The Rebel Heart Tour Press Reports & Reviews [Asia & Oceania]

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna sings for Molly

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/madonnas-melbourne-concert-what-the-f-is-wrong-with-me/news-story/c9b3c3d3563695843b63e004cd4950e8

MELBOURNE waited 23 years and 45 minutes for Madonna to return to the big stage.

 

She was surprisingly punctual for her sold-out Rod Laver Arena show last night, after being four hours late for her one-off Forum show on Thursday.

 

That night was a rehearsal of a looser style of show, including her stand-up comedy. Last night we saw classic Madonna in full pop extravaganza mode.

 

And remember — that’s a genre she helped to create. Most pop concerts now follow her blueprint.

Madonna told the audience: “Thank you for your patience, you’ve waited over 20 years. What the f*** is wrong with me?â€

 

She also apologised for the rough Tears of A Clown show, saying “I only had two days to rehearse — I’m gonna do it better next time, I promise.â€

 

Madonna got back into clown mode briefly, riding a tiny bike, honking a horn and pulling out a hip flask.

 

The singer offered Molly Meldrum, who was in the front row, a swig, thanking him for “being the first man in Australia to fall in love with me.â€

 

She dedicated Take a Bow to Meldrum saying “you’re the best†before the crowd started chanting “Molly! Molly!â€

 

A big fan of the F word, Madonna tried and failed to pronounce Melbourne correctly and asked if she could stick to “Mel-bornâ€.

 

The singer also joked about a possible return of her stand up set “next month — next month in 2019â€.

 

At 57, Madonna is forging new territory in pop music — still touring regularly and still at the top of her game.

 

There’s no denying these are expensive tickets (over $500 for the best seats, before you get into VIP pricing), but productions at this level don’t travel the world cheaply.

 

Madonna has never been a greatest hits artist. There are actually more hits than usual in her Rebel Heart set (some annoyingly chopped up into medleys), but if you want wall-to-wall `80s or `90s hits, you have the wrong artist

 

There are still plenty of classic Madonna hits — Burning Up is back as you remember it from 1983, just with Madonna on wailing electric guitar — and Like a Virgin, La Isla Bonita, Material Girl, Holiday and Deeper and Deeper are all major moments.

 

And as far as classic Madonna themes, how about nuns in lingerie pole dancing on crucifixes for Holy Water and Madonna doing some pole-vogueing for a quick snatch of Vogue?

 

There’s also a re-enactment of the Last Supper where Madonna sings Devil Praywith her arms bound.

 

Devil Pray along with fellow new tunes Rebel Heart and Living For Lovedemonstrate that Madonna still knows how to make powerful pop music, even if radio stations have put her out to pasture.

 

Her cover of Love Don’t Live Here Anymore was a vocal highlight while the Tears of a Clown show seemed to have inspired Madonna to go off script, including chatty interludes and a few bawdy jokes. Sadly that meant she dropped Dress You Up and Who’s That Girl, throwing in Take a Bow and a bit of Send in the Clowns.

 

She dedicated her cover of La Vie En Rose, which she played on ukulele to aspiring singer and audience member Jake Dennis not her son Rocco, as she did in New Zealand last week.

 

International Australian drag star Courtney Act was Madonna’s Unapologetic B**ch for Melbourne, with the singer seemingly not realising who Act was.

 

Sure, you could pick a dozen Madonna classic hits you’d rather hear than Body Shopor Unapologetic B**ch, but Madonna has always done everything the way she wants.

 

It’s that single-minded determination that may alienate some people and keeps her diehard fans on board. It’s also the reason she’s the most successful and enduring pop star of her generation.

 

The show ended with Madonna draped in the Australian flag singing Holiday.

 

Madonna plays Rod Laver Arena again tonight before shows in Brisbane and Sydney.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna launches Australian tour

http://www.skynews.com.au/culture/showbiz/music/2016/03/13/madonna-launches-australian-tour.html

After a 23-year wait, Madonna has wowed her fans Down Under in an energy packed extravaganza and paid tribute to the first Australian man who fell in love with her - Molly Meldrum.

 

The US superstar descended onto the Rod Laver Arena stage in Melbourne in a cage for her first Australian show for her Rebel Heart tour, joining a tightly choreographed team of dancers, which included nuns in habits and hot pants pole dancing on crucifixes.

 

She was about 45 minutes late, a far cry from the four hours fans were forced to wait for her intimate one-off Melbourne show at the Forum on Thursday, Tears of a Clown.

 

'I've waited over 20 years? What the fk is wrong with me?' she asked cheering fans.

 

The spectacular, jam packed with dancing, aerial stunts and cheekiness, even featured the pop queen share a special moment with music guru Meldrum, who was in the first row.

 

Madonna dedicated Take a Bow to him, 'the first man in Australia to have fallen in love with me.'

 

'You're the first Australian man to appreciate me and I appreciate you.

