The Rebel Heart Tour Press Reports & Reviews [North America]

[survivalartist 6,745]

Image source not cited

 

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-attends-late-night-prince-concert-at-paisley-park-20151009

 

Madonna Attends Late-Night Prince Concert at Paisley Park After Madonna's St. Paul, Minnesota show, singer and entire touring entourage visit Prince's nearby complex

 

BY DANIEL KREPS  October 9, 2015

Two musical titans collided in Minnesota as Madonna attended an intimate Paisley Park jam session hosted by Prince 

 

Two musical titans collided in Minnesota late Thursday night as Madonna attended an intimate Paisley Park jam session hosted by Prince. Minnesota public radio station the Current reports that Madonna and her entire touring crew – having performed at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center earlier in the night – ventured to Prince's nearby Chanhassen, Minnesota complex to watch the rocker and his backing band 3rd Eye Girl deliver a late-night gig.

 

According to the Current, a handpicked group of roughly 30 people were notified earlier in the night that something "extra-special" might go down, and by 1:30 a.m., Madonna and her crew began disembarking tour buses. Before Prince took the stage, Madonna's dancers turned the sparsely packed Paisley Park venue into a synchronized dance party. At 2:15 a.m. local time, Prince, accompanied by Madonna, finally made his way onstage. However, Madonna took her spot in a roped-off VIP section to watch Prince perform.

 

Prince's short set featured new track "Stare," three Hit N Run Phase One tracks ("X's Face," "1000 Xs & Os," "Ain't About to Stop"), an extended cover of Bill Withers' "Use Me" and renditions of the title tracks from Guitar and Sign o' the Times. At one point during the show, Madonna and Prince briefly "whispered something back and forth" before Madonna and her touring crew left the building. While the Current's account of the evening ends at 3 a.m., Prince reportedly played two more after-hours sets, even inviting the remaining fans onstage.

 

Sadly, the evening did not feature a duet of "Love Song," Prince and Madonna's Like a Prayer collaboration. In 2011, the years-long, much-publicized feud between the two icons came to an end after Madonna was spotted at Prince's Madison Square Garden in New York. The pair briefly dated in 1985, but snippy comments made in the ensuing years caused a rift between the artists.

 

Madonna at one point called Prince "a little troll," adding in a 1994 interview that while on a date with Purple Rain singer, "He was just sipping tea, very daintily. I have this theory about people who don't eat. They annoy me." Over a dozen years later, at a 2007 London concert, Prince joked, "I got so many hits y'all can't handle me. I got more hits than Madonna's got kids."

[groovyguy 63,869]

MADONNA CELEBRATES ALL THINGS MADONNA AT XCEL

http://www.citypages.com/music/madonna-celebrates-all-things-madonna-at-xcel-7738883

Madonna sure knows how to stage an engaging and spectacular tribute to herself. Not just by hauling out the oldies — Madonna’s vision of herself insists that Madonna is always contemporary, so nearly half her two-hour set at an undersold Xcel Energy Center last night was drawn from her 2015 album,Rebel Heart. The star began her career by referencing glamorous women of the past, blurring the distinction between parody and homage. She continues that practice today, but now the only glamorous woman she references is herself.

 

The night began with robed dancers ominously brandishing long, crucifix-topped poles like battle pikes while the video for “Iconic†played, launching the weathered scowl and belligerent purr of MIke Tyson into the arena. (You can take this #RememberThe80s stuff too far.) Madonna then descended in a spiky metal cage, dressed in black and red, as she would be, in one outfit or another, for the rest of the evening, and a stylized melee of intricate choreography was pitched.

 

This led into “Bitch I’m Madonna,†a titular point better made when strapped on a black Flying V guitar and played rock star for “Burning Up.†Then she got dirty. Her religious-themed set pieces still feel both startling and obvious: Has Madonna really never before dressed her dancers in skimpy nun outfits and joined them in grinding and writhing on crucifixes as stripper poles? (She has now.)

 

As “Holy Water†(about how she tastes when she’s wet) morphed into “Vogue,†her dancers froze into various Last Supper tableaux. After all these years, her need to mine porny sacrilege from a Catholic upbringing can feel like a shtick (if not a tic), but it’s hard not to admire her commitment. After all, even her little purple buddy in Chanhassen has turned prudish with age.

 

She also offered some nice revisions of her back catalog. There was a ukulele version of “True Blue†and a stripped-down, sort of bhangra-flavored “Like a Virgin,†for which she also stripped down, as well as humping the stage. “Dress You Up†included teasing bits of “Lucky Star†and “Into the Groove.†And if “Who’s That Girl?†probably wasn’t anyone’s first choice for an acoustic singalong, it was a nice moment.

 

When she left the stage to change outfits (and catch her breath), the terrific dance numbers upstaged the blaring video interludes. There was an elaborate routine with a long white scarf buffeted about by electric fans, followed by another dancer plummeting down a raked stage, the surface of which lit up with simulated explosions as he scaled back to the top. Four partners simulated sex to “S.E.X.†on not-quite-horizontal beds. And you know that Cirque du Soleil trick of acrobats on bend poles that was adapted for Mad Max: Fury Road this summer? We got that too.

 

It was essentially a three-act show. First came the sexually blasphemous segment. Later, Madonna remerged in an ornate cape that trailed far behind her, which she dropped to reveal a foxy, snug matador outfit, for a Latin-tinged stretch of material. Finally, beginning with a torchy version of “Music†that turned into a full-on dance number, there was a 1920s section, complete with spangly flapper outfit.

Madonna’s interactions with the crowd became more natural as the night went on. After “Body Shop,†(staged in an auto mechanic’s garage, which allowed Madonna to essentially embody both Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley in the “Uptown Girl†video), she awkwardly declared “I come from the Midwest†and teased the crowd for being too quiet with, “Have you had too many beers? Or not enough beers?†It was like watching a presidential candidate bowl a gutter ball while courting potential voters.

 

But later she grew more conversational and personal, asking fans where they came from, wondering how to refer to us (St. Paul? Minneapolis? Twin Cities? Minnesota? Admittedly, it is tricky) and teasing a Chicago fan for missing her show in his hometown (“You had strep throat? What were you putting in your mouth?â€) She later pulled out her ukulele again and dedicated “La Vie en Rose†to Prince (whom she later visited at Paisley Park). All the spectacle was, well, spectacular. But at such moments, she suggested the one thing that might improve Madonna’s tribute to herself: more Madonna.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Review: Madonna lets her hair down for Xcel show

http://www.twincities.com/music/ci_28944171/review-madonna-lets-her-hair-down-xcel-show

It was easy to get caught up in the excitement the last time Madonna was in town, for a two-night stand in November 2012, thanks to the herculean effort she puts into her live shows as well as the fact that it had been 25 years since the Material Girl last played Minnesota.

 

In retrospect, that tour has lost some of its shine, due to its dark tone, the pointless interlude where Madge brandished a gun and her brattish decision to start the show after 10:30 p.m. All of which made Madonna's Thursday night return to St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center a relief.

 

Now 57 and at the end of her 10-year contract with Live Nation, Madonna stands at a crossroads in her career. She's likely to be 60 the next time she tours, that is if she can find another deal as sweet as her current one.

 

Her new album "Rebel Heart" earned warm reviews but the worst sales of her career. Still, if such weighty thoughts are bogging her down, Madonna didn't show it Thursday night, when she took the stage at 9:45 p.m. in front of about 13,000 fans. The 2015 version of Madonna is unafraid to enjoy herself on stage.

 

For all the millions her outings have raked in over the years, Madonna has approached live performing with a certain teeth-gritting grimness. She works harder than most in the entertainment business and has never been afraid to remind her audience of that fact. But now, she's not only seemingly happy, she's almost playful.

 

To be sure, Madonna still thrives on controversy, even if it's difficult for her to truly shock in this era when "Fifty Shades of Grey" made S&M mainstream, network TV shows feature explicit (straight and gay) sex scenes and there's a Cool Pope who is totally down with "Like a Prayer" (possibly).

 

She opened the show with a sequence of songs that culminated in scantily clad nuns pole dancing on crosses and an orgy-inspired re-enactment of the Last Supper.

 

But she did it all with an obvious sense of humor, barking out her goofy new song "Bitch I'm Madonna" and strapping on an electric guitar for a reworked "Burning Up."

 

Later, she conjured the spirit of the musical "Grease" for a sexed-up take on "Body Shop," pulled out a ukulele for a tender "True Blue" (and returned to the instrument later for a cover of Edith Piaf's signature tune "La Vie en Rose," dedicated to her "good friend" Prince), adopted a Spanish bullfighter look for "La Isla Bonita" and wrapped things up with an ebullient "Holiday."

 

As was the case in previous tours, Madonna did lean heavily on her new album, "Rebel Heart," and not all of it worked, particularly the harsh remix of "Living for Love," which otherwise stands as her finest single in a decade.

During "HeartBreakCity," she included a bit of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" from her second album. The latter took on a new poignancy when delivered by an AARP-eligible, twice-divorced mother of four.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna more playful than provocative in Xcel show

Review: The pop diva had plenty of spice but was easier to like than in her 2012 Xcel tour stop. 

http://www.startribune.com/review-madonna-more-playful-than-provocative-in-sold-out-show/331504611/#1

The pop diva had plenty of spice but was easier to like than in her 2012 Xcel tour stop.

 

It’s easy to admire Madonna and not necessarily easy to like her.

 

Respect her as an inspirational visionary, a hard-driven original, a tough-as-nails survivor, a single mother (of four) and a singular artist. Dislike her because she’s a demanding, narcissistic, self-aware, self-absorbed, perfectionist diva. There’s good reason that she titled a song “Unapologetic Bitch†on her latest album.

 

It was a lot easier to like Madonna on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center than it was in 2012 there. Her MDNA Tour was disturbingly dark and violent. This year’s Rebel Heart Tour found a kinder, gentler and happier Madonna.

 

The takeaway from her 130-minute show was that she was more playful than provocative, with more heart than hedonism and more smiles than scowls. At first, though, it didn’t quite seem that way. The 57-year-old godmother of pop seemed short on energy, hoarse of voice and wanting more from her 13,000 fans.

 

“Did the cat get your tongue, St. Paul?†she asked a half-hour into the show. “Or have you had too many beers? Or not enough beers?â€

 

Ah, Madonna still knows how to push buttons. In other words, it was Madonna being Madonna.

