I am a big Madonna fan. Any friend or classmate of mine from grade school can attest to that. I've also seen 3 Madonna concert tours in the last 8 years. Of course, the most awesome show was the first--Reinvention, as it evoked thoughts of, "I cannot believe I am actually here and watching her on stage!" The "Sticky & Sweet" tour was just as great.
The MDNA show I saw last night at the Air Canada Centre did not fail to impress. It was consistent with her trademarks: a spectacular stage, fantastic choreography and humorous (sometimes satirical) statements on sex and violence.
The show, slated for 8pm, started with some club mix from DJ Paul Oakenfold just before 9pm and ran for about an hour. If you were not in the VIP area inside the wrap-around triangular stage, you would not feel like you were in a club--which we assumed was the point of having a DJ headline a concert. That whole segment, to be frank, was quite boring. Many folks actually made a beeline for the foodstalls outside, just waiting for this drone of an opening act to end before heading back to their seats.
Madonna finally came out at 10:20(ish) with an elaborate confessional scene that included chanting monks, segueing into "Girl Gone Wild." Stalking the stage with a mock semi-automatic rifle and ending with a scene in a motel room bed with snipers rappelling from the ceilings, Madonna moved as though she were practicing for another James Bond movie. Well, we can all die another day as she proceeded to perform her hits. "Vogue" was less elaborate than the rendition she gave at the Super Bowl. "Holiday", "Papa Don't Preach" and "Like a Prayer", meanwhile, were among the other staples she performed.
I told Hubby that one good thing about watching Madonna's concerts is that you will not see an MTV-version of the songs. I loved how some hits were transformed, in a number of cases, quite drastically. Not everyone's cup of tea, though. Hubby found "Like a Virgin" painful to listen to, as Madonna throatily sang it with such a slowness that Hubby did not even recognize the song initially. She mashed up "Express yourself" ever so cheekily with some lines from Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" which had the crowds roaring. I especially liked the rendition of "Open Your Heart" which had the Kalakan Basque trio drumming and blending with her.
There were also some Jabbawockeez-inspired acts and some fantastic moves from slack liners. The LED-lit stage had constantly rearranging modulars to convert into steps and towers. These even simulated a marching band in "Give Me All Your Lovin" to fully complement the levitating drummers and the ones on stage.
The concert was better than watching the Immortal by Cirque du Soleil. It offered many of the same elements a Cirque show would have: amazing contortionists and dancers (and no "Bubbles"), athletic stunts and, of course, live music. Madge also played rhythm guitar in three songs--something she seems to be doing more of recently.
And while the concert might have been a tad disappointing for some fans given that she sang so few of her greatest hits, Madonna's shows will always be one of the best entertainment events around.
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