 

You're the best,' she said.

 

Meldrum blew her a kiss as she launched into the song, with the crowd responding by chanting 'Molly'.

 

'I fken love you,' he said, to which she replied: 'I love you too.'

 

While the two-hour plus show was in support of her 13th studio album, Rebel Heart, the pop queen delighted most with old favourites including a rocked up Burning Up, Like a Virgin, and Material Girl.

 

Another highlight was her acoustic ukulele version of Edith Piaf's French classic La Vie en Rose, as the stadium lit up with mobile phone lights.

 

Madonna chatted a lot to the audience, shared the stage with Australian Idol drag queen Courtney Act for a bit, and threw in a couple of throwbacks to her clown show, including riding around the stage in a tiny bicycle and making some daggy jokes.

 

'Everyone said how touched they were. I just let it all hang out, I was vulnerable,' she said of the Tears of A Clown show.

 

'Not like my big shows where everything's perfect and choreographed and no mistakes.'

 

She apologised for only having two hours to rehearse for Tears of a Clown.

 

During that show she became emotional about her son Rocco, who's in a custody battle between her and ex husband Guy Ritchie.

 

But there was no mention of it at Saturday's show, it was all about the music for the artist known over the years for her discipline and perfection.

 

The final highlight was old favourite, Holiday, which featured Madonna wrapped in the Australian flag.

 

It may be over two decades since Madonna's reached these shores but the 57-year old's creative spirit and her superwoman energy didn't

 

Madonna plays Melbourne again Sunday, followed by Brisbane on Wednesday and Thursday and Sydney next weekend.

 

AAP

[groovyguy 63,869]

Awesome review!!

 

Madonna Gives Melbourne A Dose Of Precision Pop Perfection

http://www.noise11.com/news/madonna-gives-melbourne-a-dose-of-precision-pop-perfection-20160313

When you are the person setting the benchmark then everyone has to rise to your standards. At 57 years old, Madonna is the greatest pop star on the planet. The ‘Rebel Heart’ show in Melbourne was precision pop perfection.

 

I’m amazed that reviews out of New Zealand last week painted this show as confused. I think the New Zealand reviewers may have been sucking down a few too many Steinlagers before seeing the show.

 

I admit I had reservations about this tour based on A: Seeing the new music heavy setlist (and Rebel Heart is at best an average album) and B: Reading the early reviews. You can cast your fears aside. This show is one of the greatest pop music events of all-time. Madonna is truly the Queen of Pop.

 

Every song comes alive in this show, including the messy ‘Rebel Heart’ album songs. Live Madonna rules the stage. On record she has failed to challenge herself since the 2000 album ‘Music’, instead relying on the latest ‘go-to’ producer of the day to deliver her newest sounds. Live, that all goes away.

 

Madonna was 20 years overdue revisiting Australia. This in only her second ever tour and she knows it. “You’ve waited for over 20 years. What the fuck is wrong with meâ€, she told the crowd.

 

Using the F word frequently became all part of the performance. The show had enough “fuck yeahsâ€, “fuck fuck yeahs†and “fuck fuck fuck yeahs†to fill a footy show. Madonna was in party mode and that put the audience at ease. She even tried out a few jokes like “What’s a deer with no eyes?â€â€¦â€œNo eye deer†and “How do you get a pop star pregnant?†… “You fuck herâ€. Well, I laughed.

The most intimate moment of the show was her call-out to Molly Meldrum who was sitting in the audience. Madonna dedicated ‘Take A Bow’ to Molly. The song live is a rarity for Madonna. She has only ever performed it 13 times in total including tonight. “I fucking love you,†Molly yelled into the microphone, continuing the spray of F bombs for the evening.

 

The show visually itself is theatrical excellence. The sets, the effects, the dancing, the acrobatics are as good as the best Broadway musical. Madonna is not great by accident. This is a highly rehearsed, well structured, brilliantly thought through show that only months of planning and practice can produce.

 

Throughout the comedy and novelty there were also thought-provoking moments. Madonna takes the lunacy of the Catholic Church to task brilliantly in with her pole dancing nuns and overly fertile reverends. Its hideous practices deserve to be questioned. The music world once used to be the pulse of provoking thought. Madonna delivers her sermon about society in a way that might make you chuckle, it may make you cringe, but it certainly makes you question what we are told is the truth.

 

The second half of the show got a lot looser with Madonna questioning some guy in the audience called Jake about marriage possibilities. Turns out he was a singer by trade and you can’t have two of those in the family. And how the hell did reality contestant Courtney Act get on stage? Was that staged? He was the ‘unapologetic bitch’ for ‘Unapologetic Bitch’. Madonna didn’t seem to have any idea who he was so maybe, just maybe, it was for real.

