Asian & Oceanian RHT 2016: RECENT

[Stevo 6,436]

Did your fear of clowns come from watching IT? That was the only movie I could think of...

Probably, and going to the circus when i was about 5 lol.

[Stevo 6,436]

my fear of clowns came from this

I'm afraid to watch this.....😯 lolSomeone watch it and see if it's safe.....ðŸ‘ðŸ‘

[Breathless 5,286]

I watched this movie months ago and it's pretty bad. Some scary stuff in it but very very B-grade. I wouldn't bother. But that's just me.

[groovyguy 63,856]

 

Madonna Australia

Like A Prayer is now 27 years old and the good news for Australian Rebel Hearts is Madonna confirmed in her December 2015 Australian inteview that she will be performing LIke A Prayer in Australia for the very first time this month â€ª#‎TakeYouThere‬ â€ª#‎RebelHeartTour‬ (matt)

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna Australia

As if today hasn't been exciting enough, here's your exclusive first look at the VIP party package passes for Australia and New Zealand shows! These are unique and each pass represents the package you have chosen! You're gonna love this! â¤â€ª#‎RebelHeartTour‬ â€ª#‎MadonnaAustralia‬

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna Australia

Here's an exclusive first look at the special Australian Rebel Heart Tour programs for those who are doing the VIP packages! The tour program, VIP tour book and an exclusive pass ate included in the awesome VIP Nation Australia & New Zealandpackages. Last chance VIP packages and Devil Pray VIP upgrades are on sale now!‪#‎RebelHeartTour‬ â€ª#‎MadonnaAustralia‬

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna Australia

VIP Gift bags containing the awesome VIP Book are ready to for tonight's show in Auckland, New Zealand 

⤠‪#‎RebelHeartTour‬

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Guy Oseary told a fan (Jenny Crooks) that Kylie Minogue is unavailable to come for the shows.

[groovyguy 63,856]

Why Madonna’s career is at a crossroads during her Australian tour

http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/music/why-madonnas-career-is-at-a-crossroads-during-her-australian-tour/news-story/acfe5ed98400e53d5081b8a0e0ddb701?from=public_rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

OPINION

IF you believe some of what you’ve heard in the past week, Madonna’s first Australian tour in 23 years has been a trainwreck.

 

But reports of her wild and erratic behaviour have been greatly exaggerated. She’s not been drunk on stage — she sipped a cocktail. Yes, she’s kept fans waiting as she takes her time starting the show — but for better or worse, elastic concert times are as intrinsically Madonna at this stage as Like A Prayer and her conical bra.

 

And remember, those who waited for hours to see her Melbourne Forum showTears Of A Clown last week were given their tickets for free — and rewarded with a two-hour show in an intimate setting.

 

Australians are notoriously hard to please concert-goers, particularly when it comes to the big touring acts who visit us infrequently - so expectations are high. Britney Spears has toured Australia just once, and attracted a fan backlash due to the fact she mimed her entire show. Whitney Houston’s 2010 final Australian tour was touted as a triumphant comeback, but met with audience walk outs and bad reviews as the toll her lifestyle had taken on her voice was laid bare.

 

In contrast, reviews for Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour have been glowing, with fans agreeing it’s been worth the 23-year wait to have the Queen of Pop back on our shores.

 

The tour leans heavily on Madonna’s most recent album, Rebel Heart, which is in itself an odd beast. Weighing in at a bloated 20 tracks, it combines classic Madonna balladry (Ghost Town, Joan of Arc), with flimsy party jams (Unapologetic Bitch, Bitch, I’m Madonna). It has sold 650,000 910,000 copies worldwide, a fraction of the multi-million sales figures she commanded only a few years ago (2005’s polished Confessions On A Dance Floor sold 12 million worldwide).

 

Those sales figures don’t paint the whole picture, though: nowadays, Madonna makes music to tour it, with her worldwide jaunts raking in staggering box office figures (thanks in no small part to her eye-watering ticket prices). The real question is: What kind of music does Madonna want to make now?

