Is the Madame X tour her worst tour?

[Ronk 64]

I saw it on December 7 in Philadelphia.  Had front row seat in the loge.  The show was amazing, but I can't compare because somehow I haven't been to her previous tours even though I followed her since 1983.  My bad.  All I can say is that if other tours were better they must have been stunning.

[Ronk 64]

On 12/29/2019 at 1:36 AM, MarXus said:

I agree, one would have to see it for themselves to really make that call.  Just to say it is because you think there are too many dates or the production was rushed or you don't like the stage (from what one has seen without seeing it themselves), etc,, etc.,  is not giving it a fair shake.

The interesting thing is; pretty much everyone who has gone to see the show, claims it's one of her best.  It's only those who haven't seen it, are tearing it apart and making snap judgments on it.

Yes, it has it's faults, but it doesn't make it the worst tour.  But again, I couldn't say either way since I haven't seen it. I don't think anyone else can either who hasn't seen it.

I go to concerts of many artists, and what you say is true for all of them.   People who drag the tours never saw the show, and they have no idea of the amazing experience they missed.

[dylanlioncourt 5,774]

I saw Janet's greatest hits tour and thought it was a mess.  You can see it whether online or in person and still make your opinion based on it. Lot of us may have not seen Virgin, WTG, BAT or others but can still formulate an opinion based on recordings, fan videos, and others etc. I think BAT is stronger than VT, WTG but on par with GS but I never went. Was only 2 at the time. 

[kesiak 3,032]

The Telegraph - 5/5
The Independent - 4/5
Guardian - 4/5
The Sun - 5/5
Evening Standard - 4/5

Just saying. You know there's something wrong with the world when even the Dail Mail is raving about Madonna more than some of her fans .

[o_g_c_x 2,785]

Obviously those who say it's her worst didnt attend

[Ronk 64]

On 1/26/2020 at 5:14 PM, thelioncourtheart_ said:

I saw Janet's greatest hits tour and thought it was a mess.  You can see it whether online or in person and still make your opinion based on it. Lot of us may have not seen Virgin, WTG, BAT or others but can still formulate an opinion based on recordings, fan videos, and others etc. I think BAT is stronger than VT, WTG but on par with GS but I never went. Was only 2 at the time. 

True, but only to a limited extent.  I find the live concert experience to be totally different than DVD or video.  There's something indescribable, beautiful, and thrilling about the atmosphere, ambience, and aura surrounding you at a concert.  And that, somehow, makes the artist on stage just shine.   When I attend a concert of any of the mpgs, my thought is omg I didn't know that artist was that amazing.  Most professional recordings do not describe the concert at all because the cameras are on cranes or the ceiling or other places where no person would be and the sound is from the stage, not from the positions of the cameras.  It's like watching a movie, it's fake and impersonal.  Videos, professional or amateur, made from the perspective of people in the audience are much better, but actually being there in person cannot be duplicated, even with 7.1 surround sound and 4k video.

Since cameras/phones weren't allowed at the Madame X concert, I hope Madonna will release a DVD from the audience perspective to try to put the viewer "there" as much as possible.  An example is the last 5 minutes of a Nightwish concert here at 40:20 to the end:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymOZ6w1iVyg

 

[blondebenji 1,883]

No way its her worst tour.  It was amazing!!!!  I have seen Girlie show, Drowned world, re-invention, confessions, sticky and sweet, MDNA, Rebel heart and now this one and it stand on its own with its brilliance and relevance. Luved it

 

[RinoTheBouncer 1,130]

Saw the tour twice. I just got back from my second showing.

Is it a good show? Yes, absolutely. Is it a differ to experience? Yes. Does it feel low budget and not as good as her other tours? Also yes, at least not as powerful as anything from Blond Ambition and onwards all the way to Rebel Heart Tour.

[rob666 18]

So many people, so many opinions.  

I've seen the feb 1st London show and was fabulous. Nicely executed and totally different from what we've seen her doing in arena's. Her voice was great. The sets are great But could even have been more high tech. She frequently explained Madame X although it would have been nicer with a complete storyline. The less she moves the better she sings. So many high lights and in my opinion a much better tour than het Rebel Heart Tour. The outfits are okay but the that diaper ass I don't understand. Still can't make up my mind if she has had an ass job but she def. has cushion in her clothing. It looks unattractive to me. Hopefully no more facelifts cause it makes her face loof puffy.

