Toyota Center, Houston, Texas, USA [Tuesday January 12th, 2016]

[groovyguy 63,856]

Toyota Center, Houston

• [*]

Tue, Jan 12 [*]8:00PM [*]DOORS OPEN 7:00PM [*]TICKET PRICES $355, $170, $90, $40

 

http://www.houstontoyotacenter.com/events/detail/madonna

 

Tickets also available at:

Toyota Center Box Office beginning Tuesday, September 22 at 9:00 a.m.

Via Phone: 866-4HOUTIX (866-446-8849)

TDD: 1-855-416-0373

 

[groovyguy 63,856]

A good write up from the Houston Chronicle!
A very good read!

 

Never forget who you are, little star

On Madonna and my own rebel heart

Joey Guerra

Music Critic / Writer, Houston Chronicle

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/article/Never-forget-who-you-are-little-starMadonna-s-6738358.php?t=69973de3c8438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium

Whitney Houston was glowing and gorgeous and pitch perfect the first time I saw her perform at the Summit. She was the first female singer I truly adored. I remember her hair, her smile and her glittering gown, slit up the side almost to her waist. And I am forever grateful that my dad had no objections to taking his 12-year-old son to see his first pop diva.

 

 

At that time, Madonna was someone I didn't pay much attention to. I remember seeing "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" on the Billboard charts I would cut out of the newspaper. But at 12 years old, admitting I liked Madonna felt like a betrayal to Whitney. I used to get in heated arguments with my cousins over who was "better."

 

 

I was Team Whitney. They were Team Madonna. I couldn't understand why.

 

It didn't hit me until "Like a Prayer" in 1989.

 

Something about that album, sonically and visually, deeply resonated with me. The themes and ideas were unfamiliar and seemed dangerous, like something I shouldn't be seeing. The striking imagery of "Like a Prayer" echoed elements of my casual Catholic upbringing. I never felt connected to religion, but I was intrigued by Catholic symbolism and imagery; a rosary reminded me of my grandparents.

 

"Express Yourself," a gorgeous ode to the 1927 film "Metropolis," explored ideas of gender, sex and wealth. The album's other songs - "Promise to Try," "Oh Father," "Keep it Together" - touched on family and death. It was all revelatory and surprising and inspiring. I was hooked.

 

I saw Madonna for the first time in May 1990 at the kickoff of her Blond Ambition Tour at the Summit. I was 15 years old, and my dad was no longer along for my concert outings. I went alone, bought a T-shirt and watched in awe as Madonna sang, stripped down to a corset, cursed freely and easily commanded the thousands in attendance. A severe blond ponytail cascaded down her back and made her look like an evil genie.

 

MTV was there filming the show, which added to the hysteria. I remember spotting a pair of drag queens dressed as Madonna across the venue. They looked like models, and they knew every dance move. I recounted the entire experience in my speech class with an oral presentation, poster collage assembled from magazines and a medley that took me hours to produce on cassette. I earned an A - and it was the spark that pushed me to become a writer.

 

When Madonna's "Sex" book was released in 1992, I scoured the city to find it, finally locating a copy at Town & Country Mall. My dutiful parents drove me to get it just before closing time. The book's photos, featuring Vanilla Ice, Naomi Campbell and Big Daddy Kane, are graphic but truly gorgeous. They still make people blush.

 

I spent years trying to find a rare set of "Like a Prayer" mixes, finally getting them in 1996. It sparked my love of remixes, which now includes hundreds from pop, R&B, rap, Latin and country artists. I spent lots of time and money at Record Rack on Shepherd, Bruce Godwin's oasis of rare tracks and imports that closed more than a decade ago. That still makes me sad.

 

Every Madonna album since has given me something: the criminally underrated "Erotica" and "American Life;" the lush R&B bounce of "Bedtime Stories;" the towering, influential beauty of "Ray of Light" and the disco-heaven of "Confessions on a Dance Floor." I found the chewy center in 2008's "Hard Candy" and think much of the electro-pop current running through 2012's "MDNA" was ahead of the curve.