 

Last week’s Tears Of A Clown concert — a relatively spur-of-the-moment and remarkably intimate gig — was a fascinatingly uncharacteristic moment for Madonna. So much of her career — particularly on stage — has been built around discipline and control, delivering spectacle so intense she’s at times seemed almost superhuman. From the groundbreaking Blonde Ambition tour onwards, Madonna has been locked in competition with herself, upping the stakes on each subsequent tour. This is a woman who, on her 2006 Confessions tour, emerged on stage from inside a giant disco ball and, a costume change later, rose above the audience strapped to a giant cross in crucifixion mode.

 

In stark contrast, last week Madonna arrived on stage at the Forum riding a children’s tricycle, then settled on to a stool, often with a guitar in hand, to sing a selection of the sort of career-best hidden gems so often forgotten about in the current rush to denigrate her talents. Fan-favourite album tracks from artistic high points Ray of Light and American Life filled the evening — each of them a world away from the trend-chasing songs frontloaded onto her last few albums.

 

Much has been made of the fact that Madonna is currently locked in a painful custody battle with ex-husband Guy Ritchie over her teenage son Rocco, for whom she’s clearly pining. The footage from her Forum show in which Madonna talks about her son is shocking, in that she’s visibly upset, and comfortable sharing her emotions with fans. This isn’t the confident, unassailable Madonna we’re used to seeing on stage.

 

But perhaps there’s more at play here. Madonna’s infamously reticent to look back on her career — it’s why her tours aren’t crowd-pleasing greatest hits sets, but it’s also why she continues to make new music some 33 years after the release of her debut album.

 

Madonna said she was devastated by the death of music icon David Bowie in January. Could his passing — and the subsequent rush to eulogise his incredible career - have something to do with her sudden urge to re-evaluate her musical output? Does Madonna have a new understanding that, at this point in her career, many have forgotten she’s still first and foremost a pop cultural innovator with a musical back catalogue of fantastic, boundary-pushing songs?

 

Some of the songs she performed at last week’s show — Paradise (Not For Me), Mer Girl â€” could stand alongside Bowie’s most interesting and experimental work. Unlike, ahem, Bitch I’m Madonna, this was Madonna doing pop at its most daring. At 57, is Madonna finally starting to ‘look back’, to consider her legacy? Is she ready to remind people of her very best and most personal works?

 

On Sunday, Madonna finishes her 82-date Rebel Heart World Tour in Sydney. From there, she’s at a crossroads: She can stay on the pop diva merry-go-round if she likes — hell, by now it’s second nature. Or perhaps Tears Of A Clown could become the new normal: Maybe Madonna letting the imperious ‘Queen of Pop’ mantle slip could be the best thing to happen to her career right now. Whatever happens, it’s an exciting time to be a fan.

 

Originally published as Why we’re all wrong about Madonna

[Breathless 5,286]

I'm just dying to know what she'll do next!! I hope it will be great!

[groovyguy 63,856]

This May Be The Most Amazing Madonna Tribute Ever

The Queen of Pop's Aussie fans get into the groove, and prove their love.

 

Watch video @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/madonna-australia-tribute_us_56e9c456e4b0860f99db747b

 

Some die-hard Madonna fans celebrated the Queen of Pop's first Australian performances in 23 years with an epic music video tribute. 

 

The clip kicks off with a group of pint-sized performers, who re-enact Madonna's iconic "Material Girl" video, followed by a drag take on "Express Yourself." A spirited flashmob then grooves to a mashup of "Vogue" and "Living For Love," from Madge's latest album, "Rebel Heart."  

 

The video was produced in downtown Sydney during the city's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebration in February. 

 

"As an artist, Madonna has helped define a generation during an era that has seen huge global changes, and diversity has ALWAYS been core to her message of self-expression and love," organizers wrote on Facebook. "We hope that our video tribute goes someway to reflect the sheer joy, infinite love and deep respect that our diverse LGBTQI communities have for a unique performer who continues to empower, celebrate, and support us." 

 

Madonna will wrap her Rebel Heart Tour with a concert in Sydney on March 20.

[Breathless 5,286]

OMG I want one of those pink  cone bra outfits!!! :heart:

[Stevo 6,436]

OK I know what the LGBT stands for, but what about Q and I?