 

The ‘Rebel Heart’ tour is far greater than ticket sales would indicate. Australians were nervous about buying a ticket considering the huge time gap since Madonna’s last tour, the ticket price and the ‘on paper’ impression this setlist gives. Let me cast your fears aside. This is one of the best pop shows you will ever see. Madonna is as great now as she has ever been. Sure you won’t get the greatest hits but Madonna has never done a greatest hits show. Madonna live is about capturing where this artist is musically today and Madonna is still at the top of her game.

 

The ‘Rebel Heart’ album may have been a dog’s breakfast of an album but the ‘Rebel Heart’ tour is Madonna at her relevant best.

[Breathless 5,286]

I remember that guy with purple hair! He hung around the merchandise van!

[Breathless 5,286]

Yeah, some reviews here were not great. Apparently people in the upper bowl were booing a bit because she was late. But there are always idiots at concerts. Luckily we ended up with good people, well, except for those two bored looking ones loool. But I don't get where they get the bad reviews from because it had a great feel, the whole arena lit up and people cheered like crazy when she came on. I don't trust reviews so much.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Sydney Morning Herald review

 

Madonna review: Rebel Heart tour proves Material Girl does it better than anyone

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/madonna-review-rebel-heart-tour-proves-material-girl-does-it-better-than-anyone-20160313-gnhklc.html

 

MADONNA: REBEL HEART ★★★★1/2

 

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, March 12

 

 

You don't have to be a lapsed Catholic to appreciate the glorious spectacle of Madonna's Rebel Heart world tour. But it does help.

 

 

 

 

When Madonna was little, she watched her mother pray while kneeling on uncooked rice. She saw her sleep on wire coat hangers. When her aunts visited, wearing jeans with zippers on the front, her mother draped sheets over the holy statues.

 

On Saturday night at Rod Laver Arena, we saw the world's most famous pop star ride and spank a half-naked nun while singing Holy Water, her hymn to oral sex. In Devil Pray, she genuflects before a priest, then grinds against him before striding off and pleading, "Mother Mary, can't you help me?"

 

Most arrestingly, she re-imagines the Last Supper as a bacchanal, the feast culminating in an orgy. In the very spot where da Vinci has Jesus addressing his stricken disciples, we find Madonna, back arched and legs apart. You've never seen Vogue (normally a slick dance number) performed with such darkness.

 

Catholic iconography is woven throughout the show, part of her first Australia tour in 23 years. Even when religion is not explicit, you just feel it. From start to finish, it's is a deeply Catholic affair. There's repression transmuted into kink, for instance. (Such as Madonna hinting at an erotic relationship with Jesus.) The melding of sex, power and rituals. (She walks down the stage, with minions carrying her bridal train as she moans orgasmically, then stops to ask: "Is this a church?")

 

Most tellingly, there's the rigorous discipline and occasional self-flagellation. At one point, she chides herself for some mistake, even though it's imperceptible to us.

 

In 1990, Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour set the template for a new generation of pop stars: blending music, elaborate dance, costume, giant sets and video into a sensory bombardment. And boy, did they use that template.

 

On Saturday, it felt like the queen had re-asserted herself. Her dancers were better, her sets more impressive, her re-interpretation of classics more creative. Everything was polished to within an inch of its life – which is what made it so magnificent. To wonder why she still mixes religion and sex is to miss the point. This is not some phase; this is in her DNA. And she does it better than anyone, as she proved yet again.

 

Rebel Heart, her best album in years, provided eight songs: Iconic, Bitch I'm Madonna, Holy Water, HeartBreakCity, Devil Pray, Body Shop, Rebel Heart and Unapologetic Bitch.    

 

She sang HeartBreakCity, her bitter anthem, atop a spiral staircase as she pushed away a paramour. Then she ripped off her jacket to reveal a sparkly '80s number. "I made it through the wilderness," she began. Everyone lost it, then joined in with Like a Virgin. This is where Madonna started having fun; smiling, sometimes laughing, clearly enjoying re-working her older material. Gratifyingly, her oft-neglected hits got a look-in.

 

Deeper and Deeper, from her most under-rated album Erotica, was closest to its original form: a thumping disco-tinged anthem. Her ukulele-led singalong of True Blue was perhaps the most joyous moment of the evening. (Why does she keep leaving it off her greatest hits collections?) Another highlight: her guitar-shredding rendition of Burning Up. La Isla Bonita is perhaps the best known of the lot, though it was transformed into a stomping, dramatic opener to the evening's Spanish portion. Noticeably absent was her greatest song Like a Prayer, which she treated her Los Angeles audience to recently. It's a shame we didn't get it, given she was last here five prime ministers ago.

 

Holiday – which she performed draped in the Australian flag – was a wise closing number. But the most Aussie moment of the evening came when she spotted Molly Meldrum in the crowd, thanking him for his decades of support. "Molly! Molly! Molly!" everyone chanted.

 

At this point, Meldrum grabbed her microphone and screamed, "I love you!" The place erupted. The consensus seemed to be: come back, soon.