 

Last year's "Rebel Heart" is Madonna's finest work in a decade, a diverse collection of songs that found her alternately defiant and vulnerable. Radio largely overlooked it. But she's still queen of the dance floor. "Bitch I'm Madonna" was her 46th No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, making her the artist with the most.

 

She'll perform new and old songs Tuesday at Toyota Center. I'll be there, lip-syncing along to every word.

 

The annual Madonna events at South Beach nightclub have become reunions of sorts for a small circle of friends. No matter how long it's been, we come together for a night of music and video, Madonna shirts and selfies. It draws a huge crowd of new and longtime fans who sing along with every iconic hit.

 

Madonna's music continues to be a part of my life, now that I'm a father. Before our son was born, we painted his nursery with bluebirds and music notes. Lyrics from one of Madonna's sweetest songs are written high across a wall:

"Never forget who you are, little star."

 

It's a credo Madonna herself, despite so many tired carps about age and gender, seems to have carried throughout her own life.

[groovyguy 63,856]

MADONNA'S TOP 10 TRACKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

http://www.houstonpress.com/music/madonnas-top-10-tracks-of-the-21st-century-8062468

Mention Madonna these days, and folks still tend to envision dark roots, conical bras and maybe a rosary necklace or two. Hey, at least they aren’t remembering “Swept Away.†But Madonna always shuddered at the thought of becoming a nostalgia act. Over the past 15 years, she’s released five albums and 24 singles, and although none has achieved the cultural saturation of her MTV-era best, some of this stuff is pretty goddamned good. If you’ve got tickets for her concert at Toyota Center on Tuesday night, you’re going to want to know a bunch of it, too, because Ms. M dips only sparingly into her ‘80s and ‘90s back catalogue on tour. The rearview mirror has never really been her style.

 

But here at Rocks Off, pausing for musical reflection is kind of what we do, and it’s fair to say we’re geeked about Madonna’s return to Houston. That’s why we’ve been binging through the pop goddess’ 21st Century back catalogue for the past month, grooving in traffic during rush hour and memorizing lyrics just in case she decides to yank somebody in the crowd onstage Tuesday, Kendrick Lamar-style. In case you’re in a similar mood to get acquainted with Madonna’s best post-Music highlights, we’ve put together a handy list of her top ten tracks since Clinton left office. And because this is Madonna, we’ve included a shitload of music videos to go with ‘em.

 

We know you like to dance, because you already clicked on this story. So close the blinds, fire up that Bluetooth speaker you got for Christmas and fuck that rug up. We’ll see you on Tuesday.

 

10. "Nobody Knows Me," 2003One might expect the auto-tune on her vocals to date the track a bit, but it serves rather nicely to illustrate the song’s exploration of the alienating malleability-by-design of Madonna’s sound and image over the years. When you’ve lived as many lives as Madonna has, from wannabe street urchin to yoga mom to folktronica futurist, it must be easy to feel misunderstood. All things considered, this forgotten bit from one of Madonna’s least-loved albums still sounds cutting-edge more than 12 years after it was recorded.

 

9. "Let it Will Be," 2005

Confessions on a Dance Floor was easily Madonna’s best-received album of the Aughties, spawning four disco-inflected singles between 2005-06. “Let it Will Be†wasn’t one of them, but it should have been. The breezy little number blends strings with synthetic drums and sizzling hi-hats to create a sumptuous, toe-tapping platform for Mistress M’s girlish vocals to rest upon. Hard to say what it’s about, exactly—generalized sentiments about belonging and excellence abound. For Madonna, that means fame and success, always. For the rest of us, it can mean dancing all night in the club wearing the tiniest of shorts or really nailing the sear on those pork chops yesterday evening. Whatever triumph comes to mind, just let it be.

 

8. "Beat Goes On," 2008Madonna has dipped her toes into hip-hop and R&B a couple of times over the years, and not always with the best results. “Human Nature†sounded a bit too much like a TLC leftover, and the less said about the rap on “American Life,†the better. Blechh. Things went much better on this song from Hard Candy—largely thanks to the involvement of Pharrell. Here, he deftly (ahem) blurred lines between disco, R&B and electronica to create something terrific seven years before Daft Punk got lucky. Kanye West drops by to deliver the finest rap ever to make I onto a Madonna record, as well.