[Stevo 6,436]

Madonna will wrap her Rebel Heart Tour with a concert in Sydney on March 20.[/font]

It's flown by. The start of the tour seems like it was only a few weeks ago.

[groovyguy 63,856]

 

Madonna Australia

STATEMENT: Madonna Australia has been inundated with media requests from around Australia and the world in the past 24 hours. We have been offered financial rewards for information on the identity of fans and people associated with the tour. We will not be assisting with these requests. We are aware that members of the Australian media are selling information to the international media who are seeking to continue to post dishonest and malicious media stories about Madonna and the Rebel Heart Tour. This conduct is abhorrent and we will never assist or indirectly participate in these stories. We are very selective with who we assist with media stories and we assist members of the media with integrity which is unfortunately but unsurprisingly rare. Madonna’s Australian shows have been incredible and we look forward to the final shows of the Rebel Heart Tour in Sydney this weekend. We are Madonna Australia and selling out is not our thing - Nicole & Matt â€ª#‎MadonnaAustralia‬ â€ª#‎TeamMadonna‬ (matt)

[groovyguy 63,856]

The author of the following article, Paul Cashmere, used to hate & slam Madonna but ever since he saw her in Melbourne he has nothing but praise for her. Read his awesome review of the show @ http://www.noise11.com/news/madonna-gives-melbourne-a-dose-of-precision-pop-perfection-20160313

 

Madonna Australian Media Is Out of Control

by PAUL CASHMERE on MARCH 18, 2016

http://www.noise11.com/news/madonna-australian-media-is-out-of-control-20160318

Australia’s mainstream media has lost its mind with reporting of Madonna’s Australian tour ranging from insane to ridiculous.

 

Since this tour began press stories have told of Madonna being drunk on stage, having a public breakdown, not up to par as a performer and fretting publically over her 15-year old son’s custody battle. The reports have been complete lies.

 

The latest scandal is the much reported Titgate incident. Oh dear, a nipple was seen at a Madonna concert and for at least one Australian gossip columnist, that must mean a Sexual Harassment lawsuit is pending. Not quite. The only boob that needs adjusting after last night’s Brisbane show is the Tabloid Turkey himself.

 

It seems everyone loves a good scandal and if you can be paid to generate one … cha-ching. But lets be real here, the artist is Madonna, not the Wiggles. The audience is predominately 40+ and are probably not expecting Madonna to be Britney Spears.

 

If this audience was expecting a greatest hits show when Madonna never does a greatest hits show then they are probably there just to say they were there. They certainly aren’t true fans.

 

Yes the tardiness is annoying and fans should truly be pissed off for that, as they were for Bieber, as they were for Guns N Roses. Keep in mind that artists of the calibre of Madonna do not live in the real world and expecting them to act like real people is unrealistic on your part. So yes, vent your anger at that … if you were there, if she was late at your show and if it inconvenienced you. But if you weren’t … then shut the fuck up.

[groovyguy 63,856]

MONTE PITTMAN: MADONNA’S GUITAR MAN

Posted by AustralianMusician on Mar 21, 2016 

http://www.australianmusician.com.au/monte-pittman-madonnas-guitar-man/

Texan born singer, songwriter Monte Pittman has been Madonna’s right hand guitar man since the pop icon’s 2001 Drowned world tour. He scored the gig after giving guitar lessons to Madonna’s husband at the time, UK film maker Guy Ritchie. It wasn’t long before Madonna too was taking lessons from Monte, which led to an invitation to play guitar with her on the David Letterman Show. He’s been with her band ever since, co-written songs with her and still gives Madonna guitar lessons while on tour. As well as attending to Madonna’s fretted instrument needs, Monte has also been an integral part of American metal band Prong, toured with industrial hard rockers Ministry and has released three albums of his own, the current one being Power of Three. He hopes to release a fourth album by year’s end. On the final day of Madonna’s Australian Rebel Heart tour, a very generous Monte Pittman kindly granted Australian Musician’s Greg Phillips some time to chat about his amazing musical world.

Photo: Kevin Wilson

Monte, thanks for spending some time with us. Is this your first trip to Australia?
I have been here a couple of times. I played guitar with Adam Lambert. We came over here and did some shows and TV appearances. Me and Adam go way back. He was the singer in my band. We started a band together and then he went on American Idol and that was that.

