ROL Valentine's promo mini concert @ Roxy

[Luiz Ribeiro 6,151]

 MadonnaThe RoxyNew YorkFeb. 14, 1998Reviewed by Larry Flick

 

At nearly 2 a.m. on Valentine's Day, a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of 2,500clubgoers stared at the empty stage of New York's painfully trendy Roxy,mentally willing the curtain to open. They knew behind it stood Madonna,whose secret "Ice Ball" gig would mark her first club performance in morethan 10 years.

Finally, as the room went dark, a tiny figure floated onstage, breathing thewords "Sky fits heaven, so fly it" over swirling, muted keyboard chords.Once the song's heavy, trance-like beat kicked in and a rainbow of lightwashed over the stage, the pop chameleon whipped off her black,Gautier-designed silk shroud and revealed her latest hippie-chick/Earth Mamapersona. The crowd went ballistic, pawing at the almost perilouslyaccessible singer as she twirled up and down the club's runaway.

The Roxy's muddy sound system left much to be desired, almost obliteratingthe nuances of techno producer William Orbit's synthesizer work. But Madonnarose to the challenge, swinging from the tune "Sky Fits Heaven" into thetribalistic yoga chant, "Shanti/Ashtangi," which she punctuated with theoccasional yoga position and go-go-girl flailing.

Visibly enjoying herself, Madonna touched the audience's outstretched handsand ranted about how "fucking great" it felt to be back in a club. Then,segueing into a 10-plus-minute version of "Ray Of Light," she hit notes thatseemed to stretch far beyond those touched in 1996's "Evita" . . . all whilejumping, swaggering, and occasionally dropping to her knees to play furiousair-guitar in sync with the track's solos.

When the song was finished, so was Madonna, who left quickly as the crowdvainly shrieked for more. Yet it hardly mattered that she only performedthree tracks -- all of them from her forthcoming Maverick/Warner Bros.collection, "Ray Of Light" -- and did not include her new single, "Frozen."The show was a homecoming of the highest order, with Madonna exuding theconfidence and charisma of a true diva, if there ever was one.

Larry Flick is the Dance Music editor for Billboard.

 

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 Copyright © 1998 Billboard Magazine and BPI Communications Inc. All rightsreserved.Hosted by Telescan Inc.LEGAL NOTICE

[Luiz Ribeiro 6,151]

"Then,

segueing into a 10-plus-minute version of "Ray Of Light," she hit notes that
seemed to stretch far beyond those touched in 1996's "Evita"" OMG

[Luiz Ribeiro 6,151]

MADONNA LIGHTS UP NEW YORK’S ROXY

ONETIME 'BOY TOY' MADONNA MESMERIZES MOSTLY GAY CROWD.

by DAKOTA SMITH

2/16/1998

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It took superstar Madonna just one song, “Sky Fits Heaven,†to make it clear that she is back, ready to dominate the 1998 music scene with a state-of-the-moment modern sound that should truly bring electronic music to the masses.

In her first club appearance in years, she took the stage of New York City’s Roxy nightclub Saturday night and
performed three songs off her upcoming electronic pop album Ray of
Light (Mar. 3), to the 2,750 fans lucky enough to score a ticket to the relatively exclusive event.

 

“It’s been a long time since I performed in a club,†said Madonna. “And I’ve got to say — it feels pretty fucking good!â€

Arriving on-stage at close to 2 a.m., Madonna wore a long black
billowy coat, which she shed to reveal a black dress — the same striking outfit she wears in her new video for “Frozen,†the first single off Ray of Light. With her long blond hair crimped and loose, Madonna was a mystic pre-Raphaelite siren.

It’s a new look to unveil the Material Girl’s foray into ambient
techno pop music. The three songs she performed off Ray of
Light â€” “Sky Fits Heaven†“Shanti,†and the title track “Ray of Light†—
showcased a new voice and style for the ’80s icon.

With Ray of Light producer William Orbit playing keyboards
on-stage next to Madonna, the singer’s brave venture into techno paid off.
She sang with a strong, forceful voice, but occasionally delivered lines in a hushed whisper, revealing a bit of sweet vulnerability that
only worked to charm the audience.

Orbit produced all of the music, which was kept to mostly minimal electronic
beats. Madonna’s new sound weds pop melodies to techno beats, and it’s a winner, from “Shanti,†which features Sanskrit lyrics to the disco rhythms of “Ray of Light.†At times her voice sounded mysteriously ethereal, almost Bjork-ish.

“I think it’s good she’s back performing in front of the people,†said
Donna Fairclock, a New Yorker who attended the event. “It’s the best place
to showcase her new stuff. Her fans are her most loyal, but they also are
the most honest.â€

The audience, primarily exuberant gay men — some holding up old
T-shirts from past tours — gave her a real homecoming welcome; energetic, positive and downright adoring, it was a fond nod to the days when
Madonna used to perform at the Roxy more than seven years ago.

“The crowd was electrified to have her so close,†said New York resident Bill Sgroi, 36.

It truly was a performance for her fans, many of whom arrived at the Roxy
at the unfashionable club hour of 9 p.m. just to position themselves in
front of stage. “Nobody usually gets out of bed until 11 p.m. — this is amazing,†commented
Ned Schenck, 28, publisher of Pavement, a gay culture magazine, as he wryly looked about
as people spilled into the club shortly before 10 p.m.

Although the club operated
as it would any Saturday night, the mood there before Madonna went on
stage was pure anticipation, with rumors circulating as to
when Madonna would come on-stage, (some said 3 a.m., some said she had canceled) and
what she was expected to play, (one song, the entire new album).

Although tickets went on sale for the Valentine’s Event, billed with a
“Special Guest Performer,†less than two weeks ago, the rumor that Madonna
would be playing caused a last-minute flurry of ticket hunting, with New
York radio station Z100 giving away tickets just days before the
event. The Roxy received last-minute calls from the celebrity set; a
spokesperson for the club said that Barbara Streisand’s publicist and the
Prince of Brunei had phoned the club looking for tickets.
Surprisingly, the day of the show 100 hundred tickets were available at the door for those
with a Roxy VIP club pass.

Roxy Special Events Manager Andy Griggs was ecstatic to have Madonna playing the club. “I spoke with her manager 15 minutes before
she went on, and I said ’She can’t possibly put her foot wrong this
evening because these are Madonna fanatics.’ They didn’t know what
to expect — they were just glad that she was there and she was performing
after all this time.â€

“So she gets on the stage,†Griggs continued, “and she realized after 15 seconds, ’I’ve got
’em.’ And then she totally relaxed and went into a very confident mode.â€

“Oh, this is my guitar solo,†Madonna said at one
point when Orbit delivered a sampled guitar riff via his synth.

She leaned down to touch and slap hands with those
pushing up against the front of the stage, danced with seductive abandon and above all, looked shyly and
unequivocally pleased that she was the guest of honor.

“Thank you all for coming to my coming out party,†she said with a smile at the conclusion of her short but sweet set.

It was clearly Madonna’s night to shine, and shine she did. [Mon., Feb. 16, 1998, 9 a.m. PST]

[sbrombolessio 1,423]

Is it confirmed that NO video exist at all?

[Luiz Ribeiro 6,151]

Is it confirmed that NO video exist at all?

unfortunately

[Smoothie 79]

We never knew her people had filmed La Cantine du Faubourg or HMV until a hacker stole the videos and sold them to fans.

 

I suspect in years to come, footage of this will sensationally appear. Hopefully not after she has died!

[BringUrLUV 1,108]

I was there & can't remember seeing any cameras & I WAS looking

[Fateseeker 1,216]

i'm still praying for this