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Question about the MDNA Tour live soundchecks


Adriabs
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First of all I want to apologize if this has been discussed before, but I can't find any info about it and I've been wondering about this for quite a really long time... :Madonna056:

I'm not very sure of why some live soundchecks during the MDNA Tour were performed with the audience. I remember hearing that this is just how late she was for these shows, that when she started to rehearse the soundcheck people were already in the venue. When I was in line for one of her shows in Barcelona, I remember hearing the soundcheck from outside the venue, nobody was in yet and it was like 4/5 hours before the show.

In some way I think it must be kind of cool, like an intimate and different experience with her, kind of odd too... but even if you get to enjoy more time with her, I also think it kills the vibe of seeing her come out for the first time with the full look, production and hype, I would never trade that, specially considering her stellar entrance on the MDNA Tour.

Thanks in adanvce if anyone wants to share insights on this :heart:

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From what I remember full dress rehearsals shortly before the show was kicking off in Tel Aviv were performed several nights throughout May 2012. Madonna was seen on stage in full costume but a stand-in performed the same show for M to see it from an audience member's perspective. There were videos online of those dress rehearsals. 
As for soundchecks, she did several of them with a decent amount of lucky fans (most of them early entry, golden circle or Premium VIP ticket holders) already in the venue. 
There are several videos on YouTube showing her in broad daylight, only waring sweatpants and a specific part of the costume she would put on later for the actual show.

I think the most rehearsed songs were EY, GMAYL, TUTR, I'm Addicted & Celebration

The reason she rehearsed EY so often was because the gloves she wore were not helping with grip on the baton, for instance. She rehearsed TUTR a lot because of the guitar, obviously. In Milan she rehearsed it turning her back to the audience, barely singing at all, not playing a guitar. Only god knows why.

At the south american leg of the tour she performed a lot more songs-almost half a show. It really became a celebration in and of itself. The soundchecks in Cordoba, Medellin and Porto Alegre had the most passionate fans, screaming and cheering as if the 'proper' show had already started.

Later during the tour at soundchecks she would also perform the opening numbers that were 100% lip-sync.

In Buenos Aires she rehearsed Don't cry for me Argentina during soundcheck wich was very intimate and also provided insight in how she approaches new arrangements with her musicians.

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26 minutes ago, Adriabs said:

wow thank you so much for all these experiences!

The thing is, why did she do the soundchecks with audience on select shows and only on this tour? Was it really just because she was running really late and she still had to do them?

I can't really tell if it was because she was running late but I know that she started doing soundchecks with fans as early as S&S 2008 at the last leg in São Paulo in Dec. 2008.

During the 2009 leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour fans got to see several soundchecks.

At the show I attended (MDNA, Vienna, July 2012) soundcheck started around 3 p.m., doors opened at around 4, so we were lucky to witness most it.

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4 hours ago, Adriabs said:

I'm not very sure of why some live soundchecks during the MDNA Tour were performed with the audience. I remember hearing that this is just how late she was for these shows, that when she started to rehearse the soundcheck people were already in the venue. When I was in line for one of her shows in Barcelona, I remember hearing the soundcheck from outside the venue, nobody was in yet and it was like 4/5 hours before the show.

 

I was there too and I kinda wanted to kill her hahahaha I hadn't seen any of the videos from previous concerts, so she was spoiling the whole audio for me. Thank God nobody recorded me with my fingers in my ears screaming "me cago en su p*ta madre" outside the venue :lol:

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15 minutes ago, G House said:

 

I was there too and I kinda wanted to kill her hahahaha I hadn't seen any of the videos from previous concerts, so she was spoiling the whole audio for me. Thank God nobody recorded me with my fingers in my ears screaming "me cago en su p*ta madre" outside the venue :lol:

wish I had witnessed that tbh :laughing:

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12 hours ago, MCL_1993 said:

I can't really tell if it was because she was running late but I know that she started doing soundchecks with fans as early as S&S 2008 at the last leg in São Paulo in Dec. 2008.

During the 2009 leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour fans got to see several soundchecks.

At the show I attended (MDNA, Vienna, July 2012) soundcheck started around 3 p.m., doors opened at around 4, so we were lucky to witness most it.