 

Do you remember the moment that the guitar or a guitarist really sparked your flame?
I was one of those kids that stood on the bed and pretended they were Ace Frehley. I was like three years old. Ace Frehley was my favourite. Then when I was learning how to play guitar … what was really cool was that when I got my first guitar, that was when Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, all those bands were just coming out. I am a huge Metallica fan still of course … and Steve Vai. I mean, I’m scared of Steve Vai. If I see him or meet him, I get so nervous. I think that’s from watching Crossroads so many times but there have been so many great guitar players along the way.

 

Do you remember your first guitar?
Yeah, it was called a Terminator from a company called Synsonics, my parents got me from Target for Christmas. Then my first real guitar was an Ibanez RG560, that’s when I was in a Steve Vai phase. Now I am with ESP guitars

 

I wanted to go through your stage gear for the Rebel Heart tour. I’ve seen a few videos of your set up but I believe it has changed recently. Are you using the Kemper Profiling Amp instead of the Axe FX II to run your sounds now?
Yes.

 

How did you first come across the Kemper Profiler?
Dino Cazares (Fear Factory) told me about it at a NAMM show and he took me and Tommy Victor (fellow Prong band member) over to the Kemper booth and Christoph (Kemper) showed it to us and when I saw that, it was like there is no way I am going back to work with Madonna without one of these. You know it is one of the greatest inventions for guitar players ever … I mean ever!

 

Did it take long to set up the tones for Madonna’s show.
Yeah, it took a while and there are still things that I haven’t even scratched the surface of. We rehearsed the show for three months prior in New York and I did a lot of work on amps sounds, going back to all of those old Madonna songs and figuring out what amps Nile Rodgers was using. But there are so many things that you can do with that thing that I don’t even know about yet.

 

Is it something you will use with your own music as well?
Absolutely. I am working on my next album on Metal Blade Records and I recorded all of the guitars on the Kemper. I did a lot of the guitars in my hotel room on tour. I’d take the Kemper to my hotel room with my guitar because the drums are already done, so I recorded all of the guitars myself.

 

How would you set that up in your room?
I would just use Pro tools and Apogee Duet and on my day off I would just record guitars in my room all day with room service.

 

What guitars are you using on stage for this tour?
The main ones are an ESP FRX and an Eclipse but I use the FRX the most, that’s one of my favourite guitars ever. When I grew up I never played an ESP. Nobody had one. I’m from a small town in Texas and they only had like Ibanez or Gibson and Fender. A friend of mine works for ESP as a tech and I had him do some work on one of my guitars and then he had one, since he worked for them and I started playing his and I loved it. I didn’t know that I’d be jumping onboard with them. I just got drawn to it. I found myself really wanting to play when I was playing their guitars and it makes you a better player when you don’t want to put the guitar down. So those are the main two. I also have an ESP Strat. For acoustic, I use Bourgeois guitars.

 

I believe you make good use of a capo during a show rather than having to swap guitars with different tuning?
I personally like a lower tuning. I try to get away with that any chance I get. All my solo stuff, I tune down a step and a half. The way I think about is, if I am playing those guitars with Madonna, they’re broken in and I really know them .. rather than going on tour with Madonna for a year and playing one way, and going back to my stuff and it seems foreign to you. Also with her, you never know what’s going to happen. She will want to change a key right there on the spot or the next song we’re going to do afterwards is in a different key or she’ll switch up the set list just with a word she’s saying and you’ve got to be ready. With the capo, I can just move the capo down and there you go.

You’re still using Orange amps on stage?
Yes I still use my Oranges. I use that and the Kemper together

 

Is there anything happening under the stage in regard to your sound?
Everything is right there with me on my riser. I have two Orange Dual Dark heads and two Orange cabinets. So there’s like an Orange half stack and then the Kemper goes into the other Orange cabinet and that’s my on stage sound. I’ve got the Orange amps set at different levels. When we do the song Burning Up, we do it with distorted guitars, so it’s like a heavy version of a Madonna song. When we do that, I am cranked. When I hit the guitar, you get the response of the strings. It’s almost like you get instant feedback. Then the Kemper goes stereo to front of house.

