The Celebration Tour (Spoilers)

[Brendanlovesu1 12,009]

Who's the guest judge?! she looks like ice spice

[Dazedmadonna 16,423]

6 hours ago, Pedro Beltran said:

Whatttt? Did you go? 

Yessss! It was honestly everything I could ask for and more, I can't even put it into words. One of the dancers took a picture of me during Vogue with one of those portable cameras and I need to find out how to get it 😂. A truly crazy experience.. she was on fire, happy, fierce, stunning.

[Dazedmadonna 16,423]

6 hours ago, Pedro Beltran said:

Whatttt? Did you go? 

Yessss! It was honestly everything I could ask for and more, I can't even put it into words. One of the dancers took a picture of me during Vogue with one of those portable cameras and I need to find out how to get it 😂. A truly crazy experience.. she was on fire, happy, fierce, stunning.

[Je Suis Lart 444]

6 hours ago, stefo said:

I really don't get the bad reviews for this show, what do they say about it?

Me either. But there is a Danish reviewer, Thomas Treo (who's a cunt) he is kinda known for being negative. It's his thing. Unless it's an old school rock band. He wrote she flopped. Luckily the comments under the article were mostly positive. I really think people had a great time. I'm going again tonight. This time I have a seat, yesterday I was in section A, and I can't wait to have a better view and soak it all in. I really think this show was amazing. I'm still high from last night (and no I don't smoke weed lol).

[Je Suis Lart 444]

6 hours ago, Dazedmadonna said:

Best night of my life, everyone. That's all I'm gonna say

Agree! The show yesterday was really a memory for life. And I'm so happy that she "still got it" ❤️

[True Blue 84 1,827]

47 minutes ago, Lorx said:

I should preface this by saying I haven't listened to the entire show, but I've listened to many performances, and this is my opinion. It seems to me that vocally she is about where she was during the Rebel Heart Tour. Not perfect, but decent, and with a good backing vocals support, she manages to make a good impression. I remember that during the RHT, due to Monte Pittman's mistake, she sang Open Your Heart two semitones above the original key (which she had lowered quite a bit on the MDNA Tour, if I'm not mistaken).
And even though she wasn't confident with those notes, she did quite well.

During the RHT, she seemed "perfect" to almost everyone. Then, soundboard/audio from her IEMs came out, and it became apparent how she would struggle without backing vocals in many songs.

During the Re-invention Tour, her voice was a whole different thing; the sound emission was much clearer and freer.
She was more trained.

Yes, I also think she could sing "Bad Girl" without backing vocals or only use them in the chorus at a slightly lower volume. 

Some things you say I dont agree with. She sounded good in the acoustic sessions on rebel heart, and to say she struggled when the soundboards leaked is because those vocals are not supposed to be heard like that because those vocals should be heard blended in with those backing tracks vocals, if you filter them out they will  sound less good in most of the times, because when singing with backing tracks you don't focus the same on your vocals as when you have no backing track because you will always know there is something to back you up.. So if she sounds good with a backing track she sounds good with a backing track, no need to filter them out. And again on the accapella/ acoustic parts she sounds good to sometimes great. So i do agree that her vocals are kinda like the rebel heart tour because she sounded good with backing vocals and good to great accapella/acoustic just like on this tour. But backing track vocals should not be filtered out. 

[Lorx 344]

7 minutes ago, True Blue 84 said:

Some things you say I dont agree with. She sounded good in the acoustic sessions on rebel heart, and to say she struggled when the soundboards leaked is because those vocals are not supposed to be heard like that because those vocals should be heard blended in with those backing tracks vocals, if you filter them out they will  sound less good in most of the times, because when singing with backing tracks you don't focus the same on your vocals as when you have no backing track because you will always know there is something to back you up.. So if she sounds good with a backing track she sounds good with a backing track, no need to filter them out. And again on the accapella/ acoustic parts she sounds good to sometimes great. So i do agree that her vocals are kinda like the rebel heart tour because she sounded good with backing vocals and good to great accapella/acoustic just like on this tour. But backing track vocals should not be filtered out. 

It's evident that the audio we heard came from her in-ear monitors (IEMs). The Japanese have the capability to intercept frequencies from her headphones or microphone. A few years ago, I was trying to figure out how they do it because I wanted to learn it myself, haha

It's evident that in her IEMs, she primarily hears her own voice and, to a lesser extent, the backing vocalists.

I'm unsure if she would sing better without any support, and I'm uncertain about how much better she might perform.

Nevertheless, with the backing vocals, she sounded good because her voice wasn't as subpar as it has been on previous tours.

[Anapausis 5,911]

I don't get why the issue with IEM audio from Saitama, it's pretty understandable any singer with the amount of worrying while doing a show needs to be guided somehow, and even so M gracefully missed some Rebel Heart (the song) lyrics, but she wasn't booed by audience or something like that, in fact she was understood and even cheered she was singing live and in her own pace of memory.

I know how, being a perfectionist, it's awful to get caught in such trap, but it's part of being human. Isn't it what M sings in Joan of Arc? Even me who has a photographic, elephant memory to most M songs sometimes I feel myself struggling to some of them (even some hits).