Now I've seen it and know what to expect I even look more forward to seeing her twice in Paris. 

[tajybajyboo 442]

Worst/best is a relative thing. On the one hand her voice (despite the ridiculous auto-tuning on some songs) hasn't sounded this good since the Drowned World Tour; but the sets and costumes and general production values of this show look really cheap compared to her other arena/stadium tours over the last 2 decades. 

When she sang I really enjoyed it, but the show is very choppy - it stops/starts, stops/starts more than an American football game - and I personally don't care for her sardonic and sometimes puerile sense of humour in the (many) monologues.

For obvious reasons her dancing and energy levels were not great in the 2 shows I saw (compared to other tours); and yes, I know everyone's fed up of talking about it, but her giant ass, whatever she'd had done or is wearing, looks weirdly distracting and her face did look very puffy. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong talking bout her face or body, because her image has been so intrinsic to her career over the last 38 years. She's been selling it, and we've been buying it. It's a transactional relationship and it served both our interests well.

The organisation of this tour has been awful, beginning with the registration code fiasco, too many dates announced, exorbitant ticket prices, late start times, rescheduled shows, cancelled shows, shortened set lists... being a Madonna fan in 2020 has become a very challenging and elitist experience. What's bites the most, is the tickets prices for this tour, were more expensive than any other, even though it's my least favourite show.

There were flashes of brilliance here and there, but I really hope this is just an experiment and not the promise of things to come. To be clear, I'm a huge Madonna fan. I've seen her more than 20 times over the last 2 decades, travelled from Moscow to Madison Square Garden, spending thousands of pounds in the process; but this show felt like a step backwards and I left feeling disappointed. No one does spectacle like Madonna. No one. But the very nature of this show and the venues chosen, made it feel undeniably small - intimate, yes; but Madonna is a queen, an ice-cold Goddess in fact! I don't want to hear about her kids and injuries. I want her to be larger than life, and impossibly infallible. This tour has only reminded me of how human she really is, and that scares me. She can't get old. That's something other people do, not Madonna.

This does makes me wonder though - where do we go from here? I know she planted the seed, saying she  had wanted to do this kind of show sometime ago, but I also wonder if it came from necessity, rather than by design. Unless she's going to be more generous with her back catalogue, I suspect her fan base will continue to dwindle with any future tours, and I'm not expecting she'll ever fully recover from these injuries.

I also think this tour was a missed opportunity. The Madame X songs were genuinely great, especially Batuka, Killers Who Are Partying, Crazy, Medellin, and Extreme Occident - basically the third act, but why oh why did she include Human Nature, Vogue and Like A Prayer for the umpteenth time, when those songs have been done and done to death? I would have swapped Human Nature for an amped-up rock guitar version of Sorry. It would still convey the same message, but with more raw energy, whilst allowing her to stand still and not exacerbate any injuries. What It Feels Like For A Girl also would also fit the themes of this show (I know it was rehearsed). Even though Like A Prayer was a crowd-pleasing finale, it could have easily been replaced by Crazy For You, which would have been an equally rousing sing-along and fit so well within the intimacy of a theatre show setting, whilst acting as coda to the Virgin tour, where it all began. What about other number 1 singles such as Take A Bow (her longest running number 1 in the US) or This Used to Be MY Playground, so far, never performed on tour.

Don't get me wrong - it's not that I didn't enjoy the show, but I've come away feeling painfully aware that Madonna's touring career may have peaked both in terms of creativity and commercial-ability now. Instead of offering something totally new, unique and unexpected, Madame X ended up being a scaled-down of her usual arena tour, but with fewer hits and more talking in between songs. I'm reminded of the You Must Love Me lyrics:

Where do we go from here?
This isn't where we intended to be
We had it all
You believed in me, I believed in you
Certainties disappear
What do we do for our dream to survive?
How do we keep all our passions alive
As we used to do?

So what's next Madame X?

x

[Danton 618]

thank you for your lucidity and your precision

[rlittler81 1,601]

Absolutely not. Saw it on Saturday night in London and it was an amazing experience from start to finish.