 

What’s happening pedal-wise on stage?
I just got a couple of Real McCoy  custom wah wah pedals. They’re made by this guy Jefrrey Teese, those are amazing. I couldn’t decide which wah wah pedal to use so I got two of them and I have them both on. I use different ones for different times. I’ve got a SolidGold FX Rosie, which is a distortion pedal and that works great. One thing about Orange amps that I have always loved is that their clean channels work really well with pedals. With some amps when you are using distortion pedals there’s almost too much EQ and it doesn’t sound good but those amps work great with pedals. I use a Walrus Janus, which is a fuzz and it’s a tremolo, so you can put those together. The way that the knobs work on it, you can filter it out where it works really well with the synths for all of the Madonna stuff. It kind of just blends in there with them. There’s a company from Brazil called Darta Effects and I have a delay and a boost from them. He’s really known for graphics. He does really cool graphics, so he made me these Star Wars themed pedals.

 

Madonna has been busting out a Flying V guitar on this tour…
Yeah, that was my Flying V. I was playing with the band Ministry right before this and then I came back to Madonna. I had been playing that guitar a lot. I give Madonna guitar lessons. That’s how I met her. We’re working on songs and potential songs that she can play on tour and she told me that she wanted something different, some new blood, new ideas. I was showing her all of my ESPs and she picked up my V and started playing it and it was like instantly, that’s going to be your guitar now! So I gave it to her.

Madonna and her Flying V. Photo courtesy of Trent Titmarsh

Is she getting into metal? Are you feeding her some of your music?
You know she picked out those sounds. We went through the Kemper and I gave her all these different  amps, just going do you like this one or this one? I didn’t have too many heavy ones but I had a couple in there. I didn’t think that she would go for that. I was giving it to her as a reference and she kept saying, go back to that one. That’s the sound that I want. That was the profile of Kerry King’s signature JCM800. I am friends with the guys in Slayer and I love telling them that … hey, Madonna is using your amp sound!

 

I know she also has a pretty neat looking Les Paul, is that yours too?
Oh no that’s hers. She got that over ten years ago and that’s amazing. That’s one of the best Les Pauls I have ever played. The custom shop made it for her. She had one she got from Guitar Centre or somewhere but we had some guitars stolen in 2004 when we were rehearsing at The Forum (USA). On Sundays you can’t rehearse there because it’s open as a big church and someone stole some of our guitars on that day but then Gibson made her that same guitar and actually made a much better guitar.

 

Is this a difficult tour to play guitar on in terms of what is going on around you? You’re getting messages in your in-ear monitors as you play and looking out for cues and theatrics and dancers on stage … you really have to be switched on … is that difficult?
Well that’s why we rehearsed so long. We rehearsed from the beginning of May until out first show which was the beginning of September. There were some days during rehearsals where we didn’t get off stage until four in the morning. It was like 12 to 16 hour a day rehearsals. You go through everything. There’s some great things about playing guitar with in-ear monitors and there’s some bad things. When we’re rehearsing and we’re putting the set together, I’ll only put it in one monitor just so I can get the cues or click so you know when to start. That way I have the other ear where I can hear myself playing in a room and it completely changes how I play. Before on other tours where I just used in-ear monitors, I didn’t play as much because you feel like you are stepping on everything. When you are listening to how you are playing in a room, there’s a lot more ideas, a lot more you can do. You don’t feel like everything you do is stepping on everything else.

 

In Brisbane you busted out a bit of Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, which is not a difficult song to play but how much notice would you get of adding a song like that to a set?
Oh that happened right there. I just quietly to myself found where she was in the key and went behind her with the chords real quiet.

 

I guess because you have been playing with Madonna for so long that there’s a bit of intuition happening?
That’s the best word for it right there, is intuition. We just vibe really well of each other. For instance, I know what she is going to do. I can gauge when she is going to do that last note, even if she is on the other side of the arena, you know because the catwalk goes all the way out to where the soundboard is. If I am on my riser and she’s out there, I can tell when she is going to play, just by the way she moves and there is like an intuition.