 

 

The Rebel Heart tour continues at Rod Laver Arena on March 13,  Brisbane Entertainment Centre, March 16 and 17 and Sydney's Allphones Arena on March 19 and March 20.

[groovyguy 63,869]

GALLERY: Madonna's First Australian Show!

https://www.livenation.com.au/blog/gallery-madonnas-first-australian-show

Madonna played her first Australian show in 23 years to a packed out Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne last night, reminding everyone why she's the Queen Of Pop. 

 

With a stage set-up that takes more than a 100 crew members 12 hours to build in each city, the production was flawless!

 

With back-up dancers flinging themselves around strapped to poles to Madonna swinging from a staircase, it's a sensory overload as she performs new tracks and classics including 'Like A Virgin', 'Music' and 'Material Girl' before bringing the house down with a rendition of 'Holiday' whilst draped in an Australian flag. 

 

Molly Meldrum managed to briefly steal the spotlight, with the superstar dedicating 'Take A Bow' to the music guru after spotting him dancing in the front row.  

 

Madonna plays Melbourne tonight before moving on to Brisbane and Sydney. Limited tickets available. 

 

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna shrewdly turns personal turmoil into a compelling show

http://nypost.com/2016/03/14/madonna-shrewdly-turns-personal-turmoil-into-a-compelling-show/

Madonna’s 2015 album “Rebel Heart†came and went, but the decades- long fascination with her personal life is stronger that ever. And on her current tour of Australia, she’s serving it up with near-painful honesty.

 

The New Yorker’s custody battle with ex-husband Guy Ritchie over their son Rocco has played out in public, and Madge is continuing the drama onstage.

 

During dates down under last week, she performed an intimate and conceptual “Tears of a Clown†concert, which featured her attempting to ride a tricycle, doing a cover of Elliot Smith’s “Between the Bars†(which she previously performed with Rocco), and stopping to address her family issues directly.

 

“It’s not a fun story to tell or think about,†she told 1,500 fans inside Melbourne’s Forum Theatre. “I probably could have enjoyed myself a little bit more on this tour if he hadn’t disappeared so suddenly, and also if I knew when I would see him again.â€

 

It’s clear the 57-year-old is hurting. But she also knows she has a job to do. Art is at its most compelling and most provocative when it comes from a real place, and so instead of turning up and doing the same tightly rehearsed show and mechanically dishing out the hits as though everything were dandy, Madonna is giving her art a compellingly erratic edge that mirrors her own personal life.

 

But Madge is also smart enough to know that the world’s media is watching her and looking for cracks in her psyche. So why not give them a few?

 

In the last week, she requested that someone “f - - k†her â€” although she quickly followed that up by saying she was just kidding — and has been doing shots of tequila (not really a way for her to drown her sorrows — the tour’s sponsored by Jose Cuervo). But it’s more than enough to send rumors and headlines about “boozy meltdowns†and “sloppy†performances around the world, and keep the “Rebel Heart†tour in the conversation.

 

But if decades of Madonna-watching has taught us anything, it’s that she likes to give fans and others the emotional insight they seek — but on her own terms. Even when she’s seemingly coming off the rails, she’s firmly in control. Manipulation is just part of Madonna’s savvy.

 

So gaze into her mind if you want, but just know that she’ll be gazing back into yours.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna review – pop queen pole dances, high kicks and bigs up Mike Tyson

4/5 stars

Rod Laver arena, Melbourne
From simulated sex acts to pole dancing on the belly of a woman dressed as a nun, Madonna proves she can still do whatever she wants

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/mar/14/madonna-review-pop-queen-pole-dances-high-kicks-and-bigs-up-mike-tyson

 

The show begins before the show. A masked, female DJ dressed like a war-crier from Mad Max lurches over her decks and demands of the packed house at Rod Laver Arena: “Are you ready for the queen? Are you ready for your queen?â€

 

In the fan seats of the pit, they clutch the backs of the chairs in front of them and they bray with joy. It’s a sound echoed amongst the thousands in the cheaper seats, affirming they are ready, and she is their queen.

 

The queen herself takes another half hour to materialise, but when she does her entrance is beyond mere expectations of the regal. The music blares, the lights blast, the queen descends from the ceiling in flowing red and black robes, and with her retinue styled as a legion of armed samurai reenacting in mime the battles of the Crusades at a nightclub goth night, the queen hits the stage as, within an explosion of video, the words “I’m the best there ever was!†is shouted by a convicted rapist.

 

Mike Tyson? Seriously? But the crowd is on their feet, dancing, cheering. OnlyMadonna can get away with this.

 

If the video placement of a screaming Tyson amongst the bright colours of an opening song and dance number is startling, consider the lyrics of the song itself, Iconic: “If you don’t make the choice / And you don’t use your voice / Someone else will speak for you instead.â€

 

Herein lies both the central theme of this Rebel Heart tour show, as well as perhaps the enduring appeal of Madonna herself: only by doing exactly as she pleases can she define herself on her own terms.