 

7. "Turn Up the Radio," 2012Since we’ve discussed Madonna’s troubling history with hip-hop, let’s talk about “Give Me All Your Luvin’†for a second. I’m not sure who’s idea it was to make that song, which features raps from Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., the lead single from MDNA. But it did the album no favors. Possibly the weakest track on the disc, it put a ceiling on MDNA’s success right out of the gate. A much better choice would have been “Turn Up the Radio,†which was similarly co-produced by Martin Solveig. It’s a much nicer, more danceable appropriation of French house by the singer, without a hint of the silly drumline crap and ill-advised rapping of “Give Me All Your Luvin’.â€

 

6. "Living for Love," 2015Thankfully, Madonna didn’t repeat her lead-single mistake with Rebel Heart. “Living for Love†is a properly epic introduction to her latest record, sprinkling in bits of her late-‘80s sound—gospel choir, electric piano—with modern, mellow house production from Diplo. It’s a breakup song, which usually means pain and sadness from Madonna. This time out, though, the breakup is a breakthrough, joyously reaffirming the righteousness of her never-ending search for perfect love. The track also delivers her best music video forever, casting the Queen as a man-handling bullfighter. One guess who the last woman standing is.

 

5. "Get Together," 2006Madonna’s moodiest dance tracks are often some of her best, and “Get Together†follows nicely in the tradition of “Nothing Really Matters†and “What it Feels Like for a Girl.†The tune samples heavily from Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You,†though Madonna’s vocals sound far prettier and more empathetic than their version. The repetitive melody floats along pleasantly on co-producer Stuart Price’s washy synth lines, but it’s that turntable-tested rhythm-section groove that makes this song one of Confessions on a Dance Floor’s most unskippable tracks. Other fans agreed: It was released as the album’s third single after it became one of the disc’s hottest sellers on iTunes. In 2007, it was nominated for a Best Dance Recording Grammy, but lost out to “SexyBack.â€

 

4. "I’m a Sinner," 2012One of the standout tracks from MDNA finds Madonna going back tothe well of some of her biggest successes. “I’m a Sinner†is co-written and produced by William Orbit, the architect of her fantastic Ray of Light record, and the lyrics hop right into Ms. Ciccone’s Catholic comfort zone. As she’s told us repeatedly, Madonna fully intends to be saved—just not anytime soon. It’s feels kind of funny to dance to a litany of shout-outs to Saint Sebastian and the like, but singing along to that terrific chorus of “I’m a sinner, I like it that way!†is awfully freeing. On her MDNA tour, the song also gave Madonna a chance to pick up a guitar and strum a few chords—something she’s been increasingly more comfortable with doing since her first collaborations with Orbit.

 

3. "4 Minutes," 2008Madonna’s superstar collaborations since the turn of the century haven’t all been the surefire winners some record exec probably assumed they’d be. We’ve already covered how “Give Me All Your Luvin’†didn’t work, and “Me Against the Music,†her song with onetime heir apparent Britney Spears, was quickly and mercifully forgotten, as well. But she knocked it out of the park with Justin Timberlake on “4 Minutes†in 2008. Featuring beats and vocals from Timbaland, TImberlake’s “SexyBack†co-creator, “4 Mintues†was completely covered in the Miami producer’s fingerprints: filled with busy drums, bold horns and bizarre tics. Madonna is never overpowered, but she’s more than equaled in vocal charisma and star-power by JT, who was riding a potent hot streak with Timbaland at the time of its recording.

 

2. "What it Feels Like For a Girl," 2001

This one feels almost like cheating, since “What it Feels Like for a Girl†first popped up on Madonna’s 2000 albumMusic. But since the single and music video didn’t appear until the following year, we’re giving it a pass—It was too hard to keep off this list. Co-written with British composer Guy Sigsworth, Madonna’s first single of the 21st Century captures one of the realest and most mature vocal performances of her career as she gently explores the double standard faced by ambitious women. “What it Feels Like†offers up a tidal procession of dreamy keyboards over a clipped R&B beat, resulting in one of her trancy-est tunes. It proved ripe for remixing, too, with Paul Oakenfold taking a notable crack at it. Trance trio Above and Beyond created another version of the song for its music video, a controversial rampage flick starring Madonna and directed by her then-husband, Guy Ritchie.

