London Hyde Park, 17th July

[Mat.Guy]

It´s not totally true: in Blond Ambition, madonna had two albums to performe live, LAP and IB, and some of the songs weren´t big hits (yet). Sooner or later and Now I´m following you weren´t singles, Hanky panky was new but a weird song for a lot of people, keep it together wasn´t a hit in most of the markets...although most of the songs were big hits, because back in the 80s most of her songs were huge hits!

Precisely.

And now people want RIT 2.0!!!! I cant be reading this from a fan! She's doing this tour to promote the new music. Madonna is all about the new. A fan would know. As someboy wisely said its called MDNA Tour, and is doing its job, maybe not on album sales but how many fans she converted with the shows!

I dont get it. She's doing what she always did, do you just realise how she works?

[MForever]

I think that review was very objective and quite honest but.....this tour is called the MDNA Tour so ur gonna get songs from MDNA

No, that review was not objective at all. Madonna tours have always been the same: a mix of new songs, some reinvented hits and a pair of rarities. The MDNA tour sticks to this formula. That is the objective truth. If the critic doesn't like it, it's his problem, not Madonna's. She is selling the same formula all the time.

[IslandBreeze]

Most bands tour to promote new albums but Madonna has been successful for so long journalists forget thsi. HOWEVER, she used to tour AFTER an album had been out for a substantial amount of time. By the time the Who's That Girl tour came to town, True Blue had released five singles and she was onto the second single from WTG soundtrack. The Girlie Show followed after five singles from Erotica. DWT came after Ray of Light and several singles from Music. People knew many of the latest songs from the latest albums!

If the MDNA tour had come later and the singles had been promoted properly, the crowd would know some of the MDNA songs and it wouldn't seem like 7 unknown songs. Another reason why the 'non-traditional promotion' has failed.

I agree with you. These last two tours were too close to the album release. Tours do not sells albums.

[Skin]

I dont get this idea that alot of people are upset Madonna didnt do tons of old songs. No shit morons! Its been like this for 4 out of the 5 of her last tours! You would think if this really upset people they would have woken up by now.

[ryan]

I could are less what song she sings. I just want to see her LIVE god dammit, and that's all that matters.

[Sloane]

It's sickening what's going on over at DM. Scary enough that "journalism" has become taking a Tweet and running w/ it but that's not as disturbing as most ppl not realizing it and still taking the media as gospel. btw, regarding Tweets, who's to say that person was even at the concert? Do we really know? A powerful media company can make an anonymous Twitter acct, put out a Tweet that supports their agenda and be sure it is seen.. then report it as news or, in this case, fan reviews. There's a smear campaign going on against Madonna right now.

[LCD]

It's sickening what's going on over at DM. Scary enough that "journalism" has become taking a Tweet and running w/ it but that's not as disturbing as most ppl not realizing it and still taking the media as gospel. btw, regarding Tweets, who's to say that person was even at the concert? Do we really know? A powerful media company can make an anonymous Twitter acct, put out a Tweet that supports their agenda and be sure it is seen.. then report it as news or, in this case, fan reviews. There's a smear campaign going on against Madonna right now.

I actually saw that tweet myself yesterday as the show was going on and my first thought was, "Is this person even AT the show? Or just shit stirring?" it's certainly easy enough these days, shrug.

[Guest DancefloorConfessor]

Make fun of me if you want, but I think he is hot as hell.

[Msig]

And now people want RIT 2.0!!!! I cant be reading this from a fan! She's doing this tour to promote the new music. Madonna is all about the new. A fan would know.

I certainly don't want RIT 2.0, which featured too many oldies IMO. For me, the MDNA would have been just perfect if "Love Spent" had made its way onto it.

But that's one of the potenitially negative aspects of doing stadium shows: Stadiums and outdoor venues in general are appropriate only for concerts where the entire audience know and can sing along to most of the songs.

I dont get this idea that alot of people are upset Madonna didnt do tons of old songs. No shit morons! Its been like this for 4 out of the 5 of her last tours! You would think if this really upset people they would have woken up by now.

I think most of the people who are disappointed about this are casual fans and non-fans who haven't seen Madonna live before and don't know how she works as a touring act.

The only disappointment I've heard from hardcore fans who have actually seen the show regards the particular arrangements of certain songs, and that's simply a matter of taste.

[Vetiver]

Make fun of me if you want, but I think he is hot as hell.