 

It’s more than thirty years since Madonna first appeared as the swaying, self-absorbed singer of songs such as Holiday, amusing herself by dancing around in the kind of see-though, cheap-lace clothes that, at the time, everyone – even your mum – would have called you a slut for leaving the house in. The defining image of her “give a fuckâ€-free attitude was cemented in a scene from her role in 1985’s Desperately Seeking Susan. Madonna, as the happily amoral Susan, cleans herself up in a public toilet, drying her armpits in the airflow of an upturned hand-drier; matrons watch on, horrified, but an uncaring Susan/Madonna immerses herself in a moment of sensual joy.

She’s been doing exactly as she pleases ever since, and “making the choice, using her voice†in a parade of wilful reinventions and reimaginings of her pop persona. The difference between Madonna and pop stars like Britney Spears is her self-reinventions have always been her act, rather than a strategised rebranding intended to sell more records to new markets.

 

And what an act it is. Twenty years since she last toured Australia with her Girlie Show, one could be forgiven for expecting a new performance to be slowed by the weariness of ageing. Madonna’s now 57, but Rebel Heart explores the mechanics of just how much ageing is a performance, too; there’d be teenagers hard-pressed to replicate her onstage gyrations, her sudden press ups, rapid squats, burst of flamenco, trapeze work, pole-dancing, or circling the stage on a tricycle, let alone while also singing, managing costume changes and keeping up her repartee, launching into a dark shred of Burning Up on a flying-V one moment and a tender acoustic rendition of True Blue the next.

 

She’s Madonna, she can do what she wants; if that means dressing herself up as a matador and herding men dressed as minotaurs, pushing a lover from a staircase into a pit, or shoving men from the stage while belting out Material Girl, she will if she can and she does.

 

Sound exhausting? It is, as much for the audience as for the performer, who around the two-thirds mark seems to hit a problem with the sync of the sound, and attempts to distract us with some breathlessly flat jokes about spilled nuts. Ever the pro, Madonna throws to Molly Meldrum, spied in the audience, thanking the local hero who supported her early career, while buying her crew some crucial seconds with the chanting gratitude of the crowd. The pace had slackened; she recovered it.

 Madonna, at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Photograph: Chris Putnam/Barcroft Media

 

 

Later, she suggested she was recovering from a cold, and said she’d missed a song. It may have been a medley including Lucky Star and Get Into The Groove, featured in other Rebel Heart shows but missing here. It hardly matters; with pole-dancing nuns in nappies, stage bungee-diving, a reenactment of Da Vinci’s Last Supper as an orgy, leaping samurai, acrobats, simulated sex acts and Madonna belting out old hits, new hits, and old hits done in the manner of new hits – plus a bit of Sondheim and Motown, as well as a surprisingly moving cover of Edith Piaf – one hardly walks away unentertained.

 

If the definition of an artist is their unique contribution to spectacle, the queen reigns supreme.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna keeps an eye on the time as the cameras — and naughty nuns — roll

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/madonna-keeps-an-eye-on-the-time-as-the-cameras--and-naughty-nuns--roll/news-story/093cfa9a2de299bb8d1c25f556f93f81

AFTER a long week of clock watching, wardrobe malfunctions and assorted drama, Madonna kept the action on the stage for her second last concert on the Rebel Heart world tour.

 

Her first show of a two-night stand at Sydney’s Allphones Arena kicked off only seven minutes after the heralded 10pm start.

 

And, hey, it’s Sydney on a Saturday night outside of the lockout zone, so let’s party.

 

Perhaps filming these two last gigs dictated the punctuality.

 

But the precision and creativity of this musical and visional feast for the senses is all Madonna.

 

Vibrant and imaginative costuming is more dazzling than a Paris Fashion Week catwalk.

 

The choreography is gobsmacking with bodies flying at heights and angles, which appear impossible, not to mention those wicked pole-dancing nuns who are, yes, very naughty.

 

As for that unapologetic potty mouth? It isn’t any more shocking than what you hear walking through a suburban shopping mall.

Madonna didn’t miss to the opportunity to have a swipe at those who have accused her of being drunk during recent shows, either.

After pointing out she doesn’t imbibe when she’s “workingâ€, she joked that accusations she was an alcoholic might drive her to drink.

“I don’t wanna be accused of having a meltdown. God forbid a mother should miss her son, it’s a goddamn sin,†she said.

And her singing, not generally acknowledged as her greatest strength, is actually pretty good.

 

I was lucky enough to only be a few metres away during the ballad section, which included the vocal challenges of Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, and she sounded on song.

 

The fast-paced show didn’t skimp on the production values during those pesky costume changes, with big-budget short films and videos to keep the audience entertained, as well as mesmerising solo spots by her dancers.