 

1. "Hung Up," 2005Nothing that Madonna has produced since 2001—and not much of what came before—can quite match the earworm status of “Hung Up.†It’s the jewel of Confessions on a Dance Floor—a near perfect synthesis of the classic disco dance beats and space-pop futurism that defines the record. Madonna reportedly had to beg ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus to sample their song “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),†but she got her way, and it really, really works. Producer Stuart Price was asked to deliver ABBA on drugs, and that’s exactly what he did, twisting the sample's fidelity to create deep electronic washes. The song was a smash in gay and straight dance clubs the world over, and actually earned a place in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records for topping the charts in the most countries—41. “Hung Up†sold over 9 million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. 

 

On Tuesday, Madonna plays Toyota Center; 1510 Polk. Doors open at 7 p.m.

[groovyguy 63,856]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAWWrxVuxmy/

joe.art.photographyMadonnathon night before Madonna rock Houston with her Rebel Heart world tour show✨#houstonbaby #madonna#madonnafan #madonnahouston#rebelheart #rebelhearttour#rebelheartworldtour #rebelhearts#madonnainhouston #vogue #like4like#like4follow #like4follow #dance#dancemusic

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna acknowledged Houston's Pride 2015 festivities on her Facebook page.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/article/Never-forget-who-you-are-little-starMadonna-s-6738358.php?t=69973de3c8438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium#photo-9205469

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Madonna acknowledged Houston's Pride 2015 festivities on her Facebook page.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/article/Never-forget-who-you-are-little-starMadonna-s-6738358.php?t=69973de3c8438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium#photo-9205469

 

That's from June. For a second there I thought she changed her photo to promote Bitch I'm Madonna again.   

[stefo 6,280]

Hope she will pay tribute to David Bowie singing one of his old classics

[blondboi559 221]

Hope she will pay tribute to David Bowie singing one of his old classics

Agree, maybe Heroes? one of my faves

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Hope she will pay tribute to David Bowie singing one of his old classics

I bet she does a small speech during the acoustic segment and at most maybe a song riff of his during Music.

[groovyguy 63,856]

MADONNA IN HOUSTON

 

Why we love Madonna (again): Let us count the ways as concert hits H-Town

By Clifford Pugh

1.12.16

 

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/01-12-16-5-reasons-why-madonna-still-matters/

 

Can it really be more than 25 years since Madonna launched her Blonde Ambition tour in Houston? In 1990 she appeared before a sellout crowd at The Summit (now Lakewood Church) in a Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra and an I Dream of Jeannieponytail, thrilling a sellout crowd with such hits as "Express Yourself," "Like a Virgin" and "Papa Don't Preach."

 

When she returned to Houston in 2008 for a sold-out concert at Minute Maid Park on her Sticky & Sweet Tour, I wrote a biting article for the Houston Chronicle stating the case that she wasn't relevant anymore.

 

But now, as she prepares for a Tuesday night appearance at the Toyota Center on her Rebel Heart Tour, I'm in love with Madonna again. Here's why:

 

1. She puts on a heck of a show

In that 1990 tour, Madonna redefined the concert show as a mixture of rock, performance art, fashion and Broadway, with five thematic acts, like a play. She does it again on the Rebel Heart Tour, with sets divided into Joan of Arc/Samuri, Rockabilly meets Tokyo, Latin/Gypsy, Party/Flapper and Encore.

 

2. Her newest CD is good

Despite no longer selling anywhere close to the level of Taylor Swift or Adele, Madonna's lastest CD, Rebel Heart, has a lot of good music, featuring collaborations with Diplo, Avicil and Kayne West and songs about love, heartbreak and being a survivor. And who can resist "Bitch, I'm Madonna"?

"Rebel Heart is a long, passionate, self-referential meditation on losing love and finding purpose in chilling times. It's also a chance for the Queen of Pop to floss a bit and reflect on how she painstakingly carved a path others have happily twerked down in the years since her 1983 debut," a Rolling Stone review asserts.