 

Is there a favourite part of the show for you?
For me the song Burning Up because that is the biggest guitar song for me and she gives me a guitar solo, so that’s going to be my favourite. I love doing the acoustic with her too. That’s the great thing about this gig is that you do rock stuff, you do acoustic stuff, funk stuff. We always do atmospheric stuff, so I get to play so many styles, even jazz. There’s some jazz in there too.

 

I know that you have every Madonna song written out because you never know what she’s going to want to play …
Yes I do. You know, some songs don’t work. Some songs, I’m trying to put together and make it a guitar song but it winds up being a completely different song, like some of the dance songs.

Photo courtesy Trent Titmarsh

I’ve been lucky to chat with a lot of musicians who work on the big shows like you and they all seem to go that step further and do as much as they can to learn about the artist and their back catalogues. For a musician aspiring to get to do what you’re doing, I guess that’s the key… going that extra step for the artist?
Absolutely. I say that you always have to keep putting wood in the fire. If you were to audition for someone, I would know every one of their songs. it is worth it, it is worth putting in that time. And also knowing the songs which influenced them. So if I was auditioning for Madonna again, if I went back … I mean I knew all of her songs anyway because I was teaching her how to play guitar, so I had to learn all of her songs to teach her. That made it a little bit different. But finding Edith Piaf and Sex Pistols, David Bowie and other things like her, Michael Jackson and knowing all of those things too.

 

What was the vibe like in the team when you heard that David Bowie had died?
We played in San Antonio and it was a great show. I’m from Texas so it was a really great show for me. I had tons of family and friends and we got off stage and someone read that David Bowie had died. We were like, what no way, no one said he was sick, how could he just die. So you think it is just an internet rumour for a few minutes and then it gets confirmed and it really bums you out. Then I was emailing with Madonna saying sorry at your loss, I mean he wasn’t just an influence, they were friends, they knew each other. She said, well let’s do something for him. So we did Rebel Rebel, which made a lot of sense. I guess in a way it was very obvious but being on the Rebel Heart tour and playing Rebel Rebel was interesting.

 

I know Madonna is a dream gig for many musician but after spending so much time on stage with the in-ear monitors and looking out for songs cues, does that make you want to jump on stage with just a guitar and amp and go for it?
Oh yes! Yeah, that’s what I do for my own stuff. I just use the monitors and what we have there. It’s a simple set up.

 

Power of Three was your last album, where are you at with the next solo album?
The guitars and drums are done. I go home tomorrow. I start vocals on Wednesday. We’re recording bass Thursday, so I would love to have this thing done soon. What we will probably do is put out a couple of singles. I would love to have it out in September but I won’t have a release date until I deliver the album to Metal Blade but it would be about four months after that. My number one priority is getting this album finished. I wanted to have this done before I came on this tour, that was the plan but then one thing after another happened. I’m kind of glad it has worked out how it has because I was able to go back and rewrite things and really perfect what I am doing. With the Power of Three, that was an album I made for fun because I was going to work with Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica producer) and I was just going to put that album out myself and I played it for Brian Slagel (Metal Blade) and he asked me who had heard this album and what are you going to do with it? I said I don’t know and he’ll said, we’ll take it and he signed me right there on the spot. This next album that is coming out, I can really look at where I need to go with my solo stuff. You find what you are good at and you make that better. You find your weaknesses and you make those better. I pushed myself way past my boundaries with all of the guitar playing and guitar solos.

 

I love the recorded guitar sound you got on Power of Three.
Thanks. That’s the same equipment that Flemming made Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets with. He said there’s even a tape he never used on Masters of Puppets and I didn’t know if he was saying that just to get me pumped up but it worked. He told me that when he did In Justice For All, they did that in LA, they didn’t do that in Copenhagen. After that he started doing other things and then digital came in and people started using Pro Tools. We recorded my album on tape.

 

Do you know the Metallica guys well now?
A little bit yeah. I don’t call them on the phone but if I see them, like we know each other. That’s not our first connection by the way. On Live Earth in 2007, Metallica and Madonna both played but me, James, Kirk and Rob all played with Spinal Tap. As fate would have it, as I walked on stage I grabbed a cable, looked out at the crowd, turned around and James was to my left and Kirk was to my right. In the photos it was us three, so it was like a dream come true for me. Now I have met them a few times and they are super cool, so unfortunately I don’t see it the same way now, it’s more like people I can go and grab dinner with or whatever, play a hockey game with.