 

Apparently the crowd didn’t get riled up when she co-mingled religion and sex on “Holy Water†(which spilled into a bit of her 1990 classic “Vogueâ€), in which dancers dressed as nuns pole-danced with Madonna, and “Devil Pray,†which urges to ditch drugs and find spirituality by, um, having an orgy on a Last Supper-like table.

 

Of course, Madonna didn’t need religious settings to make her points. Set in a 1950s garage, the double entendre “Body Shop†was both auto and erotic. But, as she has proved throughout her 30-some-year career, Madonna can change faster than a chameleon. She seamlessly sat atop a pile of tires in the body shop and offered a doo-wop treatment of 1986’s “True Blue,†accompanied by ukuleles.

 

Like Bruce Springsteen and U2, Madonna doesn’t want to be an oldies act in concert, so she offered nine tunes from her “Rebel Heart†album. Of course, she dressed them up, first with Asian costumes (think Samurai warriors), then Spanish outfits (matadors aplenty) and finally something with French flair (welcome to the cabaret, 1920s style).

 

Those outfits — or variations thereof — also worked for mixing in oldies re-imagined. “Dress You Up†became a Mexican street scene, mashed up in the middle seamlessly by the Latin-tinged electronica of “Lucky Star.â€

 

“It’s hot under here,†she said, removing her bolero hat after the dance-happy medley. “I’ve never worn so many clothes. Whose idea was it? Not yours.â€

 

There were 450 outfits for the 20 dancers, two backup singers, four musicians and the one and only Madonna. When she exited to change costumes, her dancers took over the stage with some of the most thrilling and imaginative filler in arena concert history — including prancing atop cross-shaped bendable poles.

 

Although Madonna gained energy throughout the evening, she explained that she woke up with a fever Thursday morning. And that prompted her to break into an a cappella version of the classic “Fever.†Yes, Madonna can be in the moment and she can sing live (though she was lip syncing during dance numbers). She dedicated the Edith Piaf signature “La Vie En Rose†to Prince. And she crooned her 1987 hit “Who’s That Girl?â€

 

She’d spent most of the night trying to explain that. Actually, she’s still evolving — and that’s why we keep paying attention.

 

[Breathless 5,286]

Typical..... of course they have to add: the twice divorced mother of four........ :(

[Madame Madonna 4,109]

OMG That Prince article... I just... my eyes are teary now...

 

nostalgia..... 

 

This Rebel heart tour era is all about nostalgia for me...

[Breathless 5,286]

1985?? Lool!

 

True Blue

 

"Baby, I love you," Madonna gushed, dipping into her back catalog for this adorable 1985 relic. Stripped of its pop sheen, "True Blue" became a finger-snappin', hand-clappin' campfire sing-along, with Madonna plucking away at a ukulele. Yes, baby, we love you too.

[Breathless 5,286]

OMG lmaooo!! :lol:

 

Madonna at one point called Prince "a little troll," adding in a 1994 interview that while on a date with Purple Rain singer, "He was just sipping tea, very daintily. I have this theory about people who don't eat. They annoy me."

[Gargamel 8,775]

Review : Madonna's first Edmonton show a dancetastic celebration

 

Edmonton hearts rebel Madonna.

 

More than 14,000 fans got into the groove, vogued, and expressed themselves during Our Lady of Pop’s inaugural visit to Edmonton.

Sunday’s dancetastic celebration of love, nakedness and religion was the first of two at Rexall Place — and the only two Alberta dates on her Rebel Heart tour, which has already grossed $20 million US from just 10 concerts.

(P.S. Tickets are still available to Monday’s show.)

 

Highlights: Uh, her mere presence? Madonna released her very first album in 1983 — and we’ve had to wait 32 years for the controversial dance-pop diva to find the E-spot.

She’s not nearly as shocking as she was in the ’80s or ’90s, but the 57-year-old mother of four still proved to be a rebel at Sunday’s show.

She pole-danced with strippers “dressed†as nuns as she sang Holy Water — a throbbing number from her 13th and latest album, Rebel Heart — which ended with a bunch of her dancers re-enacting the Last Supper.

She strummed a ukulele, while sitting on a pile of tires, as she sang True Blue. She pushed one of her male dancers from the top of a spiral staircase during HeartBreakCity, a maudlin love-gone-wrong number, also from Rebel Heart.

 

Low note: Her opening felt a bit lacklustre, especially for an icon of her stature. At 9:45 p.m. the lights went out in Rexall. Then her Rebel Heart curtain fell to the stage, with nary a musical, pyro or lighting cue to accompany it.

In fact, there were a few seconds of awkward silence as fans waited for her dancers, dressed as ancient Chinese soldiers, and a video of Iconic, featuring Mike Tyson and Chance the Rapper, to start the proceedings.

 

In the crowd: Mostly fortysomething (and older) women and men who grew up during the Walkman era of the ’80s.

(Surprisingly, very few brought their offspring — there was a noticeable lack of fans younger than 20 years old, perhaps due to Madonna’s steep ticket prices.)

Hundreds of women wore Madge-inspired outfits, from Like A Virgin wedding dresses to tutus to bullfighter’s suits.

 

Strike a pose: As strong and supple as her voice was — ranging from girlish (Like A Virgin) to deep and dangerous (Burning Up, HeartBreakCity) — Madonna’s dance moves were just as stunning.

She twirled around a stripper’s pole. She palled around with the rest of her male and female dancers during Deeper and Deeper. She strutted across the catwalk during Holiday, the last song of her 135-minute set.

 

Quip of the night: â€œAs the evening goes on, you’ll be required to undress,†she said before her seventh song, True Blue.

True to her word, she intermittently singled out fans in the crowd and demanded they take off their tops. “Edmonton is going to be naked!†she gushed, as she collected one man’s “Italians Do It Better†T-shirt.

Later on, she pulled one woman on stage and made her wear a novelty hat with a turkey protruding from the top of it. “I’ve had a penis on my head, too,†Madonna joked.

 

Material girl: Her costumes ranged from ornate Chinese robes to ‘50s greaser to revealing dresses with fishnet stockings.

 

Unapologetic bitch: It’s the title of one of her songs from Rebel Heart, and it suits her to perfection. She didn’t bother tailoring her set list to appease long-suffering Edmonton fans — they got the same songs as every other city on her current tour. Which meant 13 (of the 19) tracks from the deluxe version of Rebel Heart, which is far from her best effort.

While she performed a handful of her older hits, including Like A Virgin, Holiday, La Isla Bonita, Material Girl and Music, other classics only made cameos. She sang a snippet of Vogue, for example, during Holy Water, and a teasing morsel of Love Don’t Live Here Anymore during HeartBreakCity.

Perhaps even more sacrilegious, Madonna completely ignored Like A Prayer, Live To Tell, Hung Up and her entire 1998 album, Ray of Light. Do we have to wait another 32 years before she performs those in Edmonton? Or maybe she’ll do a few of them during her second show on Monday night?

 

 

http://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/music/review-madonna-performs-miracles-during-first-of-two-edmonton-shows

[groovyguy 63,869]

Strong show from the Material Girl

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2015/10/12/strong-show-from-the-material-girl

People who rip Madonna for not acting her age should take a good hard look at Mick Jagger.

 

Do people make fun of him for acting like a stud on stage? OK, bad example. Point is, if it’s OK for the aging male rock stars, why shouldn’t Madonna try as hard as she can to remain relevant, hip, sexy, shocking, whatever she wants? It’s inspiring to see a 57-year-old woman up there twerking on top of pole-dancing nuns in their underwear … and where were we?

 

Yes, Madonna is the hardest working woman in show business, praise that shouldn’t be thrown around lightly.

 

For the first of two shows at Rexall Place Sunday night – and what rude American scheduled this on Thanksgiving weekend – the queen of pop led a dazzling Cirque du Broadway sexy song and dance spectacle that put most others to shame. Fans who shelled out huge dough for this thing expected no less than the best. This is what pop concerts look like these days, and Madonna pulled out all the stops (an old pipe organ reference) to make sure this Rebel Heart tour was the biggest, flashiest, most grandiose Cirque du Broadway sexy song and dance spectacle available.

 

Not surprisingly, the music was for the most part less interesting than the production that went with it. Representing all phases in a career dedicated to remaining relevant, hip, sexy shocking, etc., each song was no mere “song†to be “performed.†No, each piece of the Madonna story was presented as choreographed high drama. A squad of hard-working dancers playing parts ranging from Holy Roman Warriors to gas jockeys to street dancers out of a modern version of West Side Story. Later came bulls and bullfighters in a lively Spanish number, setting the stage with a steamy dance number with matadors in La Isla Bonita. Latin was just one of the flavours in a musical travelogue that also made stops to Africa and the Middle East.

 

The underwear-clad nuns weren’t the only Catholic-shocking imagery deployed, a schtick she’s used to good effect for decades.

 

Opening with a song Iconic saw the 57-year-old singer lowered to the stage in a cage, which she promptly broke out of to sing about what it’s like to be a pop star, an “icon.†Soldiers brandishing crosses were replaced by geisha girls in a song called Bitch, I’m Madonna – in case anyone was confused who they were seeing. Much later came a new song called Unapologetic Bitch, if you’re sensing a theme.

 

A warm and relaxed host despite the obvious demands of the show, she addressed the crowd after her old-school-style pop song True Blue. “I get to do what I love – I’m a lucky girl!†she said, adding, “You’re lucky, too!â€

 

Through each of what appeared to be four separate “acts,†successive layers of clothing were shed as she worked her way up to more danceable material. Early on came Deeper and Deeper before a more sensitive moment in Heartbreak City – performed atop a floating spiral staircase. And then, with the words “Nobody f—ks with the queen!†she launched into a quirky, wacky version of Like a Virgin. Soon came S.E.X., more dance music and more stripped down (metaphorically) version of her hits. Who’s That Girl was also rendered acoustically. Dress You Up was recast as a samba.

 

As for her voice, it’s been joked that Madonna makes a good case in favour of lip-syncing, but while there seemed to be a ton of processing and doubling on the lead vocals, there were lots of moments where she appeared to actually be singing. Imagine. But who comes to a Madonna concert to hear Madonna sing? Of course not. We come for the twerking nuns.