[kesiak 3,032]

For me it's the most beautiful show she's done and it stands alone - completely separate from and incomparable to her previous tours. It's actually unlike any concert I've ever been to. It blows my mind that someone almost 40 years into her career can still be so hungry, creative, uncompromising and inspired.

[Ronk 64]

On 1/30/2020 at 9:05 AM, kesiak said:

The Telegraph - 5/5
The Independent - 4/5
Guardian - 4/5
The Sun - 5/5
Evening Standard - 4/5

Just saying. You know there's something wrong with the world when even the Dail Mail is raving about Madonna more than some of her fans .

Typical of fan-bases of most artists.  Fans are the artist's most demanding critics.  I wish fans would celebrate artists for who they are as people, and not be so critical when the artist doesn't produce exactly what fans want at any given time.  Artists work very hard, are talented, and provide much entertainment and joy to the world.  They deserve to be celebrated, not dragged.

[PWCCA 2,498]

1 hour ago, Ronk said:

Typical of fan-bases of most artists.  Fans are the artist's most demanding critics.  

The big difference between fans and music critics is that music critics don't pay for their tickets. Fans, however, are the ones forking out hundreds or thousands, only to (in several instances on this tour) be let down. Fans have every right to be critical... and they paid heavily for that right (several are still doing so as cancellations only refund ticket costs). Artists do indeed have a great deal of talent, and for the most part, work very hard, but that doesn't mean they are immune from criticism. Artists put out a product, fans buy the product... therefore, they have every right to either praise it, or criticise it.

[dylanlioncourt 5,774]

1 hour ago, PWCCA said:

The big difference between fans and music critics is that music critics don't pay for their tickets. Fans, however, are the ones forking out hundreds or thousands, only to (in several instances on this tour) be let down. Fans have every right to be critical... and they paid heavily for that right (several are still doing so as cancellations only refund ticket costs). Artists do indeed have a great deal of talent, and for the most part, work very hard, but that doesn't mean they are immune from criticism. Artists put out a product, fans buy the product... therefore, they have every right to either praise it, or criticise it.

Thank you! 

[Ronk 64]

2 hours ago, PWCCA said:

The big difference between fans and music critics is that music critics don't pay for their tickets. Fans, however, are the ones forking out hundreds or thousands, only to (in several instances on this tour) be let down. Fans have every right to be critical... and they paid heavily for that right (several are still doing so as cancellations only refund ticket costs). Artists do indeed have a great deal of talent, and for the most part, work very hard, but that doesn't mean they are immune from criticism. Artists put out a product, fans buy the product... therefore, they have every right to either praise it, or criticise it.

You make a good point, and I feel badly for fans who lost money and feel let down.  But I look at Madonna differently than many fans do.  To me, the chance to see Madonna in concert is not transactional.  It's not about paying money and expecting something in return.  It's entirely about the chance to be in the same room with the legend who changed pop music forever, the queen who led the way for all who followed, and the icon who is credited by other artists to be an inspiration and an influence.  If she had to cancel my concert I would feel very badly for her, because I know she would have to be in terrible pain, and also with mental anguish of having letting her fans down.  She's a very good person and needs to be shown love, not made to feel more badly than she already does.  She's in a very bad situation, with her injuries forcing her to cancel concerts.  She pushes herself too hard and risks permanent injury because she hates to disappoint her fans.  The best fans can to is rally behind her, pray for her, and wish her relief from her pain and to heal so she can get on with her life.

[Scottyx 8,757]

Alot of it is easy to say if

1. You got to opportunity to see her this time and your date wasn't cancelled.

2. You didn't intend on seeing her this time anyway

[Ronk 64]

1 hour ago, ScottyX said:

Alot of it is easy to say if

1. You got to opportunity to see her this time and your date wasn't cancelled.

2. You didn't intend on seeing her this time anyway

Yes, it would be, but I posted those thoughts to my friends days before the concert.   When I was informed that if the concert was cancelled my money would be automatically refunded to my credit card, I emailed my friends that while the refund would be all well and good, I felt the concert wasn't transactional and I shared those thoughts explaining why.  It turned out my concert (Philadelphia, December 7) was not cancelled.  At the concert she talked about her pain from multiple injuries and how she had to soak in warm water to get some relief.  The cold on the stage was clearly causing her more pain, despite her brave face.  After the concert I told my friends that I would have been happy if she had cancelled the show to take of her health, because she is aggravating her injuries.   Madonna is one of those artists who cares more for her fans than she does for her own heath.  It would be great if her fans returned the sentiment and cared more about her than about themselves.  I think fans would feel differently if they were the ones living in pain and still trying to keep every engagement they possibly could manage while their doctor was telling them if they kept going their injuries could become permanent.

I would feel differently about artists who cancel shows out of convenience rather than necessity.  In those cases I would be upset about the time and money spent for the travel and hotel stay.

[Scottyx 8,757]

I was speaking generally as there are many of the same comments all over the web that we see here.

I am just glad I didn't plan a trip as many did. Some even having saved up for months or using credit cards then to find out after travelling half way around the world, the show is cancelled. That has to be alot to deal with.

Injuries happen. Madonna is human. Still think the way things were handled was shitty. I didn't sense any sincerity in the gradual apology. More like a " put up with it. Bitch, I'm Madonna".

[Blue Jean 15,102]

Her team are terrible. No real announcement or mention of the Paris cancellations whatsoever.

The email I got from ticketmaster was disgusting customer service. I’ve never experienced anything like it!

[dankpepe 1,040]

It's tough to rank tours when they're all so different. The best way to do it is to break things down by criteria and rank them such as costumes, set lists, production, etc.

[eXtremeOccident 2,467]

I'd sadly say yes, it's her worst -- Having seen it 2x in person (so don't come at me saying I'm going based off her Insta). 

I've seen every tour from Confessions-onwards, barring S&S, and I consider Rebel Heart to be when the Madonna concert experience first started to lose its "X Factor". Something about the pacing and theme of that show was off -- I remember that was the first time I witnessed a show of her's that felt disjointed, rushed, and dare I say cheap?

The Madame X Tour was a whole new low, in my opinion. It's missing absolutely everything I used to love about the Madonna concert experience:

* Production

* Interesting visuals / staging (she literally reuses music video clips)

* Good choreography (I still don't understand how anything in that show gave her an injury).

* A sensible flow

* A good balance of hits and new songs

* Interesting interpretations of the old songs (Frozen is fine, I guess)

* A controversial, breathtaking segment / moment

* A good entrance

* An excited crowd, due to the late starts / A/C / lack of hits / etc.

* A general "X Factor" attitude in her performance that seems to be lacking completely nowadays

* TALKING AND JOKES. Jesus, the end segment of the Rebel Heart Tour was foreshadowing of her descent into live concert madness. Sigh.

I really feel like she's trying to execute a Judy Garland approach to performing nowadays that kinda just isn't working. That's the kinda persona that I gathered from the show. I'm curious to see if she'll stick with this format or not.

Edited February 13, 2020 by techno101 (see edit history)

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

After seeing it for myself:

NO

[EM 51]

Attended the Feb 12 show, amazing

A. M. A. Z. I. N. G

 it was surreal, a man sat next to me has suddenly held my hand during Frozen, I hope she ll do another tour in theaters cause the experience is sooo unique, best show I attended since The Girlie Show in Paris back in the day, she s a treasure, the show has a fluid narrative, unfortunately my English is not that good to describe my point of you but this time she has really portrait her vision, it s like a canvas you get to listen to but with the eyes and looking at with the ears. I loved when she escapes from the cell after human nature and finds her way during vogue where in disguise, in the entertainment industry,  all the Madonnas look the same ( WHAROL) , she writes down on a sheet of paper few secret lines then Finally find ENOUGH LOVE but again male figures take her, steal the letter, query and question her and what s left to her to do is sell a SELFIEPolaroid of herself (WARHOL) to keep her journey going, she took the money and put then in her body yesterday night saying she s now pregnant and leaving the American life where she might not get an abortion in this time, she goes back to the human nature cell and close it herself then the traveling map interlude kick in and she s in cape verde and I could go on and on.... to me Frozen is the dream, where she s the child of the mother she never had