 

Do you ever see yourself coming down to Australia with your own band?
I would love to. That is something I have to make happen.

 

Will you be touring your album once it is released?
Yeah, hopefully it comes out in September. At this point, that would be the earliest it could come out. What will happen is that I will go out as an opening act

 

The Rebel Heart tour wraps up in Australia today. Has it been a happy tour for everyone?
It has been. We’ve been out on tour for a year. There was a promo tour before we started tour rehearsals. The feeling of rehearsing all summer in New York, living in New York, it was great. Starting the tour in the states and the excitement and happiness of it.  Then Europe started out great but got really dark because of the Paris attacks. We were just a couple of weeks behind and we played there just two weeks after that happened. I’ve talked to some other bands too and some bands cancelled and went home but we stayed out there. It was crazy having specific threats and having an evacuation plan for heaven forbid, something might happen. Then Asia, Australia, we’ve seen the whole world. I wish we were going to South America. I wish there were a lot more places. We did the club show (Melbourne’s Forum) which we only rehearsed two days for and she wanted to play all of her ballads and dress like a clown and tell jokes. Hopefully she’ll want to do more shows like that because that would be easy to put together, so you never know. They filmed that and I can’t wait to see it. That was a fun show to play and the crowd was amazing.

[Breathless 5,286]

This part says a lot!! Even though I'm a bit annoyed that she's often late and it's not a great look, most real fans know that she always turn up late.

 

Yes the tardiness is annoying and fans should truly be pissed off for that, as they were for Bieber, as they were for Guns N Roses. Keep in mind that artists of the calibre of Madonna do not live in the real world and expecting them to act like real people is unrealistic on your part. So yes, vent your anger at that … if you were there, if she was late at your show and if it inconvenienced you. But if you weren’t … then shut the fuck up.

[groovyguy 63,856]

 so this is what it’s like to be madonna’s makeup artist

http://www.nylon.com.sg/2016/03/so-this-is-what-its-like-to-be-madonnas-makeup-artist.html

March 22, 2016

 

Madonna finally performed in Singapore for the first time late last month, and all the controversial restrictions aside, we’d say it was still worth the 30-year wait. For two hours, she delighted the audience with evergreen hits like “Like A Virginâ€, “Material Girl†and “Bitch I’m Madonnaâ€, tirelessly singing and dancing for a good two hours, and literally dazzling the crowd with 2,500,000 Swarovski crystals.

 

It’s insane that this woman is pushing 60 – to us, she’s never looked better. So when the chance to interview her makeup artist Aaron Smith Henrikson came along, of course we jumped at the chance. Henrikson has been in charge of all of Madonna’s concert makeup looks since 2014, and was also recently named International Makeup Artist for Gucci’s makeup line. We bombarded him with questions about Madonna’s seriously fierce stage makeup for the Rebel Heart tour, as well as her secrets to eternal youth.

 

 

How did you end up doing makeup for Madonna?

I’d like to say it was destiny – I’ve been a fan since I was little – but I’ve learned from many other successful people, that hard work and perfecting your skills are really at the base. Many people don’t realise that it can often take more than a decade to become an “overnight success!†Fortunately, I’ve been doing make up since the 1990s, and have had the amazing experience assisting the fashion world’s premiere make up artist for over a decade working on the top fashion shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. A top make up artist in New York who had previously committed to another important job asked if I could be available to work with Madonna for an event the next day. I moved heaven and earth to make it happen and literally didn’t sleep at all that night as I prepared for the next day! My work was very appreciated and it led to more work with her for events, television appearances, and more recently music videos like “Ghosttown†and “Bitch I’m Madonnaâ€. It was just the start of a long list of amazing experiences that brought me to be living this amazing experience with Madonna on tour today.

 

Take us through how you prepared Madonna for her Singapore concert. Were there any special considerations you had to take into account, considering the weather here?