 

[survivalartist 6,745]

http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2015/10/12/madonna-neil-lane-jewelry-exclusive-rebel-hear-tour/

 

Madonna Wears $10 Million Worth of Diamonds in Rebel Heart Tour Video: All the Scoop Straight from Jeweler Neil Lane

10/12/2015 AT 04:30 PM ET

 

Madonna‘s Rebel Heart tour is filled with surprises (like Amy Schumer’s hilarious opening standup and the lack of Madge’s nakedness on stage — seriously, she covers up more than usual!), but as fans who have already seen the show know, her performances are very nostalgic, celebrating the Queen of Pop’s various iconic career moments over the past 30+ years.One of those moments is Madonna’s 1991 Oscars performance, when she channeled Marilyn Monroe for her performance of “Sooner or Later.†She also hit the red carpet with close friend Michael Jackson dressed like Marilyn’s Gentleman Prefer Blondes character.

RON GALELLA/WIREIMAGE

 

Madonna brings back that look in her Rebel Heart tour book and for a special video played during her performances. And to help her create the Marilyn moment, celeb-loved jeweler Neil Lane provided $10 million worth of diamonds. (Because when you’re Madonna, anything is possible!)

 

“I sent hundreds of images of necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. They also sent me the clip of the performance in 1991 so I could review it,†Lane tells PEOPLE of selecting the jewelry looks for the star. “Madonna circled what she liked. She was very involved in the process.â€

RON GALELLA/WIREIMAGE

 

COURTESY NEIL LANE

 

Lane and his team sent three guards to the shoot to deliver all the jewels, which he estimates weighed in anywhere between 500 and 1,000 carats of diamonds.

The jeweler adds that the whole Steven Klein-directed shoot turned out “magically,†but admits he was surprised when Madonna’s team asked if they could soak the jewels in “blood†(aka corn starch and food dye.)

“I didn’t know how to really respond,†Lane recalls. “This is all platinum and diamonds, but I said, ‘Okay, why not.’ But that’s typical of her. She takes something and twists it and makes it really relevant,†he shares, adding jokingly, “It was really sticky jewelry when it came back.â€

RON GALELLA/WIREIMAGE

 

Lane has worked with the 57-year-old singer on many iconic moments throughout her career, including her 2003 Gap campaign with Missy Elliott.

“I think the Gap campaign was really important, because it set so many styles and took jeans upscale,†Lane shares. “Madonna is very innovative. She’s seems to have a pulse, and I think it’s a natural pulse. She works very hard at it. It’s a very natural pulse. It’s not convoluted.â€

Madonna also famously debuted her diamond ‘M’ for that campaign, which Lane customized for her on the spot.

“At the last fitting before the Gap shoot, she was looking in the mirror, and she said, ‘I need something else on the neck like a giant diamond ‘M.’ She was so exact. We stayed up all night in the workshop and made it in one day.â€

COURTESY GAB

 

Lane says Madge’s ‘M’ pendant started a huge movement in diamond initials.

“Everyone starting wearing diamond initials, and she gave one to Britney [spears],†he recalls. “She commissioned me to make one for Britney with a B. I also made Madonna a big blue sapphire ‘M’ for Coachella in 2006. She really got into that M.â€

GETTY

 

[groovyguy 63,869]

‘Rebellious’ Madonna concert mixes spectacle with strangeness 

See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/entertainment/music/rebellious-madonna-concert-mixes-spectacle-with-strangeness-1.2086999#sthash.voPjnOEQ.dpuf

Further confirming my half-baked yet deeply entrenched theory that you can tell a lot about a concert by the contents of the performer’s merch table, Madonna’s appearance at Rogers Arena Wednesday night was calculatedly provocative, fantastic to look and a little confusing.

 

While swag hags had their choice of a host of high and lowbrow goodies such as underwear, makeup cases and tote bags, the most bewildering item of the bunch was a highly flammable, fleece blanket. Even more bewildering was my friend Shawn plopping down $75 on said comforter just so his geriatric cat Max could sleep out the rest of his months on Madge’s enlarged, black-and-white face. There was also a sold-out “Bitch†shot glass for $10, a completely serviceable red “Rebel Heart†Tour tank top for $45 and a basic white T-shirt with “Bitch I’m Madonna†emblazoned across the front clocking in at a cool $70. Apparently sleeves and swear words are a premium.

 

But what about the actual show? To her credit, and perhaps detriment, Madonna refused to play the role of human jukebox, relying heavily on her latest album, Rebel Heart, which by all indications is not too shabby. An opening video montage, inexplicably showcasing the acting talents of a very angry, very sweaty and largely incomprehensible Mike Tyson, seemed to imply we are all slaves in a post-apocalyptic hellscape where a bloodied and beaten Madonna has been captured but is about to lead a dance-filled rebellion against a backdrop of religious iconography and S&M images culled from her 1992 Sex coffee table book.

 

Descending from the rafters in — surprise, surprise — a cage, Madonna and her army of agile dancers, acrobats and musicians proceeded to put on a clinic on how to pull off large-scale song-and-dance numbers, intricate choreography, seamless costume changes and Cirque du Soleil-like spectacle.

 

At 57, Madonna is still far more limber and energetic than most of the current crop of pop artists currently engaged in Twitter spats and Instagram controversies. And the show ran the gamut of musical styles, eras, ethnic flavours and artistic appropriations, from disco and thumping dance club beats to country, swing, flamenco and Parisian cabaret.

 

As for the “hits,†few were presented in their original MTV-friendly formats. “La Isla Bonita†morphed into a medley of Latin-tinged renditions of “Dress You Up,†“Lucky Star†and “Get Into the Groove,†while deconstructed versions of “Like a Virgin,†“Music†and “Material Girl,†although interesting and recognizable, never really took off into the pop stratosphere.

 

A doo-wop sing-along of “True Blue†was a charmer, and Madonna further stripped down the proceedings with an acoustic version of “Secret†and a cover of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose,†which she performed on ukulele and dedicated to her absent daughter, Lola, who apparently turned 19 that day.

 

Although the songs, impressive dance routines and video montages operated like a well-oiled concert machine, Madonna’s stage banter and audience interaction occasionally derailed much of the momentum. Seeing which side of the arena can cheer the loudest is hacky at the best of times, but after the fourth or fifth “competition,†it felt tedious. The payoff of Madonna jokingly harassing a supposedly drunk audience member in the front row and then sharing a shot of booze with her was that the woman turned out to be none other than comedian Amy Schumer. But what to make of Madonna’s quip about wanting two male dancers to fight over her and then getting the audience to cheer for more “crimes of passionâ€? Other confounding moments included an occasional southern drawl creeping into her speech, a rather long introduction of a “guest bitch†dancer at the end of the night and a prolonged spiel where Madonna claimed she was schizophrenic or bipolar or maybe just a temperamental artist with, product tie-in, a “rebel heart.â€

 

Thankfully, the tireless entertainer knows how to pull her enormous, occasionally wayward ship of a concert into dock, and did just that with a buoyant encore of one of her earliest hits, “Holiday.†The song was the least tampered with of her old songs and everything you’d want from a Madonna concert experience: simple, catchy and joyous, like a perfect piece of pop art or merchandise for your aging feline to snuggle up to.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna causes a commotion in Vancouver (REVIEW, PHOTOS)

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/10/madonna-causes-commotion-in-vancouver/

 

Madonna, the undisputed queen of pop, rocked a packed Rogers Arena last night with a fantastic show spanning her 30-plus year career.

 

Madonna has never been one to rest on her laurels and her massive Rebel Heart trek is unlike any of her previous shows â€“ no disco balls, cone bras or random gunplay last night.

 

Instead, fans (including it-girl Amy Schumer and Madonna’s ex-husband Sean Penn) were treated to a 140-minute spectacle that featured everything from a half-naked last supper tableau to nuns on stripper poles.

 

But the biggest shock of all was the Material Girl’s relaxed, almost playful attitude. Despite a chilly reception from a couple of folks near the b-stage (“wow, you’re not very loud…it’s very underwhelming†she snapped), Madonna was warm and engaging, chatting happily with fans and cracking jokes with her backup dancers.

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Blame it on the alcohol – Madonna confessed to being “a little tipsy†after indulging in shots onstage. She even deigned to offer one lucky fan a sip of holy water from her cup, saying â€œI need to pour this girl a drink. She looks thirsty. Some for you, some for me. Do blondes have more fun? They sure do.â€

But leave it to Madonna to break up a sentimental moment by scolding the fan for leaving her glass at the singer’s feet. “Don’t leave your garbage on my stage! How many drinks have you had?!â€

 

Songs from this year’s critically acclaimed Rebel Heart album comprised more than half of the setlist, while fresh takes on party anthems like “Dress You Upâ€, “Music†and “Vogue†made up the rest. Madonna dug deep into her back catalogue, performing songs she hasn’t sang for decades including an acoustic take on “True Blue†that sounded lovely, and an impromptu version of 1994’s “Secret†that was a show highlight.

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

She even busted out a ukulele for a beautiful cover of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Roseâ€, dedicating it to her daughter Lourdes who celebrated her 19th birthday last night. “This is the first time I’ve been on tour and she hasn’t been with me, so I’ve been particularly sentimental,†Madonna told us. “She taught me how to play the ukulele and taught me how to sing this song. So this is for you, Lola.â€

Before introducing album cut “Rebel Heartâ€, Madonna addressed the devastating leak that plagued her newest album (demos from the record appeared online months before their official release in April).

 

“I wrote a lot of songs for this next record. This record that got leaked for like a year before it came out. That was fun,†she said. “But you guys stuck by me through thick and thin, and I know you guys didn’t listen to any of the leaked music. Thank you so much.â€

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Madonna closed the show with a one-two punch of “Unapologetic Bitch†and “Holidayâ€, the song that propelled the singer into superstardom more than 30 years ago. And despite complaining earlier that “Canadians are a little shyâ€, Madonna draped herself in our country’s flag and moved like a madwoman while her awesome backup dancers struggled to keep up.

I’ll close this piece by letting Madonna speak for herself. Sometimes when I cover a show, I’ll use my iPhone to record a little bit of the artist’s dialogue so I can quote them verbatim in my review. And Madonna certainly didn’t disappoint – I’ve been listening to her bitch and moan all day.