[Lorx 344]

2 minutes ago, Anapausis said:

I don't get why the issue with IEM audio from Saitama, it's pretty understandable any singer with the amount of worrying while doing a show needs to be guided somehow, and even so M gracefully missed some Rebel Heart (the song) lyrics, but she wasn't booed by audience or something like that, in fact she was understood and even cheered she was singing live and in her own pace of memory.

I know how, being a perfectionist, it's awful to get caught in such trap, but it's part of being human. Isn't it what M sings in Joan of Arc? Even me who has a photographic, elephant memory to most M songs sometimes I feel myself struggling to some of them (even some hits).

Wait, the issue of Madonna's poor memory is a different one; we were discussing her current vocal abilities. It's known that Madonna has a terrible memory. 

Or more specifically, she might have poor procedural memory... Or perhaps with performance anxiety, she gets confused and makes mistakes. I never mess up song lyrics unless I haven't listened to them in a while.
I have ADHD and often experience brain fog; my memory doesn't always work perfectly.
But when I've sung in public, I've never forgotten the lyrics, except for one time when I was very anxious.
Everyone is different. Madonna knows this, and that's why she has a prompter (for me, singing with a prompter would really irritate me and affect my performance).

[True Blue 84 1,827]

9 minutes ago, Lorx said:

It's evident that the audio we heard came from her in-ear monitors (IEMs). The Japanese have the capability to intercept frequencies from her headphones or microphone. A few years ago, I was trying to figure out how they do it because I wanted to learn it myself, haha

It's evident that in her IEMs, she primarily hears her own voice and, to a lesser extent, the backing vocalists.

I'm unsure if she would sing better without any support, and I'm uncertain about how much better she might perform.

Nevertheless, with the backing vocals, she sounded good because her voice wasn't as subpar as it has been on previous tours.

Im not saying she would sing better without the support but singing with those backing vocals and ear monitors ect is different, just singing without any of that someone would definatly focus more on their voice. And we have little proof because as i said the acoustic or accapella parts she sounded good, no ear monitor things there, and no moving around ofcourse, wich is also a thing if your singing. I think she is sounding good on this tour, with or without the backing tracks. Vogue for an example in Antwerpen does not have a backing track, look it up because she starts singing to late and there are no vocals on that part so when she starts singing it definatly sounds good 

[True Blue 84 1,827]

17 minutes ago, Lorx said:

It's evident that the audio we heard came from her in-ear monitors (IEMs). The Japanese have the capability to intercept frequencies from her headphones or microphone. A few years ago, I was trying to figure out how they do it because I wanted to learn it myself, haha

It's evident that in her IEMs, she primarily hears her own voice and, to a lesser extent, the backing vocalists.

I'm unsure if she would sing better without any support, and I'm uncertain about how much better she might perform.

Nevertheless, with the backing vocals, she sounded good because her voice wasn't as subpar as it has been on previous tours.

This is that vogue video i was talking about, she is late and there are no backing track vocals to be heard...

 

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJKFsw7B/

[Lorx 344]

On 10/26/2023 at 11:46 AM, True Blue 84 said:

Im not saying she would sing better without the support but singing with those backing vocals and ear monitors ect is different, just singing without any of that someone would definatly focus more on their voice. And we have little proof because as i said the acoustic or accapella parts she sounded good, no ear monitor things there, and no moving around ofcourse, wich is also a thing if your singing. I think she is sounding good on this tour, with or without the backing tracks. Vogue for an example in Antwerpen does not have a backing track, look it up because she starts singing to late and there are no vocals on that part so when she starts singing it definatly sounds good 

I also noticed that during this tour, she doesn't always have her prerecorded voice underneath, but I'd say in about 70% of the show, she does. And she also uses a bit of autotune live in some parts. Her voice is not good shape, but she doesn't take many risks in this tour. Singing acapella, however, is still singing with IEMs. From there, you still hear your voice, acapella or not.

[True Blue 84 1,827]

3 minutes ago, Lorx said:

I also noticed that during this tour, she doesn't always have her prerecorded voice underneath, but I'd say in about 70% of the show, she does. And she also uses a bit of autotune live in some parts. Her voice is in pretty good shape, although she doesn't take many risks. Singing acapella, however, is still singing with IEMs. From there, you still hear your voice, acapella or not.

Yes but you don't hear any other vocals so your focus can only be your own. And  i agree what you say, her voice is in a good shape, she is 65 so we cant complain 

[Anapausis 5,911]

4 minutes ago, True Blue 84 said:

Yes but you don't hear any other vocals so your focus can only be your own. And  i agree what you say, her voice is in a good shape, she is 65 so we cant complain 

May I say AMEN to your words???

[Prayer 14,361]

The vocals, mixing and sound in general are the best she's had since the "Confession Tour". Stuart gets her and works to make her voice work and shine, not the opposite. Kevin Antunes NEVER got her in that sense, so it was all very hit or miss. Some moments were great and others were... not good.

As for the backing track, it's always easier for the singer to sing over their own voice, so it's not surprising at all. It's all well mixed so it can benefit her and her confidence and sound good at the same time and not overdone. It's the best she's sounded live in almost two decades.

