I'm currently eyeing eight shows in Europe, some of which I (finally) scored tickets for this week. Some people might look down upon it as pathetic, but my life is literally live music. I've spent my whole life since I was a pre-teen going to gigs and that's always been the one thing that's kept me going, no matter what. I feed off the energy in those venues... it's not like I live from concert to concert, but the feeling of being in the same room surrounded by people who care about music and art the same way as I do has been a constant in my life for as long as I can think.
I've made lifelong friends throughout the years going to shows. In the M community and far beyond. Genuine connections I treasure more than words could ever say. For as long as I can remember I've worked summer jobs as a teen with plastic bottles to my chin, hard physical labour to build rock gardens, worked after hours in front of house management on weekdays and holidays; I did everything I possibly could to get days off to see whomever I wanted to see while making ends meet for everything else.
Being located rather centrally in Europe, I'm well-aware of the privilege I have in terms of most artists touring "practically" on my door step even if that entails half a day of train or plain rides. I don't take it for granted and I work very hard to keep that lifestyle alive. I love to travel and see as many shows as I can. Thankfully I'm cheap when it comes to accommodation and travelling schedules. My living costs are fairly modest, so my main priority has always been to see as many shows as I can, regardless of who the artist is.
May I point out, by the way, how excited I am for this tour? I really do think that we're in for something truly special. The show might still be in development, but something tells me that this will be something to remember. I'm not going to lie... I experienced several cancellations throughout the Madame X Tour and I've accumulated a certain amount of scepticism and pessimism when it comes to Madonna shows since then. But for whatever stupid reason I truly believe that this tour is going to be worth it.
I realise that there are concerns as to whether she will be physically able to go through with the entire tour. Who knows how many additional dates are bound to be added in the upcoming weeks. Given the Madame X Tour, I'm pretty sure that her insurance policy isn't quite what it used to be before that. She's most likely eager to prove to everyone that her injuries are a thing of the past and that she's not worthy of being underestimated as an ageing pop star in her mid-60s (wtf, if she's in her mid-60s, then how old am I???).
Yes, she may no longer able to live up to the choreographic and physical energy of the Confessions Tour or the Sticky & Sweet Tour, but I wouldn't rule out for a second that she won't come up with a show any less spectacular than those tours. After all, her ego – for better or for worse – knows no boundaries and I believe she's very well-aware of the fact by now that this tour will either make or break her reputation (as a touring act) not only in her age group but in general.
I genuinely don't think that she'd commit to a tour of those proportions if she wasn't sure she'd be able to live up to it without any "scandals" or other bad media coverage. I feel the entire Warner reissue campaign pretty much rests on the shoulders of this year's (hopefully successful) touring endeavour. That said, in spite of all optimism, I hope that this line of reasoning will hold up. But as I stated above, I feel more positive than I have these past ten years or so...
Edit: sorry for the long post, but I wouldn't know where else to put these thoughts.