 

3. She mixes in the hits

Such classics as "Holiday," "Material Girl," "La Isla Bonita" and acoustic versions of "True Blue" and "Who's That Girl" are part of the current tour. And three different songs on her new CD refer to old hits.

 

4. She puts on a fashion show

At 57, Madonna still has a remarkable taut body, the better to showcase designs from Alexander Wang, Jeremy Scott, Gucci designer Alessandro Michele and Prada designer Miuccia Prada. While some want her to act her age, she continues to redefine what age means, even if she is an "Unapologetic Bitch."

 

5. And she may prove she's human

At a Mexico City concert last week, Madonna appeared to tear up onstage as she referred to a custody battle over her 15-year-old-son with ex-husband Guy Ritchie, and delivered a candid speech about the difficult times she's going through, according to Billboard.

 

"We all go through challenging times in our life, and that includes me," she said. "I, too, go through challenging times in my life, and right now is one of them. Sometimes I think I can't do a show. I don't have the energy, I don't have the strength."

 

"I come out here tonight and I can see your faces, and I look into your eyes and I see so much love and it gives me strength. So thank you. You are rebel hearts. I feel your hearts beating with mine."

 

Let's see what happens in Houston.

 

Madonna appears at the Toyota Center Tuesday night.

 

 

 

 

 

[stefo 6,280]

I bet she does a small speech during the acoustic segment and at most maybe a song riff of his during Music.

 

... she's not DEVASTATED enough you say  

[groovyguy 63,856]

Hope she will pay tribute to David Bowie singing one of his old classics

I think she is going to do a tribute to David Bowie at Houston tonight like the Michael Jackson tribute during her S&S show in Paris

 

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

[Breathless 5,286]

She needs to do a tribute to David Bowie in this show!!! I want her to do it. :heart:

[ramos21 58]

Rumor is she rehearsed a bowie tribute

[stefo 6,280]

Rumor is she rehearsed a bowie tribute

 

 

YEEEEES!!! Really want it! Hope she chooses something from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust 

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Why do people always hear 'rumoured' songs like Don't Cry For Me Argentina (which is still a laugh), but no one ever hears the time she did a song like Drowned World/Substitute For Love.

[madgefan 10,137]

Waiting for any surprises!! 

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Soon!https://www.periscope.tv/w/aWXFtjFZTEtKZ1lCcVlqTm58MXJteFBka2VRUUV4TmQKT02hce-M9uMguxIAAafp-SGXmYz5nXkGaPjWADi3

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

10:30 start.https://www.periscope.tv/w/aWXKEzFZTEtKZ1lCcVlqTm58MU93eFdCd2t3ZG1KUXzSVV9Nc9TNTE19r0-f38CqW5Q7CWjaoq37QCdN6Ugz

[groovyguy 63,856]

Bowie tribute before Madonna concert!

https://vine.co/v/iMjQgdLWUvY

 

lights lit up for Bowie

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Wow! She did do a Bowie tribute!https://www.periscope.tv/w/aWXbUjFZTEtKZ1lCcVlqTm58MU93R1dCd2RXV01LUSTC8pcDD1YJ-BEvnBze2rhbNkkBvBO1QZUccifSmQDM

[groovyguy 63,856]

Tony hinted @ Deep in the Rebel Heart of Texas in his Instagram post earlier. M sang Deep in the Rebel Heart of Texas during the Music break! 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAc7lFjyxod/

super_hero_tony"Modern Love" will get the Rebelâ¤ï¸'s to Church on time....
Church on time terrifies me,
Church on time makes me party, Church on time puts my trust in God and Man. ♥ï¸â™¥ï¸â™¥ï¸â™¥ï¸ Deep in the Rebel Heart of Texas.

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Living For LoveLa Isla BonitaDress You Up*talked about how they come on late but they give a good show. When the crowd counted ahead of there, she said they have to listen to her because she's the queen. Mentioned Bowie and that he was a 'rebel' and seeing his show showed her it was ok to be different.*Rebel Rebel - (David Bowie tribute with images in background)Rebel Heart

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

And she wore that outfit from the Turin shows that shows off her legs!!