The same here

[markm]

NME review

http://www.nme.com/news/madonna/64996

[chloe]

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/19/smug-criticisms-of-madonna-and-endless-gaga-comparisons-are-a-victory-for-ageism-and-misogyny/

[XXL]

http://blogs.indepen...m-and-misogyny/

Smug criticisms of Madonna and endless Gaga comparisons are a victory for ageism and misogyny

On Tuesday night Madonna brought her MDNA tour to England, performing a show in Hyde Park that was witty, narrative and relentlessly energetic, as well as the ridiculous spectacle you would expect from the Queen of Pop. After emerging on stage from a confession box brandishing a firearm, she wasted no time in introducing slackline walking, video screen cameos from hip-hop heavyweights, a troop of military drummers suspended from the ceiling, and much more.

My friends and I were enthralled throughout the two hour experience, screaming and clapping at Madonna’s various gymnastics, jokes and the moments of meritable vocal performance, agreeing in the post-concert buzz that the vibrancy and cleverness of MDNA leaves her previous tour lying in the dust.

Aside from the fair point that the sound could have done with being a great deal louder, criticisms of the concert have been overwhelmingly predictable. Renowned antagonist Piers Morgan, whose never-ending throwing of cheap insults at Madonna in a bid for column inches to boost his plummeting American TV career, is echoed by others who seem to have adopted his trite view that Madonna is too old to attempt business-as-usual in her pop career. This view fatally overlooks the artifice of any pop personality. You do not go to a gig to find out about a real individual, their favourite food, their personal details – indeed, their age. When Eminem murders his mother in a music video, do we really think he is at high-risk of committing matricide? When Rihanna sings “chains and whips excite me” do we really believe that she is a depraved frequenter of S&M dungeons? No, we do not.

So when Madonna, looking great, convincingly performs with more verve than much younger singers, does the trivia of the ‘real’ woman’s age actually matter? Well, only if you let it; which would indicate a pretty poor ability to separate your critical faculties from what you read on the Mail online (who have drawn attention to the fact that some have said the show didn’t have enough old hits to entertain a casual fan). Madonna’s MDNA album was No. 1 on iTunes across the world, so those who didn’t expect her to play a lot of the new songs are too gormless to be sympathised with. What kind of ‘casual fan’ spends £77 to go and see someone they’re not that into, anyway?

It goes without saying that the McCartneys, Springsteens and Dylans of the world – admirably unaware of any sell-by date on their ability – at worst suffer a few friendly jibes from the press; a jocular ‘not quite as good as he used to be but good on him for trying!’ Criticisms levelled at Madonna however are often snide and venomous in their refusal to recognise her talent. If a woman’s worth is in youth and subservience, then the aged and defiant Madonna is no good to us; an embarrassment.

I do have one problem with Tuesday’s concert, however. Almost as vexing as people’s inability to discuss Madonna without quipping about her age, is the fact that these days you can’t seem to mention Madonna or Lady Gaga independently of each other. Comparisons in the press and internet warring between fans is rife as ever, yet as recording artists they are really not that similar. That’s right. Or at least, not as similar as legions of beardy male singer-songwriters or hundreds of dirgey Indie rock bands, one truly completely indistinguishable from the next, whose sameness is never addressed. These unfounded comparisons seem to be the burden of female artists only, and should be exposed and discussed for the inequality they are.

So when Madonna performed a mash-up of ‘Express Yourself’, with excerpts of Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’, has even she fallen prey to this trap of sexism in her industry? Well, I hope not. But if there was any ambiguity about whether the mash-up was meant as a sisterly tribute or a cheeky dig, it is soon cleared up by Madonna singing lines from her 2008 album track ‘She’s Not Me’. Although it was funny, it is disheartening to think that the trend for thoughtlessly homogenising female artists has informed Madonna’s creative choices. But at the same time why should Madonna ignore the link people are making between her and Gaga – however false or exaggerated it may be? In chanting ‘she’s not me’ Madge is reminding us of a significant truth –Madonna isn’t Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga isn’t Madonna. We’d do well to remember it.

The irony of accusing Madonna of having grown desperate, as brainless articles like this have, seems to be lost on many forgetful people. This is a woman whose first forays into the public eye involved rolling around on stage in a wedding dress and showing her pants. If she is desperate now, she always has been. And if that ‘desperation’ spurs her to continue inspiring, entertaining, making money and having fun then I say hoo-fucking-ray. The MDNA tour is on track to be among the highest-grossing ever. If I had her job, I wouldn’t want to quit either.