 

The setlist had plenty to keep the faithful singing loudly, with the set-list includingTrue Blue, Like A Virgin and La Isla Bonita.

As a performer for more than three decades, Madonna is taking the pop concert into uncharted territory.

 

Like other longstanding members of the superstar club, fans want her to keep going.

 

The only ones who don’t, don’t actually go to Madonna concerts.

 

Maybe they should; the worst thing that could happen is they would have a blast as her 14,000 fans did in Sydney.

 

She performs her final show tonight at Allphones Arena with limited tickets still available.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna Sydney concert review: ‘God forbid a mother should miss her son’

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/madonna-sydney-concert-review-god-forbid-a-mother-should-miss-her-son/news-story/ac767539a686fa92c9625685a83e70df?from=public_rss

MADONNA was on time and on-point for her first Sydney concert in 23 long years — but she still found time in her expertly-choreographed 2.5 hour show to address the controversies that have plagued her Australian tour.

 

If you’d believe the bad press, Madonna’s been a drunken, unstable trainwreck on this tour. In truth, the only issue we can really hold against her is her less-than-stellar timekeeping — which reached its zenith at her first Brisbane show, kicking off hours after the advertised start time.

 

Her first of two AllPhones Arena Sydney shows began a mere 15 minutes past the promised 10pm start — no doubt Madge was hurried along by the fact that the evening was being filmed for the inevitable tour DVD.

 

It was an eclectic setlist, mixing an ample selection of songs from her latest album, the mammoth hotchpotch Rebel Heart, with golden oldies largely taken from her earliest years.

 

Like A Virgin, Burning Up, Like A Prayer, Deeper and Deeper and Music were all present and accounted for. No such luck for Ray Of Light, Frozen Hung Up orExpress Yourself — and world-conquering hits like Into The Groove and Vogue were offered up only in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it-form.

 

But thats’s what you get with Madonna. She’s never one to take the obvious crowd-pleasing route — and yet her spectacular show couldn’t be more of a crowd-pleaser.

 

While the tightly choreographed concert went off without a hitch, all eyes were on Madonna during the more off-the-cuff moments, when she took the opportunity to reference the fuss she’s caused during her last week-and-a-half in Australia.

 

Bending one of her female dancers over her knee, Madonna joked: “How old are you? 15 or 16?â€

 

“14,†came the reply.

 

“Good. I’m doin’ good with minors these days,†said Madonna, before she and the rest of her dancers delivered a few spanks.

 

The quip, of course, was in reference to just the latest controversy to befall Madonna’s tour, after she invited a female audience member up on stage an proceeded to pull down her top. Problematic enough, and made even moreso when it was revealed the girl in question was underage (she’s gone on record describing it as the incident as the “best moment of her life,†so make of that what you will).

 

“Here’s the thing: I don’t even drink. But because I’ve been accused of being an alcoholic so many times, I’m gonna start drinking. So f**k you!†she announced during another unscripted moment.

 

“I just get myself into trouble when I say things! I should just learn to be quiet like my dad taught me.â€

 

Later in the show, she made reference to her ongoing custody battle over 15-year-old son Rocco, who is living in London with his father Guy Ritchie.

 

“I don’t wannna be accused of having a meltdown... God forbid a mother should miss her son,†she said.

 

“I’m glad you all have a sense of humour, because if I didn’t have one I wouldn’t survive.â€

 

 

Pole-dancing nuns! A flapper speakeasy! The Last Supper reimagined as a pansexual orgy! It was all there — and, just when we thought we couldn’t get any more, the very tall and thoroughly up-for-it Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie, who was the night’s Unapologetic Bitch, took to the stage to dirty dance with the Queen of Pop.

 

 

Madonna has one last show left of her Rebel Heart tour. Like tonight’s show, it’s being filmed for a future DVD release, so expect her to bring the goods (and start on time). She’s been vocal these past few days about wanting Kylie Minogue to join her on stage — whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure: She’s going to go out with a bang.

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna tells Sydney show she isn't 'having a meltdown'

http://m.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/madonna-tells-sydney-show-she-isnt-having-a-meltdown-20160320-gnmg1c.html

MADONNA: REBEL HEART â˜…★★★½All Phones Arena, Sydney, March 19

 

Madonna isn't an alcoholic, isn't "having a meltdown" and isn't converting to Islam, yet. 

 

This is just some of what her 14,000 Sydney fans learnt on Saturday night when the diva kicked off the last shows of her Rebel Heart world tour at Allphones Arena. 

 

"I don't drink. So f--- you... you're not going to shut my s--- down. You're just jealous because I'm not an alcoholic," she said during one on her many talk breaks, pointedly addressing reports of her erratic behaviour, which has plagued the shows during recent months. 

 

After throwing a bouquet of flowers into a front row scrum she then made a comment about marriage which raised eyebrows as a group of men fought over the blooms. 

