellin” picked up the pace, bringing Madonna and dancers into the crowd. And “Crave,” with an "X" patch covering her left eye, revved the room up for a finale.

That one-two punch began with an ecstatic “Like a Prayer.” It was what everyone had been waiting for. The show then closed with the “I Rise,” advocating for gun control and press freedom. The screen turned the colors of the rainbow flag, and Madonna and troupe exited up the aisle, fists raised.

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4 minutes ago, DontTemptMe26 said:

On my way to the  Show for tonight. I will be in the front row :) No I very unfortunately will not be trying to buy the Polaroid  But I will attempt to record the audio again :)

Awesome. Have a blast. Keep us posted. I look so forward to your thoughts on the show! 

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Here's another review from a fan at Madonna Tribe. Pics at the link.

Philadelphia Show No.1

BY SAMTRIBE · DECEMBER 10, 2019

After his VIP experience and pictures he took at the venue, longtime MadonnaTribe member, DLo, wanted to share his review of the first Madame X theatre show at The MET in Philadelphia, PA, on saturday night.

Saturday’s first Philly show started at 11:25pm. Sound check and rehearsals went until a little after 8:30pm. We learned on the Medellín VIP backstage tour that showtime is approx 3 hours after that’s done.

M was in a great mood and sounded excellent. Having a front row seat, I could literally hear her over the mic through at least have the show and was able to appreciate her voice in a way I never have before – she does not get enough credit as a vocalist as she’s singing better in this show than I think I’ve ever seen before.

She referenced her injuries several times throughout the night and did mention it was very cold in the theater, which isn’t good for the injuries. For the Polaroid moment, she was brought a large fur coat to keep her warm while she was still.

The Polaroid sold for $3K to a woman who was a furniture designer (can’t recall her name – which is probably the only moment I wish I had my phone so I could take notes). Having a front toe seat, I was able to observe the bidding exchange and M’s Security had already found the first bidder (at $2K), while taking the other bids from the audience quietly, and without M’s knowledge. My neighbor tried to offer $1600 and was told by Security it was no dice. Once the $3K winner was up there (who had put the cash in little Christmas gift boxes and a small “M” Santa stocking – which M did not keep), someone a few rows back tried to offer $4K but Security squashed it.

The music: Let me start with a confession: Madame Xis my least favorite Madonna album. There’s a smattering of songs I like, and I respect the message and international influence on the musical stylings, but it’s the first album that I haven’t been playing on repeat for months – Ever. Now, that said, in this live theatrical setting, the songs came to life in a way I didn’t expect and I have fallen in love. The journey she has crafted delivers its message with more punch and I have a newfound appreciation for Madame X. God Control, I Don’t Search I Find, Batuka, and Extreme Occidentwe’re particularly compelling.

On the oldies front, Human Nature and Frozen were stellar. The jazz horn additive on the former gave it a feel that fit perfectly fits this show, while the interpretive dance that begins with the Rescue Meinterlude leading into a giant projection of Lourdes’ own dance performance is the climax of the show. Vogue is always nice to have, but without new (or old) “strike a pose” presentational choreography, I actually could have done without it.

The Medellín VIP backstage tour included a conversation with Musical Director Kevin Antunes, and he shared a bit about how the song selection process worked this time around. There were many songs that were tried, Ray of Light for example, that just didn’t fit the musical styling M was after.

The Fado section of the show works much better than I anticipated. Going in, I thought it might be the snoozer section, but it actually had the Philly crowd (myself included) more energized and dancing than any other part of the show. Batuka came off as brilliant, Medellín was like a Zumba class dance-a-long, and even tried & true La Isla Bonita fit in with a Portuguese flare. To add, prior to the start of the show, a few members of the band treated the waiting audience to instrumental versions of Secret, Like a Virgin, Who’s That Girl and Don’t Tell Me which served as fun sing-a-long warm-up.

M was the most personable I’ve ever seen her in my 14 shows since 2001. Her audience beer moment was actually a 3-way with an energetic couple, and her final fist-raising “I Rise” fueled exit through the aisle left the impact to stand up for change above it all that she intended. Definitely a moving moment to end on.

Thanks to DLo.

 

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2 hours ago, Voguerista said:

Philadelphia Show No.1

BY SAMTRIBE · DECEMBER 10, 2019The Medellín VIP backstage tour included a conversation with Musical Director Kevin Antunes, and he shared a bit about how the song selection process worked this time around. There were many songs that were tried, Ray of Light for example, that just didn’t fit the musical styling M was after.

I don't believe it(!) They tried Ray of Light!...shock horror. I bet they tried Candy Shop and Music as well. If I had the cash to do this backstage tour I'd give Kevin a list of never performed Madonna songs that they could perhaps try for the next tour.

At least Stuart Price used to try (and usually successfully) get her to pick at least one song from each album. Which is why in my opinion there is a greater variety between DWT-Confessions. Ok some of the same songs she wouldn't let go of but at least he would try to reinvent them as much as possible.

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25 minutes ago, DickTracy said:

"Philadelphia Magazine" not so great review. Kinda nice I guess...

https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/12/10/madonna-review-madame-x/#BsIVCxHQoVi2ZoV1.03

I really do wish all of a sudden she'd surprise everyone and announce she's starting the show at 7:30 on the button. Can you imagine the outbreak? ?Haha But seriously, sales might be better if she did. Oh well. ???

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1 hour ago, Voguerista said:

I really do wish all of a sudden she'd surprise everyone and announce she's starting the show at 7:30 on the button. Can you imagine the outbreak? ?Haha But seriously, sales might be better if she did. Oh well. ???

Yes, but it's officially been changed to 10:30 now.  I know some may squabble that it is still too late to go on, but since she's changed it, and people are aware that she's going on at that time, it shouldn't be an issue unless she is still going on an hour or two late from 10:30.  It appears most fans who go aren't too bothered by the time she goes on. 

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6 hours ago, Alan Leggate said:

I don't believe it(!) They tried Ray of Light!...shock horror. I bet they tried Candy Shop and Music as well. If I had the cash to do this backstage tour I'd give Kevin a list of never performed Madonna songs that they could perhaps try for the next tour.

At least Stuart Price used to try (and usually successfully) get her to pick at least one song from each album. Which is why in my opinion there is a greater variety between DWT-Confessions. Ok some of the same songs she wouldn't let go of but at least he would try to reinvent them as much as possible.

He only did that for Reinvention. DWT and Confessions did not have that many old songs.

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I really enjoyed the setlist but I really love the album.  The only thing I would change in it would be moving Future closer to the first or second act, doing the whole versions of papa dont preach and express yourself. Start with the Rescue me interlude and go straight into singing the whole song.  Rescue me, Frozen, Come alive, Crave, Like Prayer and I rise would be a killer final act

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18 hours ago, THE ROSE MIST said:

He only did that for Reinvention. DWT and Confessions did not have that many old songs.

DWT was a promotion of Music, Ray of Light and Bedtime Stories...

CT : some old songs were added or incorporated (where's the party...) and some others were rehearsed

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19 hours ago, THE ROSE MIST said:

He only did that for Reinvention. DWT and Confessions did not have that many old songs.

Granted yes but it was the way he remixed them so they had more depth to them, I'm thinking of the top of my head how he "reinvented" Music on Confession, he was determined to get her to sing Rain on Confessions but she wouldn't but relented and gave in to Erotica.

Even Secret on DWT, La Isla Bonita and Deeper and Deeper. I just think from watching clips of them that they just got on really well, he didn't take any of her crap and was invested in not just rehashing an album version. I believe if she was still working with him then we had more variety of oldies on each tour.

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