Getting ready for Singapore was challenging for a couple of reasons, probably the first was that we were in such a beautiful place, that it was difficult to get myself to work! Secondly, Singapore had a completely different space than we have ever performed at during the Rebel Heart Tour. This included the stadium being partially open to the elements, which meant extreme heat and humidity, without access to temperature control!

 

One of my favourite interpretations during the show is the rock guitar version of “Burning Upâ€â€¦ which was pretty literal that night! This was by far the hottest performance so far this tour. What that entails in terms of make up is to keep the moisturising a bit lighter and avoiding too much powder during the significant time after make up is finished and when the show actually starts. It’s better to tissue off excess shine until the show is about to start, at which point I can use powder to prepare the skin for hot lights and HD filming. In cooler environments I like the more natural application of face powder by brush, but in this situation it’s important to use a powder puff to obtain a matte finish.

 

Was there any particular inspiration or reason behind how you designed Madonna’s makeup for her Rebel Hearts tour?

As the show is divided up into four thematic sections, it was important to create a look that flowed from one theme to the next. The intro has a strong warrior vibe and we wanted to underline Madonna’s expression with a fierce defined brow. This flows well into the next section which is more 1950s and rockabilly inspired, so expressive eyebrows were perfect. The third section opens up into a Spanish-inspired world of colours with costumes created by designers like Gucci, full of colour and embroidery, which you see are becoming huge current trends. The lip starts flows from more of a berry stain at the beginning and flows into a deeper red in the third section. The fourth section is inspired by the 1920s and Paris, so we wanted to vibrance and drama of a bright red lip combined with a silver screen reflective eyelid and a rosier pink blush.  

 

So what’s Madonna’s secret to still looking like she does, even at her age?

Madonna, who we usually call “Mâ€, could just as easily have that M stand for Motivation! It’s inspiring to see her work ethic up close. She takes amazing care of her body. I’ve seen teenage runway models who would envy M’s tone, definition, strength and flexibility. She’s definitely in better shape than I am! Her focus on overall health carries over into her maintaining a precise and personalised regimen for the best skin care possible. For special events it’s important to make time for some extra special skin treatment to look your best on the red carpet, for example.

 

It can actually be more of a challenge for me to work on younger models and performers who don’t take such good care of their skin. You’ll also see that even when Madonna’s working hard on her philanthropic efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa, like in Malawi, she keeps covered and protects herself from the most significant contributor to premature aging, sun exposure. I appreciate that many women in Asia are also very good about skin care and tend to regularly use SPF and avoid excessive UV radiation.

 

What are Madonna’s favourite makeup products? What kind of look does she usually go for?

Madonna has had so many looks and incarnations over the decades, but definitely some defined black eyeliner and mascara on both top and bottom lashes is a flattering go-to look. Recently we’ve been bringing back a bolder brow than what she had been doing for the past decade. She often alternates lip intensity based on the mood or outfit choice. During this Rebel Heart era wine-toned stains or iconic red lips have been at the forefront, but she’ll often opt for flattering soft nudes during time off the stage. A little more defined contour is also popular now and looks great on her.

[Breathless 5,286]

Those eyebrows are amazing!! I love thick eyebrows :heart:

[groovyguy 63,856]

 

 

Azmi Jaffar‎

Kudos to Madonna Taiwan Fanclub for creating a beautiful boxset for Madonna Rebel Heart Tour in Taiwan. This boxset was to commemorate M first ever tour in Taiwan. Very intricately design with a pop up letter M and M herself. Comes with 11 postcards picture of M during Taipei tour and RH Deluxe Taiwan Edition. Just to share. Any other info on how to purchase this, I have no clue! I'm just lucky to own one! And yes It's fan made. Thanks Madonna Taiwan Fanclub!!

‎Azmi Jaffar‎ 

[groovyguy 63,856]

Filmed during Rebel Heart Tour soundcheck somewhere in Asia 2016. Ric'key uses a Nord Stage 2 

 

D/L Link @ http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/6324-dl-rht-bonus-songs-4-asia-oceania-sydneytablapubbrisbanecgyoomhcfytabhanky-pankymelbournelaptabubsitctvnewsauckland/?p=372265