 

"I can't marry four people. I've not converted to Islam yet." 

 

 

She also referenced the ongoing custody battle between her ex-husband Guy Ritchie for her young, estranged son, Rocco. 

"I don't want to be accused of having a meltdown," she said sarcastically. "Heaven forbid a mother should miss her son. It's a crime. It's a goddamn sin. I'm glad you have a sense of humour, because if I didn't have one I couldn't survive." 

Sydney waited 23 years, two hours and seven minutes for Madonna to take the stage.

She arrived shortly after 10pm, two hours after the scheduled start time, not that the fans cared as this show had it all.

 

Her superior vocals, Oprah like sermons and Baz Luhrmann-inspired showmanship demonstrated why Madge is still the queen of pop and pop culture.

 

The latter was highlighted by a cameo from a Game of Thrones star. 

 

Brienne of Tarth, aka Gwendoline Christie, was called up on stage and gifted a rhinestone encrusted banana flask during a set list that comprised fresh tracks from her latest album Rebel Heart and "trips down memory lane".

 

The classics were where her raw talent shone.

 

A heartfelt rendition of her 1984 cover of Love Don't Live Here Anymore was close to pitch perfect while other golden oldies such as Like A Virgin, Material Girl, Dress You Up and La Isla Bonita were remixed allowing her to show off her timeless assets - her well maintained voice and tightly choreographed dance moves.

 

The 57-year-old performed solidly for close to three hours with more energy than the young #fitspo social media stars of today. 

[Breathless 5,286]

She performed close to 3 hours???

[groovyguy 63,869]

Madonna shrugs off controversy in epic final Aussie show

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/31153296/madonnas-epic-final-show-in-australia/

CONCERT

Madonna

Allphones Arena, Sydney

March 20

REVIEW ROSS McRAE

4.5 stars

 

After a 23 year wait, Madonna returned to Australia for the final leg of her Rebel Heart world tour, bringing with her the controversy that has surrounded much of her three decade-plus career.

 

Epic late starts, reports of drunken behaviour onstage, emotional break downs due to a custody battle and being accused of sexually assaulting a minor dominated the headlines during the Material Girl’s almost two week stint Down Under.

 

After taking Melbourne and Brisbane by storm, the 57-year-old pop culture icon hit Sydney for the last two shows of her 82 date tour.

 

The Australian press went into overdrive when Madonna turned up on stage in Brisbane for her first Queensland show of the tour at 11.18pm, almost two hours past her expected start time.

<span class="article-figure-source" "="" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Madonna. Picture: Getty Images

 

For her final show on Sunday night, the second of two nights at Sydney’s Allphones Arena, Madonna once again took no notice of the backlash, finally appearing on stage at a very tardy 11.30pm – the latest of the entire world tour - before proceeding to begin an almost three hour set – the longest of the tour.

 

Expectation and anticipation went into overdrive for the Harbour City fans, who appeared to keep a calm albeit weary vigil as they awaited the pop diva to finally appear on stage.

 

A rousing reception after a video introduction featuring Mike Tyson heralded her long awaited arrival.

 

Madonna’s 12th studio album Rebel Heart dominated the early proceedings before Burning Up, her first ever Australian hit in 1983, upped the ante with Madonna rocking out while playing a Flying V guitar.

 

The show’s spectacular highlight came early on when Madonna performed Holy Water, her Kanye West produced ode to oral sex, mashed up with Vogue while pole dancing alongside scantily clad dancers dressed as nuns, one of which she sensationally body surfed on much to the crowd’s jaw-dropping glee.

 

Somewhat apathetically, Madonna apologised for her late start explaining that she was filming the Sydney show for a future DVD release and that she wanted everything to be perfect.

 

She then pulled out the almost forgotten 1980s hit True Blue, which was remixed into a sweet acoustic love song performed while she strummed on the ukulele.

 

The momentum continued as Madonna worked her way through a string of exceptional pop performances, proving why she is still at the top of her game in a live arena after so long and with so much detrition.

 

Deeper and Deeper, from 1992’s Erotica, was in its high energy original form, HeartBreakCity leading into Love Don’t Live Here Anymore showcased her vocal prowess and an electro dance version of Like a Virgin brought the house down as she danced without abandon, solo on the cross shaped catwalk like it was the 1984 MTV Music Video Awards all over again.

 

It might have been the last show of a gruelling world tour, but there was no signs of exhaustion as Madonna worked her way through the mammoth 160 minute show that peaked at the end of its third act with the 1989 monster hit Like a Prayer that saw the packed arena almost shake to its core.

 

The well-publicised potty mouth was evident throughout, with Detroit-raised entertainer teaching the crowd to use her favoured catchcry (“f... f... f... yeahâ€) whenever she addressed them.

 

But there was no emotional breakdown, no mention of her “missing†15-year-old son Rocco, no drunken slurring and no falling off tricycles.

