I have been a Madonna fan since I was 12 years old. My love kept growing bigger for the queen of pop with every single, album and music video. One might think that the madness should stop since I’m a grown up now, but my love for Madonna continues to grow effortlessly. I know every song by heart and I’m a proud owner of all her albums and concerts since she started her career.
Although I was one of the first people to enter the venue, it was already super crowded and the spot I had in my mind was already taken! I pretended to be an idiot looking for her husband in order to get closer to the stage, but all my petty attempts failed miserably.
I stood there … waiting! Benny Benassi took the stage getting the people pumped, as the crowd danced and cheered in excitement, waiting for the Queen of Pop to make her appearance. The massive video screens that functioned as a backdrop suddenly transformed into a cathedral. Monks came in from both sides of the stage and were chanting as smoke came out of a giant swinging lantern. They called out in their chants for Madonna as if they were summoning her spirit onto the stage. As a confessional came out from within the cathedral showing the silhouette of the Virgin Mary, the screens shattered, revealing Madonna wearing some kind of veil as she emerged with a rifle in her hand. Both crosses and demons surrounded her as she started singing ‘Girl Gone Wild’.
The first half of the show was a wicked tribute to ex husband ‘Guy Ritchie’. She compared her love for him to a ‘Revolver’, with Lil Wayne on the screen, and then went on a shooting spree in ‘Gang Bang’. Blood was splashing all over the screen as she mercilessly killed almost all her dancers. The crowd was completely still as they stood there awestricken with a performance they never could have imagined. Then, the screen started displaying sexy pop art as she sang a mash up of ‘Express Yourself’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Born this way’. It ended with a repeated refrain of ‘She’s not me’.
Another significant performance that had all our jaws dropped was ‘Give me all your love’ as an entire troop of marching band drummers floated above the stage while Madonna was dressed as a marching band conductor. Madonna has performed ‘Vogue’ live in many a concert, but this time it was not just a performance, but rather a fashion show inspired by the Great Gatsby era. The costumes were extravagant to say the least. As for ‘Human Nature’, the whole stage turned into dancing mirrors that slid across the platform, complementing her every move and Madonna was not sorry for what she did later on … The stage shifted from biblical to war zone to fashion runway, to erotica, as a vast chandelier makes its way to the center of the stage and as usual, she takes our breaths away with a burlesque bordello, mashing up ‘Candy Shop’ and ‘Erotica’, where she performed a sensual dance with her boyfriend Brahim Zaibat.
One of the things I loved the most was ‘Nobody knows me’ video interlude. It was a tribute to Tyler Clementi (18 year old homosexual who was driven to suicide) and other boys who were victims of homophobia. It was the most powerful part of the show; it gave me shivers and Goosebumps. Her face changed continuously highlighting cultural symbols and dictators, from a veiled woman, to Hitler, to Sarah Palin and last but not least, Mubarak! The timeless ‘Like a Prayer’ consisted of an immense choir that had the audience singing and jumping, and just when we thought the show was over; she blew our minds with ‘Celebration’ inspired by disco glam. The whole stage changed colors; all the blocks and pieces were moving. It was out of this world …
Madonna has never had a bigger production, and I honestly don’t know how she does it. The woman is as old as my mom! This show is a living proof that Madonna has rightfully earned her title. “There is only one queen, and that’s Madonna”, said Nicki Minaj.
I was even more in love with her as the show ended; it was like I had new respect for her (seriously) so I dragged my very tired body to the backstage entrance as we were stopped by one of Madonna’s bodyguards.
Me: What will it take to let me pass?
Bodyguard: Pass where? Why?
Me: I wanna see Madonna
Bodyguard: You obviously had too much to drink
Me: What are you talking about? I flew in to see her.
Bodyguard: So what? People have been following her around the world and never got to see her
Me: Why?
Bodyguard: Because she’s Madonna
Me: How do people normally get backstage passes?
Bodyguard: You have to be Madonna’s friend
Me: So, how can I be Madonna’s friend?
The guy starts laughing and advised me to go home … I was very disappointed, as if I had a chance! But I couldn’t have lived with myself if I hadn’t tried, right?
WE SAID THIS: NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND THE OBSESSION TILL THEY SEE THE SHOW