 

Some highlights:

Before singing “True Blueâ€: “I’m gonna sing a song about love! If you know about love, then you’re gonna need a drink. Or a six pack.†Then, gesturing to Amy Schumer in the audience, “you better pay attention, Amy.â€

 

To a couple in the crowd who promised to get married after the show: “Aren’t you guys gonna kiss or something? That’s what you do when you get married. Enjoy it while it lasts. I’m so happy for you, really I am. Okay, that’s enough. This is not a show about you guys.â€

 

Referring to her hot, hot backup dancers during “Body Shopâ€: “I come to work every day…it’s hot, back-breaking work, but I don’t punch no time card. And guess what I get to look at? These six packs. If you’re gonna go to work every day, you might as well make things pleasant for yourself, right?â€

 

To a tipsy woman in the audience: “I’m sorry lady, how many drinks have you had? Just one? One after another, non-stop maybe. That happens a lot around here.â€

 

A bit of confusion with fans near the b-stage: “Are you guys booing me? Maybe I have to change my medication, It sounds like a ‘boo’. Oh, it’s a ‘whoo!'â€

 

Before “Rebel Heartâ€: “I feel a little bit, um…I don’t wanna say ‘schizophrenic’ because then you won’t think very highly of me. I don’t wanna say ‘bi-polar’ because then you’ll feel sorry for me. So let’s just say I’m an artist. And, you know, we have a lot of sides to us.â€

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

Image: Rob Feller / Vancity Buzz

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna in Portland: Couture, conga lines and righteous 'Rebel' pop

http://www.oregonlive.com/music/index.ssf/2015/10/madonna_in_portland_couture_co.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Early in the set during Madonna's nearly two-hour Moda Center show, a man wrapped in Jewish religious gear—a tallit, or prayer shawl, and a yamulkah—danced in a gleaming group to the sounds of "Devil Pray."

 

Well, I thought, I didn't see that at my Bar Mitzvah. That was after the sexy nuns pole-dancing on crosses but before the "Get into the Groove" conga line. It was that kind of show.

 

No one operates on the level of Madonna, one of the rare American pop acts interested in pushing her arena shows to the level of actual art. Or at least couture. In the last few years, I've seen any number of arena superstars: Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Katy Perry, Drake, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, and the magnificent Cher among them. All had their highs and lows, their own version of a big-tent spectacle. And with Madonna drawing largely on this year's "Rebel Heart" album, plenty of her peers have played more hits at the Moda Center.

 

But she was untouchable on stage creativity. The details of her and her dancers' costuming, crafted by Gucci, Prada and other top labels, was immaculate whether her imagination steered toward bulls and matadors or provocative Catholicism. The set-ups weren't one-and-done, or pointless costume changes: in one run, Madonna shifted the "Body Shop" scene—a Sexy '50s Auto Shop—toward a diner's exterior for vintage-style love song "True Blue," and then into the restaurant toward the jukebox, an image that played on the video screen behind the stage as Madonna stood on a pile of tires. In other words: transitions and storytelling!

 

The narrative Madonna was trying to tell across the night—her first in Portland since two nights at the Arlene Schnitzer in 1985—was far from unified, or comprehensible: it started with medieval, cross-bearing warriors and wound up in top-hat-clad Prohibition, with a jumbled message about love and revolution and unexpected Mike Tyson video footage all in there somewhere. But at least it came with top-tier choreography, from the swarm of bodies that came together and fell apart in "Living for Love" to the stairway ballet that played out between Madonna and a doomed lover in "HeartBreakCity": it ended with a gasp, as she pushed him from the second story off into a sudden hole in the stage.

 

Between songs, she spoke about the need to destroy bigotry. "We have so much more to fight for," she said, a serious moment amid commentary on the male sex organ—she is, quote, "all about" it—and a profane request for the audience to count in Spanish with her. Like Cher, Madonna pulls on other cultures recklessly for her imagery: a critic who is younger and angrier about this sort of thing should probably take her to task for it, but then they'd be haranguing an incredible conga line.

 

And the music? It was fine. "Rebel Heart" is no Madonna classic, but it's far from dull, and her more intimate showcases, including a ukulele treatment of French standard "La Vie En Rose," revealed a vocalist capable of pleasant warmth but not multi-octave heat. Yes, Madonna's a singer. But she is also so much more, and so much better, no matter how many kids keep coming up behind her.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Concert Review: Madonna at Moda Center, 10/17

Consider this my formal apology for any negative thing I have ever said about Madonna.

http://www.wweek.com/2015/10/18/concert-review-madonna-at-moda-center-1017/

I take it all back. Anything disparaging, unkind or even lightly mocking thing I ever said about Madonna. I renounce every bit of sarcasm in last week'sMadonna paper dolls. I retract even the sighs of annoyance I sighed, before her show started Saturday night at the Moda Center, while a house DJ named Michael Diamond wore a raincoat and spun boring dance music for an hour while the screen over my head played visuals that looked like a '90s screen saver over and over.

 

Consider this my formal apology for all of the above. I know now that Madonna isn't irrelevant, boring or totally over. I humbly acknowledge that she is the Queen of the World.

 

Her show on Saturday started late—or at least it felt late, since we arrived on time and sat through an hour of the aforementioned DJ with but one drink. The DJ ended at 9 and it was almost 50 minutes before Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something" started blaring, the lights went down and the big Rebel Heart curtain that had been covering the stage dropped.

 

Then, the Michael Jackson music became Madonna music and dancers dressed as something like Genghis Khan-era warriors carrying tall medieval crosses appeared in front of a huge screen playing video from the song "Iconic," with Mike Tyson talking, and then Madonna inviting the dancers and the screaming crowd to join her revolution.

 

Then, because this was Madonna and this was the beginning of the best arena show I've ever seen, Madonna was lowered from the ceiling in a cage.

 

"Iconic" turned into "Bitch, I'm Madonna," which included the massive face of Nicki Minaj rapping on the screen, a warning to the legion of Gen-X women in the audience wearing mesh gloves that this show wouldn't be just for them.

 

Those early songs were just appetizers for the first really big number, a "Holy Water"/"Vogue" sexy Catholic bondage party that included stripper nuns, a living re-creation of Da Vinci's "Last Supper," a sexy priest and—I swear to god—the lyrics "Jesus loves my clitoris best." (Online it says the lyrics are "Yeezus loves my pussy best" but I stand by what I heard and I like my version a lot more anyway.)

 

It was spectacular.

 

Which reminds me: we need to talk about Madonna's dancers.

 

They can't really be called back-up dancers because a lot of the show was really about showcasing their extreme talents. Of course, anyone who dances on a Madonna tour is going to be a next-level professional, but these dancers went beyond that usual athletic, unbelievably bendy, music video "dancer-in-the-back" type thing. Each one, even from a distance, exuded a very specific and intriguing personality—and also, actual joy. In fact, in some ways the Rebel Heart show was really less of a concert and more a really good Cirque du Soleil performance, with live music, additional dancing and superior charm by Madonna.

 

There were a few moments in the production where the whole thing went beyond anything I've ever seen onstage. At one point a spiral staircase dropped from the ceiling down onto the tip of the stage which extended out into the audience and ended in a heart which looked like the tip of a penis. (Madonna thought so too. She even said: "It feels so intimate down here at the tip of my penis. Isn't it interesting that a heart and a penis are the same shape? God didn't make a mistake on that one. In my opinion, it's all about the dick.")

After the staircase came down, Madonna and her favorite dancer—I decided he was her favorite and convinced myself they were in love to which my boyfriend said: "She's a professional, Lizzy"—did a "HeartBreakCity"/"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" medley, which ended with both of them at the top of the very tall staircase and then Madonna pushing him off so he free fell through the air and through a hole that suddenly opened in the the stage so the audience never saw his impact.

 

I screamed.

 

Later, during one of the interludes for costume changes and water breaks (I assume), when a Madonna song would play but there would be no actual Madonna on stage, dancers sat atop tall polls and did a kind of crazy, bouncing, terrifying air dance to "Illuminati."

How many ways can I say, "Holy shit, it was so fucking cool"?

 

And then there was Madonna. I wasn't surprised that she put on a great show—any American human would know to expect that. What really shocked me was how personal she was, how real and oddly sweet. At one point, when she did the obligatory "Are you having fun, Portland?" thing, she added: "I am having a good time. I mean, this is nice work if you can get it." And the audience believed her. The show felt like a gift to her fans. Even the small mistakes felt right, like, here, look at this human. You love this human and she is doing this all for you! Whether it was "True Blue" on the ukelele or "Like a Virgin," which she sang all alone, running around the stage, not in a wedding dress but in pants, not trading on past glory but honoring the song and also who she is now. She missed some notes and that made it so much better. She's 57. She's putting on a show that would make an 8 year-old with ADD tired. And she's singing live, alone, on a stage in front of thousands of people. It's impossible to tell you everything. The show was one of the only ones I've ever been to where I didn't once think, "OK, I'm ready for this to be done." From the second her cage was lowered onto the stage, a little before 10 pm, to the end of her encore, "Holiday," which saw her whisked up into the air on a trapeze, at midnight, it was perfect.

 

There was crazy gender stuff, sexy bed dancing, dancing with a flying sheet, dancing on a moving screen. There was indiscriminate, unapologetic cultural appropriation, sacrilegious imagery, a lot of six-pack flashing, a matador dance. There were outrageous costumes, beautiful costumes, costumes covered in diamonds. There was the moment when she sat on what looked like a big red cake and said, "I've been married twice, you know. You've probably heard about it," scratched her knee and then led the audience in a "La Vie En Rose" singalong while she played the ukulele. It's been 30 years since Madonna came to Portland. In 30 more years, she'll be 86. I hope she comes back before then but if not, I think I'm willing to travel somewhere else to see her again. I'd like to make my apologies in person, genuflect, ask for forgiveness. I am sorry I ever doubted Madonna. She is right. She is the queen.

[Gargamel 8,775]

Review: Madonna brings uneven Rebel Heart Tour to San Jose

By Jim Harrington

jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com

 

Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour is a definite mixed bag, with nearly as much going for it as against it.

 

The positives have to do almost exclusively with the visuals, which includes the set design, choreography and costuming. The images, as with past Madonna tours, can be perplexing, confusing and disturbing. Yet, they are also often quite intriguing. That's enough to save this tour from the dust bin, lifting it from bad to mediocre.

 

 

The negatives? Well, how much time do you have? The shortlist includes the song selection, the reliance on iffy remixes and a general lack of purpose to the production.