I was in Vienna show too and after couple of days in Warsaw, she let us in for soundcheck again :) 

It's really unbelievable experience to see M so raw - without make up, without fake smile, in sweatpants :) 

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Ahh the days when she would get to the venue before us....haha

Wembley August 1990 - hot summers day - huge queues circling the concrete structure with the two towers towering above us and the sun beating down. The smell of smoke, cooking hotdogs and onions, stool holders shouting selling programs and t shirts. A sea of denim and day glo colours, big hair and ray bans. And then that sound of the drums and the band echoing through the thick walls of the giant fortress. The chatter went silent and grew to cheers as that familiar sound of Papa Don't Preach...and snippets of other songs with her distinctive voice echoed through... and although sounding as if it were coming through a toilet bowl.....just gave the hot and weary fans that little bit of hope and renewed excitement of what would be coming their way...albeit in around 8 hours time. And everyone began to sing.

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1 hour ago, Semtex1 said:

Ahh the days when she would get to the venue before us....haha

Wembley August 1990 - hot summers day - huge queues circling the concrete structure with the two towers towering above us and the sun beating down. The smell of smoke, cooking hotdogs and onions, stool holders shouting selling programs and t shirts. A sea of denim and day glo colours, big hair and ray bans. And then that sound of the drums and the band echoing through the thick walls of the giant fortress. The chatter went silent and grew to cheers as that familiar sound of Papa Don't Preach...and snippets of other songs with her distinctive voice echoed through... and although sounding as if it were coming through a toilet bowl.....just gave the hot and weary fans that little bit of hope and renewed excitement of what would be coming their way...albeit in around 8 hours time. And everyone began to sing.

You just took me there, how I miss concerts, waiting in line, the biggest hype and joy there is :drama:

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59 minutes ago, Adriabs said:

You just took me there, how I miss concerts, waiting in line, the biggest hype and joy there is :drama:

Yes absolutely ...although at the time you dont appreciate being part of history. You soon forget the waiting and the aching feet ...and the waiting....and the pushing....and the waiting lol

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13 minutes ago, Semtex1 said:

Yes absolutely ...although at the time you dont appreciate being part of history. You soon forget the waiting and the aching feet ...and the waiting....and the pushing....and the waiting lol

It truly is an excruciating pain and the hours of waiting feel longer than ever. And then it feels like the show lasted 20 minutes. But we keep coming back so I bet it's totally worth it. For the MDNA Tour I spent four days camping, and two for the RH Tour. It's terrible, but I can't wait to do it all again.

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18 minutes ago, Adriabs said:

It truly is an excruciating pain and the hours of waiting feel longer than ever. And then it feels like the show lasted 20 minutes. But we keep coming back so I bet it's totally worth it. For the MDNA Tour I spent four days camping, and two for the RH Tour. It's terrible, but I can't wait to do it all again.

Haha if its bitter at the start...then it's sweeter in the end

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I saw the full rehearsal in Belgium (Brussels) during MDNA Tour. I had won tickets for the golden triangle with the Madonna website contest. It was just crazy, so much space in the triangle and to see her in broad daylight in the sun just having fun. I felt like I had two concerts and it certainly lightened the long hours of waiting. The adrenaline was pumping so hard. Some people didn't get it, they thought she already started haha! She didn't seem to mind that the crowd came in already. It was the second time I saw her doing a long rehearsal, I also saw her during the Sticky & Sweet Tour in Werchter (Belgium).

I remember her saying the rap-verse of American Life for the fans because we were all requesting songs and she went with it! She did Celebration a few times because that was a heavy choreography. I had so many pictures and videos, but my hard drive went nuts and lost most of them. Only what was on my facebook and youtube. You can watch it here: 

 

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14 hours ago, Adriabs said:

It truly is an excruciating pain and the hours of waiting feel longer than ever. And then it feels like the show lasted 20 minutes. But we keep coming back so I bet it's totally worth it. For the MDNA Tour I spent four days camping, and two for the RH Tour. It's terrible, but I can't wait to do it all again.

I am never camping again hahaha I'll pay whatever I have to pay, but I won't do it again :lol:

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Some videos (not mine) from Dublin Soundcheck and show, she made a joke about the rain and counted from 1 -4 in Irish, being in the golden triangle was an experience and I died when she grabbed my hand during LAP, I think this was the only show where she did I Don't Give A and LaV under an umbrella due to heavy rain, she also asked for a raincoat before papa don't preach as well

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Some Of the Sticky & Sweet sound checks were awesome too .. Dubendorf and Werchter come to mind.

MDNA the most exciting was Glasgow where she performed Beautiful Killer for the first handful of people in the stadium and ended up doing most of the show for the sound check, maybe 55mins? 
 

then rebel heart she changed her mind .. we saw the Paris sound check but she was angry and made everyone put cameras away. 

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