Also, I don't think she's having the in-ear guide this time? Obviously she's got feedback with the music and vocals, I mean that robot voice telling her the beginning of the next line. She used that for the "Rebel Heart Tour" and most probably "MDNA" too (and "Madame X"?). She's much more natural now. I think that thing made her feel a little bit odd and unnatural. I much prefer her making mistakes from time to time, honestly, that's normal.

[Anapausis 5,911]

Can I say something else? I just love every single lyric chopping for this tour - unlike I used to do to Re-Invention ones, for instance. I know LAP, HN, Vogue, even CFY and DCFMA have been chopped to the extreme - but, aside from the obvious reason of the impossibility of M singing them and their entirety, Price really kept the parts of the song that were meant to feature into the narrative of a "tour biopic." That's why I ain't even questioning anymore the lack of the missed songs to vogueing and Kabbalah/cowboy sections. M has done a fvcking work of condensating a 40 year career in 2 hours clocking (maybe thinking in the concert film/live video/broadcasts too?)

[True Blue 84 1,827]

16 minutes ago, Prayer said:

The vocals, mixing and sound in general are the best she's had since the "Confession Tour". Stuart gets her and works to make her voice work and shine, not the opposite. Kevin Antunes NEVER got her in that sense, so it was all very hit or miss. Some moments were great and others were... not good.

As for the backing track, it's always easier for the singer to sing over their own voice, so it's not surprising at all. It's all well mixed so it can benefit her and her confidence and sound good at the same time and not overdone. It's the best she's sounded live in almost two decades.

Also, I don't think she's having the in-ear guide this time? Obviously she's got feedback with the music and vocals, I mean that robot voice telling her the beginning of the next line. She used that for the "Rebel Heart Tour" and most probably "MDNA" too (and "Madame X"?). She's much more natural now. I think that thing made her feel a little bit odd and unnatural. I much prefer her making mistakes from time to time, honestly, that's normal.

Agree

[Pedro Beltran 4,260]

25 minutes ago, Prayer said:

The vocals, mixing and sound in general are the best she's had since the "Confession Tour". Stuart gets her and works to make her voice work and shine, not the opposite. Kevin Antunes NEVER got her in that sense, so it was all very hit or miss. Some moments were great and others were... not good.

As for the backing track, it's always easier for the singer to sing over their own voice, so it's not surprising at all. It's all well mixed so it can benefit her and her confidence and sound good at the same time and not overdone. It's the best she's sounded live in almost two decades.

Also, I don't think she's having the in-ear guide this time? Obviously she's got feedback with the music and vocals, I mean that robot voice telling her the beginning of the next line. She used that for the "Rebel Heart Tour" and most probably "MDNA" too (and "Madame X"?). She's much more natural now. I think that thing made her feel a little bit odd and unnatural. I much prefer her making mistakes from time to time, honestly, that's normal.

[Anapausis 5,911]

@missbericwould love an essay from you to why my words just sounded funny to *you*, didn't know I told a joke here.

[Cyber-Raga 242]

10 hours ago, scion said:

 

Live vocal kicks in at 0.06 - you can even hear the live mic ambient noise. It's live with a full 1993 studio vocal supporting her. You can hear the change, and the age of her voice (increased vibrato). It also looks ridiculous, she could easily be singing that fine without the guide track.

 

 

So true.

[Cyber-Raga 242]

2 hours ago, Brendanlovesu1 said:

Who's the guest judge?! she looks like ice spice

Carrot Top? I tease I tease 

have been asking myself the same question. She was very enthusiastic and fun. 

[True Blue 84 1,827]

Ive just read an article from Belgium that she was late in copenhagen to and that the copenhagen reviews are realy realy bad....

 

Why? Are they delusional or 

[Cyber-Raga 242]

7 minutes ago, True Blue 84 said:

Ive just read an article from Belgium that she was late in copenhagen to and that the copenhagen reviews are realy realy bad....

 

Why? Are they delusional or 

She was still on British Standard time so technically she was on time with 21:30 

Quite honestly I was shocked she came on stage before 10pm. But the security guys in front of the stage told us she would absolutely be on stage well before 10. Around 21:20 there was an announcement on the ticker saying the show would start soon and sure enough it wasn’t Madonna #soon but soon for real and it began 10 minutes later. 
People loved it. The arena was lid especially during the first segment, Hung Up, Don’t Tell Me, Ray of Light and the finale. Don’t understand why the press would fabricate such nonsense unless of course they have an agenda against her. 

[Angelo 5,715]

27 minutes ago, Cyber-Raga said:

Carrot Top? I tease I tease 

have been asking myself the same question. She was very enthusiastic and fun. 

She was a dancer I think during MDNA or RH

[Andymad 10,383]

I don’t know why some are surprised or shocked that she sings to her own vocals. She’s been doing it for YEARS. It richens the live vocals and makes the lead sound stronger. 
Everybody does it these days. Gaga, Lizzo, Taylor, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Beyonce… It also helps keep the singer on pitch track, with the majority of them having a fairly decent musical ear, so the execution most of the time is seamless.