 

 

All of that had a huge impact on the 12,500-plus fans who turned out to see Madonna perform on Monday at the SAP Center in San Jose. Their enthusiasm level started out strong, yet continued to dwindle as the night progressed.

 

 

Part of that had to do with how late Madonna took the stage — over two hours after the scheduled show time. Not surprisingly, the crowd looked absolutely exhausted toward the end — and not in a "That show was so much fun" type of way, but more like, "Why did we have to listen to that DJ for so long?"

 

 

An even bigger issue was the set list, which focused too strongly on newer material instead of the hits. Now, I don't have a problem with new material — just bad new material, which is the kind Madonna is serving up these days.

 

 

The 57-year-old Michigan native made her grand entrance around 10:15 p.m., appearing in an interesting medieval setting to belt out the uninspiring "Iconic," from this year's "Rebel Heart," Madonna's 13th studio effort to date. The eyes remained entertained, even if the ears weren't, as Madonna and her sizable cast of dancers took a martial arts approach to the marginal new album cut, "(Expletive) I'm Madonna." In all, it was a pretty lackluster way to start a show.

 

 

She then zoomed back for "Burning Up," the popular single from her self-titled debut of 1983. But she refused to play the wonderful dance-pop tune straight, instead deciding to grab an electric guitar and rock it up a bit. It was one of many remixes that simply didn't work in the show.

 

That's infuriating. It's bad enough that Madonna wanted to stock the set list with subpar new songs. It's worse that she decided to sabotage many of the old fan favorites on the docket by playing them in new arrangements. Yeah, thanks for making it hard for us to sing along, Madonna.

She really was in need of a better game plan. She'd rush in the wrong spots, sowing together infuriating snippets of some of her best-known offerings (such as "Dress You Up" and "Lucky Star") when a better choice would've been to play the whole songs. Then she'd dawdle when the exact opposite approach was called for, such as when she allowed the wind to go out of the sails of the main-set closer, "Unapologetic (Expletive)," as she chatted with an audience member. It was one of the most anticlimactic main set closers I've ever seen.

Still, Madonna exhibited plenty of star power. And the visuals were often interesting enough to carry the moment. Yet, we'd hoped for so much more than just that from Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour.

 

Follow Jim Harrington at twitter.com/jimthecritic.

 

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_28995258/review-madonna-brings-uneven-rebel-heart-tour-san

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna takes control in San Jose

http://www.sfexaminer.com/madonna-takes-control-in-san-jose/

It’s really hard to determine exactly which part of Madonna’s “Rebel Heart†tour, which hit San Jose’s SAP Center on Monday night, was the best.

 

Was it when she emerged in a cage, lowered from the ceiling, then pranced with dancers carrying big crosses and dressed like medieval Mongolian warriors, to open the show with “Iconic�

 

Was it when she and her female dancers, attired like nuns from the head up, and below, wearing black bras and white panties with ruffles on their bums, slithered like strippers on poles on “Holy Waterâ€? (The number also had an awesome, “Last Supperâ€-like banquet.)

 

Was it when she soloed on “Like a Virgin,†accompanied only by percussion, on a runway in the center of the arena, doing loose and soulful dance moves reminiscent of Michael Jackson?

 

Was it when she did a Spanish section, in toreador garb, with rallying bulls on “Living for Love,†followed by “La Isla Bonita,†then continued the theme (after a costume change into a long, flowing dress), with Latin-infused takes on “Dress You Up,†“Into the Groove†and “Lucky Star�

 

Was it when she pushed her tuxedoed, top-hatted dancers down a slanted platform during “Material Girl�

 

Was it when she strummed a guitar during “Rebel Heart†as numerous amazing drawn and painted images of her created by artists were projected onto huge screens at the back of the stage?

 

Or was it when she sang the line “Do you know the way to San Jose†and told the capacity multi-generational crowd, “It’s so good so see my old friends and my young friends†and “You’re the best audience in the world�

 

The nearly two-and-a-half hour show, which started late at 10:15 p.m., was a visual and aural feast from start to finish.

 

At 57, the true blue (she did a breezy version of “True Blue†amid stacked tires under a crescent moon on a set that looked like a service station, and a whole car was pulled out for “Body Shopâ€), icon shows no signs of slowing down.

 

After 30-plus years in the business and holding the Guinness World Record for best-selling female artist of all time, she sounds and looks fantastic, from her gorgeous flowing mane to the high heels on which she moved with nary a misstep.

 

While the set list leaned heavily on 2015’s “Rebel Heart†songs, she did mix things up a bit, with “Frozen†from 1998’s “Ray of Light.â€

As always, she was wonderfully in control, provoking with wild images addressing big themes: sex, religion, power and violence, and commanding her fans to lead, not follow.

 

This time, she tacked on happiness, and even smiled.

 

She’s not above having a good time, either. Decked out in stars and stripes, she encored with the anthemic “Holiday,†and exited the stage not unlike the way she entered, via a trapeze bar.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna Tears Through Hits At Shark Tank

http://activate.metroactive.com/2015/10/madonna-tears-through-hits-at-shark-tank/

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the title character retains eternal youth because a painting absorbs all the negative affects of his aging. Madonna must have one of those locked away in a Calabasas Kabbalah Center. She’s nothing short of a demi-god. And last night, during her appearance at the SAP Center, every single walk of life came to worship at her phallic altar.

 

Attendees of this stop on her Rebel Heart Tour included: Thots in hitched-up one-pieces, three generations of selfie-snappers, wholesome nuclear families, Duck Dynasty look-alikes, Russian/Vietnamese/Spanish-speakers, leather lovers, trim cougars in slinky dresses, Material girls (and women), and tons and tons of well-groomed men.

 

EDM-er Michael Diamond opened for Madonna, composing an hour and a half of chest filling deep house laced with disembodied hip-hop samples. The demure cotton-topped couple next to me endured him politely with a game of Words with Friends.

 

The trendy opener reflected Madonna’s constant reinvention, tracked by fan-worn tour T-shirts ranging from the curvy, bushy-browed beauty of yore to the polished avatar of sex that she is now. She refuses to stagnate, refuses to fade. She only ever adds new dimensions to her dodecahedron self. She incorporates whatever the kids are doing and makes it her own. And does it just as well, if not better. Miley Cyrus copies Madonna. But Madonna also copies Miley Cyrus.

 

The Queen of Pop opened with a monologue about having tits and an ass and an insatiable desire to be noticed. Then she led a tightly choreographed rebellion against an army of templars that seemed like they had been plucked from a dystopian novel where Ancient China and Egypt had been smushed together.

Her eyeliner flared at the corner. Her high cheekbones absorbed golden light. Her arms rippled with muscle. Her dirty blonde hair flowed long in a wild mane. Her smoky blue eyes radiated a persistent sexuality. Her maraschino cherry red lips pouted. Her diminutive height disappeared above Dikembe-Mutombo-middle-finger-sized stilettos. Her forehead flushed, but didn’t leak one bead of sweat down her angular marble-smooth face.

 

She stood astride a pole-swirling stripper like a surfboard and spanked a dancer 15 times for dropping a maraca. She forcefully groped and got groped back, drew attention to how “penisy†the heart-shaped tip of her thrust stage looked, humped any surface offered to her, and presided over a simulated man-on-man sex scene, a gyrating topless transwoman, and an androgyne clad half in a tuxedo and half in a shimmery flapper dress.

 

She said the word “fuck,†a lot.

 

Skipping about the stage, she flung her hair into a messy mane during “Like A Virgin,†and thumb-strummed a ukulele alone, while crooning “La Vie en Rose.†She flung tuxedoed suitors down a raked platform during a futurized rendition of “Material Girl.†During “Burning Up,†she whipped out a Flying-V guitar, dropped to her knees and shredded. She moved from channeling Mariachi’s mojo in “Who’s that Girl,†to twerking cat-walking and sneering to “Bitch, I’m Madonna.†She warbled over military drums for “Heartbreak City,†then draped herself in an American flag for her encore, “Holiday.â€

Finally, she ascended into the sky because where else could she go?

 

Despite the unblinking admiration of the jam-packed SAP Center, Madonna exists on an unreachable, astral plane—far removed from our mundane reality. She is an alien-envisioned ideal of a popstar. Hillary Clinton frequently came to mind.

 

But I think that’s the point. Madonna isn’t supposed to be like us. She doesn’t age, she merely levels up—reincarnates without dying. And this is why legions worship her. Because unlike all other things that wither, she preserves. She’s a constant in a world of relentless flux. She’s a beacon of immortality. Bitch, she’s Madonna.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Review: Madonna delivers spectacle at SAP Center

http://www.ktvu.com/entertainment/36710921-story

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) -- When pop queen Madonna performed in San Jose Monday night, she was not showing her age. The fifty-something singer didn’t send out a memo out to her fans that she was going to play a late show on a school/work night.

 

However, Madonna did not disappoint the sold-out crowd at SAP Center as she made her only stop in the San Francisco Bay Area on her current Rebel Heart Tour. Supporting Madonna's thirteenth studio effort with the same name, the vocalist has trekked across North America with San Jose being part of the last leg before heading out to Europe.

Most fans anticipated the pop queen performing her top singles. Yes, there were many of the radio hits that shaped what you remember from the '80s, from "Who's That Girl" to "La Isla Bonita," "Like a Prayer," "Material Girl" and the inclusion of early hit "Holiday" during her encore. She added some rhythm to "Like a Virgin" that gave the song a more reggaeton beat and offered up dance moves  that recalled Madonna disciple Gwen Stefani (both can move in a very seductive way that can melt the hearts of men and women alike).

 

But her new album Rebel Heart presents a chance for Madonna's now-aging fans to relive their teen years with their teenage daughters or sons, a bridge to the music evolution on the last three decades. The show began with the song "Iconic" from the new album. Featuring visuals with Chance the Rapper and boxer Mike Tyson, it signaled Madonna's acknowledgment of her status as an international superstar musician but reaffirmed her humble beginnings.

 

The song spoke to how she has worked heard and spoken her mind while never letting anyone speak for her. She has worked hard throughout her career to get to where she is today and won't let anyone else put her down. It's not an ego push, but we all know and feel she didn't become this superstar overnight.

 

The singer followed with the recent single, "Bitch I'm Madonna."  Yes, we know. We all know. We all know that Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are fighting for her crown. But as the evening went on, Madonna proved she was perfectly capable of keeping an arena full of people up partying late at night when many in attendance had long since outgrown late-night partying. 