 

For the final show, she gave a heartfelt thank you to her loyal dancers, crew and band before allowing them to spank her (all 19 of them) while playfully making light of the scandal where she exposed a 17-year-old fan’s breast onstage last week in Brisbane.

 

“I am 18. I am old enough to know better and young enough to want to anyway,†she joked while being bent over as her crew waited their turn to spank her behind.

 

The “sexual assault scandalâ€, as it has been referred to in the press internationally, was again referenced when said teenager Josephine Georgiou and her mum Toni were in the crowd in VIP seats and were singled out by Madonna when she did her nightly bridal bouquet toss into the crowd.

 

A master media manipulator, Madonna used the moment to ask Josephine to marry her before deciding it wouldn’t work because they both can’t cook and the Gold Coast model is a vegan.

 

As the clock hit 2am, an exhausted and satisfied crowd put their hands collectively in the air as Madonna finished her show, and tour, with a faithful, upbeat performance of Holiday before she strapped on a harness and disappeared behind the video screens.

 

She said she would be back, but Australians have heard that many times over the years.

 

It might have been 23 years, but Madonna did not disappoint or make her presence in Australia unnoticed, and for a 57-year-old woman to still create such a buzz – for good or bad – against the social media pop starlets of the modern world that is no easy task.

 

[groovyguy 63,869]

MADONNA’S FIRST AUSTRALIAN TOUR IN 23 YEARS: TRAINWRECK OR TRIUMPH?

BY BEN NEUTZE

http://dailyreview.com.au/madonnas-first-australian-tour-in-23-years-trainwreck-or-triumph/39095

Last night Madonna wrapped up her Rebel Heart tour in Sydney, after 82 shows around the world. Depending on who you believe, the six Australian dates of the tour (her first local performances since 1993’s The Girlie Show world tour) were either a triumph, receiving rave reviews and thrilling tens of thousands of fans, or a disaster, marred by the star’s tardiness and on-stage “meltdownsâ€.

 

It wouldn’t be a Madonna tour without some degree of controversy, and things got off to a headline-grabbing start with her one-off intimate Melbourne concert Tears of a Clown, before the first of the arena shows. That concert was an eccentric cabaret-style affair, with Madonna performing as a sad clown and picking out fan favourites and rare tracks from her back-catalogue.

 

The doors for the venue were due to open at 8.30pm, but as Madonna continued to rehearse the show late into the night, the concert ended up starting after midnight, with fans having to wait for hours outside. But what many media outlets failed to note was that tickets for the concert were made available to members of her fan club as a gift. There were few fans too put out by the long wait for an intimate (and free) night with the Queen of Pop.

 

But by then, several tabloid media outlets had smelled blood in the water, and set their targets firmly on this Australian tour, seeking to paint it as a failure. The Rebel Heart tour, made up largely of tracks from her recent Rebel Heart album with reimagined versions of some of her biggest hits (Holiday, Like A Virgin, Material Girl) thrown in had, up until this point, been hailed as one of her best tours in years: a spectacular return to form which has seen the star embrace her past and break free from some of her tightly-choreographed routines to share more spontaneous moments with the crowds.

 

But the media played on the familiar tropes that an ageing female pop-star is “arrogant“, past her prime, and desperately attention-seeking. It’s usually religious groups who end up rallying against Madonna tours, although they’ve been rather quiet on this particular show, which features pole-dancing nuns and the Last Supper reimagined as a bacchanalian orgy.

 

Then came the Brisbane concerts, the first of which started at 11.20pm, and saw Madonna reference her ongoing custody battle over her son Rocco. She was then accused by several international outlets of being “three hours late†(despite the fact that she was always due to begin at 10pm) and having a drunken meltdown on stage.

 

The mostly positive reviews the show has received around Australia tell a very different story.

 

The Daily Mail even extraordinarily wrote that Madonna performed to a half-empty arena in Brisbane, and used images of the almost empty arena taken hours before the show began to illustrate their point. The show was actually close to sold out.

 

The fact of the matter is, most who have labelled the tour a disaster didn’t attend any of the concerts. The response to her shows has been mostly ecstatic, despite some griping that late finishes have left fans without public transport options, without babysitters, or struggling to get to work the next day.

 

How depressing that a night with one of the most influential and provocative popular artists of the last century can be reduced to somebody’s concern that they’ll be knackered at their nine to five office job the next day.

 

Madonna is famously late, and despite her protestations that it’s to make sure everything is “perfectâ€, you get the impression that it’s a bit of old school showmanship on her part — make the audience beg for her appearance and build up anticipation.

 

Yes, it would have been more convenient if her final Sydney concert last night didn’t start at 11.25pm and finish at 2.10am, but there is something appropriately thrilling about partying with the Queen of Pop into the early hours.

 

*Ben Neutze attended the final Rebel Heart concert on Sunday March 20.