 

While her '80s contemporary Prince has toned down the provocative mix of sex and religion that dominated his stage show, Madonna still loves talking naughty about sexual things during her concerts. Though more relaxed and liberal modern times have made sexual taboos tougher to to come by, she still managed to sound blasphemous on "Holy Water" when she talked about the love Jesus had for a certain part of her anatomy.

 

Cavorting with dancers dressed in skimpy nun costumes with traditional white habits and black veils who swung like strippers on poles placed along the stage's catwalk, Madonna joined right in, having a swing on one pole like a pro. She moved on to the metaphor-heavy indie-pop track "Body Shop," a tune could catch on like a Coldplay song.

 

The set list leaned heavily on Rebel Heart and showed the songs are worth a listen. The diverse range of styles explored is something new for Madonna and her fans, but the singer has always been fond of reinventing herself. She seemed more comfortable than with her EDM experimentation the last few albums while still proving she can bring all the boys and girls to the yard.

Millennials won’t ever have the same experience of  what it was like growing up during the '80s or early '90s when the pop radio airwaves were ruled by Michael Jackson, U2 and Madonna herself and  MTV played full music videos (unlike "TRL"). When music was released on Tuesdays and only through these two mediums.

 

The anticipation or the surprise of new music doesn't hold much weight  in today's world when music is just a push of a button away (something pertinent in Madonna's case, since a number of songs from Rebel Heart leaked online prematurely).

 

Maybe it's the appreciation of this classic artistic medium has kept her audience so captivated throughout the years. This romantic connection is what may always attract many of her fans towards her universe, a wormhole that provided an escape from our boring, systematic lives with a spectacle that ended well past 12 bells.

[groovyguy 63,869]

The Rebel Heart Tour review

We reviewed the Chicago stop of Madonna's The Rebel Heart tour

- See more at: http://www.collegenews.com/article/the-rebel-heart-tour-review#sthash.3rBIvEr1.dpuf

 

October 21, 2015

 

I’ve never been much of a Madonna fan, that was until this The Rebel Heart Tour review. I guess I’ve never really thought about it. I went to a Catholic school and if Madonna was ever mentioned it was about how “sacrilegious†or controversial she is or how “weird†it was when she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera  at the 2003 MTV VMA’s when I was in eighth grade.

 

Now, as an adult in my mid-twenties I decided to acquaint myself with the “Queen of Popâ€. Upside of a press job: I have opportunities to attend some truly amazing concerts. Downside: I have to go alone #VogueAlone. Not really knowing what I was getting myself into I showed up to Chicago’s United Center unaware of what exactly was in store.

 

All of a sudden, Michael Jackson’s “You Gotta Be Starting Something†started blasting, it was showtime. People were dancing in the aisles of the packed stadium, when the lights dimmed and the curtain fell. The audience’s energy was palpable. I found myself getting extremely excited. Then armed guards mount the stage and a movie starts to play on the jumbo screen. Madonna appears onscreen and people scream like she just surprised them at work. She is dressed in exquisite formalwear and trapped in a cage. The movie then cuts to a caged man. “Is that Mike Tyson in a cage?†are the curious whispers I hear around me. It sure is. The movie then cuts back and forth from the armed guards, to Mike Tyson, to Madonna, to Madonna and Mike Tyson as lovers, all the while a bellowing voiceover plays of Madonna gearing up for a revolution. Movie-Madonna is shown in a badass warrior outfit then she is lowered in a cage onto the stage IRL. Samurai theme GO!

 

Back up dancers sporting black lipstick rip off Madonna’s red overcoat and she fans herself with a red fan. She proceeds to kick all the armed guard’s butts while singing “Iconicâ€. My heart is racing, this is an action movie in front of my eyes. She strips off her coat and rips off her pants to reveal thigh high stockings, "Bitch I'm Madonna†she sings. Then someone hands her an electric guitar and she starts shredding "Burning Upâ€. She reaches out and touches an audience member who then fist pumps his hand powerfully into the air like the ending of The Breakfast Club; he has been touched by the Holy Ghost. I’m getting goosebumps.

 

Church bells begin to chime, “Holy Water†begins to play and Madonna, who is halfway hog-tied, breaks free form her restraints. An attractive priest appears onstage and sits in a chair as Madonna slides on the floor over to him. I went to Catholic school for my entire education but I can’t help but hope she gives this priest a lap dance. What has come over me? I plan in my head to seek out the closest water fountain after the show is over. Meanwhile, nuns are pole dancing. Madonna crawls back upstage toward a reenactment of the Last Supper. I am freaking out with glee; the show started 20 minutes ago and I’m already all in; zero to sixty. We hear “Vogueâ€, “Devil Prayâ€, and “Messiah†before every Religious Education teacher’s nightmare ends.

 

The stage transforms into a bodyshop, possibly a nod to her Detroit roots, she sings "Body Shopâ€, "True Blueâ€,  and "Deeper and Deeperâ€, before running over to a spiral staircase to perform “HeartBreakCityâ€. Already we have gone from Japan to Jesus to cars and now cowboys as a hoedown, line-dancing version of “Like a Virgin†is happening with a solo Madge onstage. “S.E.X†comes on and Madonna is absent from the stage aside from her face on the jumbo screen. Four beds appear upstage and eight of her backup dancers, coupled up, dance in and on the beds.

 

She’s back, this time wearing a long hooded cape with a train, embellished with a glittering “Mâ€.  She’s singing “Living for Love†when the cape is yanked off of her and sucked into the stage. Madonna is wearing a matador outfit surrounded by her back-up dancers dressed as bulls. Matador bullfighting ensues!

 

Flamenco theme is up next and the audience goes wild for “La Isla Bonitaâ€.

 

Outfit change to a flowy, flower-embroidered dress and hat to sing  a medley of “Dress You Upâ€, “Into the Groove†(with a salsa flavor), and “Lucky Starâ€. After the songs, the dancers sit around ripping (fake?) tequila shots. Madonna begins to chat with us and sings an acoustic version of “Who's that Girlâ€. As she is looking out into the crowd she notices a hole in the audience near the stage, over the microphone she declares, "At my show where there's a hole you have to fill itâ€. We laugh because we are all friends now and have dirty minds. “C'mon Mr. Security Man, I want to be close to peopleâ€. Ecstatic fans rushed forward to fill the hole and be closer to her.

 

She then sings “Ghosttown†and after talks with us some more, “in order to start a revolution†she says, “you need to have a rebel heart.†She asks us, “Bitches are you in my gang?" Yes, yes I am.

 

She then tells us her favorite part of the show is coming up. “Thank you to all my rebel hearts†she says before she sings the tour’s title track, “Rebel Heartâ€. The jumbo screen is showing fan’s artistic renditions of Madonna; her favorite part.

 

My friend, Madonna, then exits for a costume change.The backup dancers bring out poles reminiscent of the ones the nun’s used while pole dancing. The dancers climb the poles until they are standing at the very top of them, their feet resting on a little cross. They buckle themselves in and fall backwards. (WTF!) The pole bends with them and snaps them back up into a vertical position before falling forward due to the swinging momentum. The poles bend while the dancers move back and forth as if they are some sort of bendy, rubber-like metal anchored to the ground. I don’t know how this is happening, I’m not a scientist! The audience is losing their shit. Apparently “Illuminati†is playing but my brain is too busy being equal parts amazed and worried for the dancer’s safety. The dancers pick up speed swinging on the poles bending deeper and deeper and high-fiving audience members.

 

Madge returns, for “Music†and â€Candy Shopâ€. Then the jumbo screen moves into a slanted position as Madonna and the male dancers stand at the very top. She begins to sing “Material Girl†as she pushes the boys down the slanted jumbo screen stage one by one. She then slides down the screen herself and immediately begins to walk down the catwalk-aisle in a veil as if she were in a wedding. She throws her bouquet to a couple in the audience and makes them kiss. “Yaaaaas bitch!†she screams. “It all goes downhill from here!†She warns the couple with a wicked smile.  Chatting with us again, she tells us she's married to us because we are who she writes her songs for and  who she spends all of her time with. She isn’t only bitter about marriage, though. She’s still in love with being in love she tells me…and I suppose everyone else at the United Center.

 

She sings "La Vie en Rose†sweetly, which is followed by “Unapologetic Bitch†(gotta love that timing). Cue the costume change into a black lacy number with a American flag cape. Madonna is surrounded by her whole ensemble for “Holiday†as she brings the house down.

 

The phenomenon and culture of Madonna is unparalleled. Fans come dressed to the nines or in lavish costumes (my personal favorites: a man in a crystal bull mask and another man in a nun’s habit with the word “bitch" plastered on it) neither of which is out of place. A Madonna show is the total package; from her dancing (she began her career as a professional dancer), to the backup “dancersâ€, who are more like backup performers, to her multiple themes, intricate costumes, and her quality time talking with the audience. My first Madonna experience was mind-blowing. She and I are now best friends. Not once did I notice I was alone. Now, where’s that drinking fountain.  

[Madame Madonna 4,109]

 

Concert Review: Madonna at Moda Center, 10/17

Consider this my formal apology for any negative thing I have ever said about Madonna.

http://www.wweek.com/2015/10/18/concert-review-madonna-at-moda-center-1017/

I take it all back. Anything disparaging, unkind or even lightly mocking thing I ever said about Madonna. I renounce every bit of sarcasm in last week'sMadonna paper dolls. I retract even the sighs of annoyance I sighed, before her show started Saturday night at the Moda Center, while a house DJ named Michael Diamond wore a raincoat and spun boring dance music for an hour while the screen over my head played visuals that looked like a '90s screen saver over and over.

 

Consider this my formal apology for all of the above. I know now that Madonna isn't irrelevant, boring or totally over. I humbly acknowledge that she is the Queen of the World.

 

Her show on Saturday started late—or at least it felt late, since we arrived on time and sat through an hour of the aforementioned DJ with but one drink. The DJ ended at 9 and it was almost 50 minutes before Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something" started blaring, the lights went down and the big Rebel Heart curtain that had been covering the stage dropped.

 

Then, the Michael Jackson music became Madonna music and dancers dressed as something like Genghis Khan-era warriors carrying tall medieval crosses appeared in front of a huge screen playing video from the song "Iconic," with Mike Tyson talking, and then Madonna inviting the dancers and the screaming crowd to join her revolution.

 

Then, because this was Madonna and this was the beginning of the best arena show I've ever seen, Madonna was lowered from the ceiling in a cage.

 

"Iconic" turned into "Bitch, I'm Madonna," which included the massive face of Nicki Minaj rapping on the screen, a warning to the legion of Gen-X women in the audience wearing mesh gloves that this show wouldn't be just for them.

 

Those early songs were just appetizers for the first really big number, a "Holy Water"/"Vogue" sexy Catholic bondage party that included stripper nuns, a living re-creation of Da Vinci's "Last Supper," a sexy priest and—I swear to god—the lyrics "Jesus loves my clitoris best." (Online it says the lyrics are "Yeezus loves my pussy best" but I stand by what I heard and I like my version a lot more anyway.)

 

It was spectacular.

 

Which reminds me: we need to talk about Madonna's dancers.

 

They can't really be called back-up dancers because a lot of the show was really about showcasing their extreme talents. Of course, anyone who dances on a Madonna tour is going to be a next-level professional, but these dancers went beyond that usual athletic, unbelievably bendy, music video "dancer-in-the-back" type thing. Each one, even from a distance, exuded a very specific and intriguing personality—and also, actual joy. In fact, in some ways the Rebel Heart show was really less of a concert and more a really good Cirque du Soleil performance, with live music, additional dancing and superior charm by Madonna.

 

There were a few moments in the production where the whole thing went beyond anything I've ever seen onstage. At one point a spiral staircase dropped from the ceiling down onto the tip of the stage which extended out into the audience and ended in a heart which looked like the tip of a penis. (Madonna thought so too. She even said: "It feels so intimate down here at the tip of my penis. Isn't it interesting that a heart and a penis are the same shape? God didn't make a mistake on that one. In my opinion, it's all about the dick.")

After the staircase came down, Madonna and her favorite dancer—I decided he was her favorite and convinced myself they were in love to which my boyfriend said: "She's a professional, Lizzy"—did a "HeartBreakCity"/"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" medley, which ended with both of them at the top of the very tall staircase and then Madonna pushing him off so he free fell through the air and through a hole that suddenly opened in the the stage so the audience never saw his impact.

 

I screamed.

 

Later, during one of the interludes for costume changes and water breaks (I assume), when a Madonna song would play but there would be no actual Madonna on stage, dancers sat atop tall polls and did a kind of crazy, bouncing, terrifying air dance to "Illuminati."

How many ways can I say, "Holy shit, it was so fucking cool"?

 

And then there was Madonna. I wasn't surprised that she put on a great show—any American human would know to expect that. What really shocked me was how personal she was, how real and oddly sweet. At one point, when she did the obligatory "Are you having fun, Portland?" thing, she added: "I am having a good time. I mean, this is nice work if you can get it." And the audience believed her. The show felt like a gift to her fans. Even the small mistakes felt right, like, here, look at this human. You love this human and she is doing this all for you! Whether it was "True Blue" on the ukelele or "Like a Virgin," which she sang all alone, running around the stage, not in a wedding dress but in pants, not trading on past glory but honoring the song and also who she is now. She missed some notes and that made it so much better. She's 57. She's putting on a show that would make an 8 year-old with ADD tired. And she's singing live, alone, on a stage in front of thousands of people. It's impossible to tell you everything. The show was one of the only ones I've ever been to where I didn't once think, "OK, I'm ready for this to be done." From the second her cage was lowered onto the stage, a little before 10 pm, to the end of her encore, "Holiday," which saw her whisked up into the air on a trapeze, at midnight, it was perfect.

 

There was crazy gender stuff, sexy bed dancing, dancing with a flying sheet, dancing on a moving screen. There was indiscriminate, unapologetic cultural appropriation, sacrilegious imagery, a lot of six-pack flashing, a matador dance. There were outrageous costumes, beautiful costumes, costumes covered in diamonds. There was the moment when she sat on what looked like a big red cake and said, "I've been married twice, you know. You've probably heard about it," scratched her knee and then led the audience in a "La Vie En Rose" singalong while she played the ukulele. It's been 30 years since Madonna came to Portland. In 30 more years, she'll be 86. I hope she comes back before then but if not, I think I'm willing to travel somewhere else to see her again. I'd like to make my apologies in person, genuflect, ask for forgiveness. I am sorry I ever doubted Madonna. She is right. She is the queen.

 

 

 

This is the Best review by far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I will keep this one. thank you for sharing this great review!!

[groovyguy 63,869]

Review: Madonna still the best Madonna show in town

http://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/10/23/madonna-concert-review-rebel-heart-phoenix/74461560/

It's been a minute or two since "Like a Virgin," but at 57 Madonna can still be counted on to deliver the goods, getting into the groove while still pushing the cultural buttons that rocked the PTA.

 

Pole-dancing nuns rocking ruffled white panties and black leather bras on a song that asks Madonna's lover "Don't it taste like holy water?" Well, you wouldn't expect her to lie on a Last Supper table straight outta Gomorrah and spread her legs while a dancer who may have been Jesus drops to his knees without a little foreplay, would you?

 

She's been pop music's quintessential Catholic girl gone wild since Lady Gaga was, if anything, a glimmer in her mother's eye. And yes, it's been a minute â€” maybe two â€” since "Like a Prayer" became a pop-cultural lightning rod on the strength of a classic taboo-tweaking video that effortlessly blurred the lines between the sacred and profane. But she still knows where all the buttons are and how to push them. In the unlikely event that the pole-dancing nuns weren't scandalous enough? Their poles were topped by giant holy crosses.

 

She's Madonna. That's just how she rolls.

 

She's 57 now, an age that may mean more in her case than it would in Joni Mitchell's case because so much of the musical answer to "Who's That Girl?" when it comes to Madonna has come to revolve around sex and the selling thereof, with Madonna empowering and objectifying herself in the same provocative breath and/or gyration. And you know what? She still pulls it off. Like one more article of clothing.

 

And the fans who turned out to pay homage to their favorite icon Thursday night in Glendale at Gila River Arena saw a show that more than lived up to her legacy. It offered all the pageantry and spectacle of prime Madonna served with throbbing dance beats, dirty dancing, countless costume changes, simulated sex acts and the same mix of the sacred and profane that got her into hot, if holy, water in her youth. The choreography was great, as were the awe-inspiring feats of acrobatics. And Madonna got into the groove with conviction while leaving the fancier dance moves and/or acrobatics to the small army of dancing boys and girls that rarely left her side. She played guitar and ukulele, too — guitar on several songs, including a rocking rendition of "Burning Up," ukulele on two or three songs, perhaps most memorably a charming cover of the Edith Piaf classic "La Vie en Rose" sung in French.

 

After setting the tone for the show with the self-referential "Iconic" and "Bitch I'm Madonna," both from this year's "Rebel Heart," she dipped into the catalog for "Burning Up." But she returned immediately to her latest effort for a string of new songs that provided a musical backdrop to her onstage exploration of religious themes (as "Holy Water" turned to "Devil Pray" and a video interlude of "Messiah").

 

She dropped a verse or two of "Vogue" into the midst of "Holy Water" but resisted the temptation to add "Like a Prayer," the greatest of her greatest hits, to the religious mix. Before the set was through, she'd made her way through nearly every track on "Rebel Heart," from "Body Shop" (set in a body shop) to "HeartBreak City" (which featured a beautiful snippet of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"), "Living for Love," the title track and "Unapologetic Bitch," for which she plucked a beefy male fan from the crowd to get on stage and leave a lot of people wondering where he may be dancing next.

 

It was a bold move, really, putting that much focus on her latest album. But the crowd was clearly in her corner through it all. And she did get around to a few of the songs that made her so iconic in the first place â€” an acoustic "True Blue," an edgy, re-imagined "Like a Virgin" (which truly felt shiny and new), "La Isla Bonita," an acoustic "Who's That Girl," "Material Girl" and a medley of "Dress You Up," "Into the Groove" and "Lucky Star." And she reached back to her first chart-topping dance hit, "Holiday," for a triumphant one-song encore that ended with the singer being flown offstage like Peter Pan.

 

She did keep the audience waiting far too long for her to take the stage. But from the time the fancy curtain fell at 10:09 p.m. until the final notes of "Holiday" rang out a little after midnight, Madonna delivered. It helps that she has an amazing rapport with her fans, or as she called them more than once, her "bitches." And she’s funnier than one might think (if one were in the business of dismissing her act without actually seeing it), even joking about the response to her joking. "See? You guys aren't laughing at my jokes," she said at one point, "and I'm starting to feel low self-esteem again."

 

And as hard as it is to imagine the same Madonna who opened the show with "Iconic" and "Bitch I'm Madonna" struggling with her self-esteem, by the end of the night, she somehow felt more human. In a good way.

[groovyguy 63,869]

MADONNA AND MOTHERHOOD: HOW THE QUEEN OF POP BRIDGES GENERATIONAL GAPS

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/madonna-and-motherhood-how-the-queen-of-pop-bridges-generational-gaps-7769316

While we are close now, during my ’80s teenage years, my mom and I were not the mother/daughter to share soul-baring truths, whisper secrets, and confide in each other. We did not talk about boys or sex or much that felt real to me. Beyond her disapproval of my bulging Andy Gibb and David Lee Roth posters, we didn’t talk about music either. Looking back, I see that her disapproval, which she refused to specify or verbalize, was about sex and boys and music, and she was working hard not to make me take those posters down.

 

My 20-year-old daughter and I have – and have always had – a much different relationship. We’re not exactly best girlfriends, but we do talk about boys and whisper secrets and bare our souls, pieces of them anyway. We bond over music. We go to shows. We make mixes for the specific purpose of rocking out in the car (my mother thinks the car radio is a distraction to the driver). We scream/sing along with Eddie Vedder, Carrie Underwood, the odd Disney tune (“A Whole New World†from Aladdinis a fave), Brother Ali, Ben Kweller, OKGO, Lady Gaga, Fleetwood Mac, Macy Gray, Cage the Elephant, Avett Brothers, High School Musical soundtracks, and, of course, Taylor Swift, who is my daughter’s soul mate and (healthy, I think) obsession. “Dear John†is my favorite T-Swift song. My daughter likes to play “The Best Day,†especially after we’ve had a not-so-best day. This is how she says “sorry†or “I forgive you.â€

 

In 1983 I was in eighth grade, just growing out of my year-long Thriller fog, the first vinyl I ever bought with my own money. I loved Michael Jackson so, so much, and then I became a girl, preferring the Go-Go’s, Bananarama, and Cyndi Lauper. Then I heard Madonna.

 

It was okay that I didn’t have a mom who could talk to me about sex and boys and music because now I had Madonna. From the first tinny notes of “Borderline†to her black rubber bracelets to her confident, boyish bouncy skip/walk to the space between her teeth, I knew Madonna was here – put on this earth – to usher me into a new way of thinking about — and being — a girl.

EXPAND

Jim Louvau

Until the recent release of Rebel Heart, the only Madonna track that has graced one of our car-rock mixes was “Four Minutes†with Justin Timberlake. And since my daughter and I love Justin Timberlake and want to marry him, I knew she would approve of its presence on our mix. But my daughter and I are listening to this song through very different eras, lenses, and hearts.

 

A vivid childhood memory is Madonna on American Bandstand telling Dick Clark she wants to rule the world, but I was 32 the first time I saw Madonna live on stage – the Drowned World Tour at the Staples Center in LA. Madonna greeted us with a hearty, profane salute, which made perfect sense. This was just days after 9/11 (she had cancelled her LA show scheduled on 9/11), and she was tough and wise and told us we could be okay again. She played the acoustic guitar and I believed her.

 

Years later I saw her here in Phoenix during her 2013 MDNA Tour. We were both middle-aged women by then, she appeared two hours late, and I couldn’t believe what her body was still capable of, as if no time had passed (over 20 years!) since her self-produced “documentary,†Truth or Dare (1991). In that awful/wonderful film, she says, “I know I’m not the best singer, and I know I’m not the best dancer, but I’m not interested in that. I’m interested in pushing people’s buttons, in being provocative and in being political.†Madonna. Stop. You are the best dancer.  

 

You know who else knows she’s not the best dancer? Taylor Swift – and who cannot love the “Shake It Off†video? T-Swift and Madonna (who performed together in March at the IHeartRadio Music Awards, Swift strumming to Madonna’s “Ghosttown,†the two walking off the stage with their arms around each other) tell us that the secret to happiness is shedding our investment in others’ perceptions of us. Put a tutu on and make fun of yourself. 

 

My daughter drove us (too fast and following too close) to Madonna’s concert last night at Gila River Arena. We were last here together eight years ago for the Best of Both Worlds tour, where my daughter met Miley Cyrus backstage. Cyrus was surly, and then during the show, I was bored. My daughter was 12 and had really outgrown Hannah Montana, firmly switching allegiance to the Swift camp. Like I said, she’s obsessed with Taylor Swift, and I don’t always get it.

 

“There’s a T-Swift song for everything,†she tells me. Swift’s music speaks to her personally and on every level. Sounds familiar. Why not Madonna, I ask. Why didn’t we listen to Madonna together?

 

“Hmm. I’m not really into old music. Y’know, ‘80s music.â€

EXPAND

Jim Louvau

As my daughter and I waited for the show to start, after Michael Diamond, the DJ opener (whatever), we people-watched a crowd of mostly middle-aged woo girls and tribes of gay men punctuated here and there with daughters like mine, dragged along for the ritual. The lights dimmed to the most perfect segue ever, Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,†and Madonna eventually descended in a cage to a stage filled with Game of Thrones-y soldier-dancers menacingly stomping out the opener, “Iconic.†Cue hysteria (a dude in a tiara was crying, pouring tears).

 

Madonna’s first words to us last night were not a profane greeting, but, “A girl has to work for a living!â€

 

In an almost three-hour show, boy did she work. She didn’t deviate from the Rebel Heart Tour set list; nine of the 21 songs she performed are from the new album. There were more songs, though. Dancers – performed isn’t even the word – shocked, amazed, delighted, frightened, titillated during video installations of “Messiah,†“S.E.X.,†and “Illuminati.â€

 

Three hours felt like 30 minutes. There was so much to watch and so many places to be that my daughter and I were constantly nudging each other and pointing the other elsewhere. Look! Madonna is standing (in heels) atop a dancer whose body is stretched completely horizontally from a pole (and an unbelievable core) – and they’re spinning! Look! Nicki Minaj’s bubblegum-pink lips on the video screen! Look! Madonna just pushed a dancer to his “death†from the top of a spiral staircase! Look! Those three dancers on the brilliant bungee-cord-stilt mash-up contraptions are going to let go of each other and catapult themselves into oblivion! Look! Madonna has a ukulele – again!

 

Even though I knew to watch for it, I missed a dancer dangling from a crucifix during the pole-dancing nuns in the “Devil Pray†number. Inexplicably, I was watching the clerical-collar-clad musicians. My daughter saw her do it, thanks be. Later, as we recounted the amazing “Holy Water†last supper reenactment, we wondered aloud if this show is perfect or traumatic for recovering Catholics. Probably both. “I mean, can she even do that?†my daughter asked. As M would say, “Hell. Yeah.â€

 

The most nostalgic number was the “Holiday†encore where Madonna emerged in a red-white-and-blue sparkly get-up, draped in an American flag. Nothing’s not ironic in this show, but Madonna performed this one mostly straight outta 1983 – still skipping in her sky-high heels after 20 songs.

EXPAND

Jim Louvau

She smiled a lot. She laughed. She clearly said “Ouuuuch!†(off mic) when a dancer pinched her or pulled her hair or something during “Body Shop.†She talked about how desperately she had to pee. She sat down often or disappeared from stage completely (it didn’t matter – we were mesmerized) and sweated like crazy but was never (perceptibly) out of breath or not up to a physical task, say a series of deep squats or climbing up a steep, precarious stack of tables in three purposeful, giant steps. “How hard does a girl have to work around here?†the masochist/narcissist asked us. We roared.

 

Madonna’s sermon-y pep talk explored how hard it is to find a tribe that understands you. Yep, we nodded, we know. She talked about how important is to stick with that tribe once you find it. She laughed at her own failures at love and lectured us about loyalty. Her dancers hooked her into a bungee harness and she flew up and over the stage, like Peter Pan, away from us.

 

“One thing Madonna has over Taylor Swift,†my daughter admitted on our way home, “is that she says what she wants to, whatever occurs to her. Taylor Swift seems so scripted. I bet she says the same exact thing wherever she goes. She never goes off script. She doesn’t miss a chord. She’s untouchable.

 

“Madonna is a real person,†my daughter decided.

 

In “Iconic†we hear Mike Tyson say, “I’m the best the world has ever seen! I’m the best ever! I’m somebody you’ll never forget because I work hard and sweat in my tears.â€

 

Taylor Swift and Madonna are both working hard. A girl has to work for a living, right? It’s all I need my daughter to see. It’s all I needed to hear.

EXPAND

Jim Louvau

Setlist:

“Iconicâ€
“Bitch I’m Madonnaâ€
“Burning Upâ€
“Holy Waterâ€
“Devil Prayâ€
“Body Shopâ€
“True Blueâ€
“Deeper and Deeperâ€
“HeartBreakCityâ€
“Like A Virginâ€
“Living for Loveâ€
“La Isla Bonitaâ€
“Dress You Upâ€
“Who’s That Girlâ€
“Rebel Heartâ€
“Musicâ€
“Candy Shopâ€
“Material Girlâ€
“La vie en roseâ€
“Unapologetic Bitchâ€
“Holiday†(encore)

 

Critic's Notebook:

 

Last Night: Madonna at Gila River Arena in Glendale

Songs I wish she’d played: â€œJoan of Arc,†“Veni Vidi Vici,†“Papa Don’t Preach.â€

 

Overheard: At the merch table: “Her face is too provocative on that one.â€

 

Two middle-aged women to the two middle-aged women behind them: “We promise to kinda behave just a little.â€

A trio of middle-agers trying to take a selfie: “Oh, that’s a video.â€

One teenager to another: “I don’t trust anyone around here. Everyone’s old.â€

 

Best t-shirt: â€œItalians Kiss It Betterâ€

[Madame Madonna 4,109]

Thank you so much GroovyGuy!

 

   

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna Lives Up to Her Legend

MGM Grand Garden Arena, October 24

- See more at: http://vegasseven.com/2015/10/26/madonna-lives-legend/#sthash.8zJuotay.PrEtCNRR.dpuf

 

Madonna is the bar by which I judge all other pop star concert performances. Lady Gaga, for example: “This looks like something Madonna once did better.†Or Prince: “Thrilling, like seeing Madonna in concert.â€

 

Mind you, this standard of mine is not based on a long history of attending Madonna concerts. Rather, it’s founded in the 1991 tour documentary Truth or Dare, which chronicles the then-32-year old singer on her controversial cone bra, masturbation-infused Blond Ambition tour. Watching that movie hundreds of times was as close as I had ever come to seeing Madonna in concert until her Rebel Heart tour came to Las Vegas. Madge and I finally had our day.

 

The now 57-year-old Madonna didn’t disappoint the now 37-year-old me. Surprisingly, she performed many of her early hits, such as 1983’s “Burning Up†and 1987’s “True Blue,†rearranged to match the tone of the tracks from her Rebel Heart LP, such as “Bitch, I’m Madonna†and “Living for Love.†The big numbers were all there, including “Material Girl,†“Holiday†(played as an encore), “La Isla Bonita†and “Lucky Star†(during which she and her dancers took several shots of Jose Cuervo Tradicional, a tour sponsor).

 

Characteristic of many past endeavors, the show was rich in religious symbolism. During “Holy Waterâ€â€”which was intercut with a few bars of Vogue—Madonna and her brigade of incredible dancers used a cross as a stripper pole, dressed in nuns’ habits. It probably goes without saying that Madge works the pole better than most 57-year-olds.

 

No one does 1980s Madonna better than 2010s Madonna, and she proved it during “Like a Virgin†when she performed a dance solo that left the audience swooning. It was those moves that inspired an entire generation of girls—like myself—to cut the fingers off their lace gloves and wear bustiers as outerwear. (Male and female audience members alike came to the show dressed in Madonna-wear. The people watching was almost as good as the concert.)

 

Rebel Heart is the crossroads at which the “I want to rule the world†Madonna and the “Bitch, I rule the world†Madonna meet. And like the other of adoring fans who packed the arena I was happy to realize my dream of seeing it live. ★★★★★