1. Amazing show and amazing woman once again, possibly even more energy

2. Those prissy Mayfair residents succeeded in obtaining the volume to be lowered, something I thought would never happen in a city like London

3.She sang beautifully and she sang 90% live, I can imagine though people being in General Admission not being too pleased with the volume, understandably so when you fork out £100 to see and hear something

4.It was nice to witness Kylie's face expressions while she was intently watching the show trying to grasp something .... her expressions ranged from "cheering, smiling and clapping (minus the majorette part, too inappropriate and unsosphisticated for an artist/celebrity of her calibre) to stone-faced "I can't believe she's 10 years older than me and she's putting on something I could never conceive and much less execute", because if u saw those expressions you'd know that was just what was going on in her mind.

5.I am sorry for Australian fans. This is an outstanding show. I am sure there were plausible reasons for her to scrap plans. And even if the reason should be that she realises that by the end of December she's going to be exhausted I couldn't blame her. I understand the disappointment though.

6.Some journalists are quite sinking in desperation, utmost envy and they would resurrect to finding the most ridiculous faults in people and situations when there are none. Honestly she's been doing this for 30 years now and she's been quite uncharacteristically on an increasing trend, when by the law of nature it should be the exact opposite. The problem with them is always the same: she's a woman, her success was never manufactured to begin with, she owes her success to herself and herself only (and the fans of course, but they wouldn't have stuck for so long if she hadn't been so consistently good), her rise was genuine, organic and well-earned, that's why 30 years later she still sits at the top. Obviously if her name was Bono, Paul, Rod Stewart or Bruce Springsteen there wouldn't be any criticism to begin with

[jonski43]

*applause*

What a fantastic article. I hope more see it and realise that M is still battling the stereotypes!

[XXL]

So the poor guy wants a trip down memory lane? My advise go watch the Stones. It has been rumoured they are going on tour again. And sorry, I'm sick of people who claim to be fans although it's quite obvious they are not. He is a casual listener. A fan wouldn't make a big fuss about her performing mostly songs from MDNA instead of Immaculate collection. A fan has learnt over the last decade and beyond that her setlist always consists of the newer stuff. A fan would know. Claiming to be a fan is only meant to sound more credible. It's so transparent.

Transparent indeed

[XXL]

I'm afraid you're right.

I'm won't be surprised if the next tour will be a kind of Re-Invention 2.0 in terms of song selections: Mainly old classic, most of them similar to the originals, combined with a handful of new songs, primarily singles.

Your posts are always so informative and kind of positive in tone in a strange yet predictable backanded way (markm type of posting comes to mind "OMG she doesn't have a hit from this album, OMG she's not going to sell out her UK dates, OMG the crow voice" then BAM she sells out and she outdoes herself with her performance but "OMG something else must be wrong")

Pity you're missing the point on RIT since she's performed half of AL on it and that tour merely looked more hits-packed because it was coming after DWT when she had unperformed material from three consecutive studio albums at the time, not having toured for 8 years and by now you'd think a fan of hers or a supposed fan would know that her showcasing/performance paradigm since day 1 has always been the same: first the new material.

[BangGangUK]

This stupid cunt of a journalist Jane Fryer at the Daily Mail thinks Like A Virgin is Express Yourself.

http://www.dailymail...arrassment.html

Edited July 19, 2012 by BangGangUK

[XXL]

The whole article is full of personal intepretations sold as pretty much a universal truth.

Many of those who call themselves hardcore fans don't get Madonna. They never did. They probably never will.

She is not prone to taking trips down memory lanes and she surely has made this quite clear over the past 30 years.

The other huge misunderstanding about her is about the fact that hers are not rock concerts. Instead they are theatrical presentations of her music. You may disagree with the way that she chooses to present her music in a theatrical way but surely her performances can be appreciated in their own rights without any specific need to know the words to every song. Is it really that hard to understand and realize and accept?

She is not one to change the set-list each night. She is not one to build a show around the fact that her spectators expect - or even demand - a trip down memory lane from her.

She is an artist. She gets easily bored like true artists often do. This is probably one of the main reasons why she may have chosen to cancel the Australian leg, but that's a whole other subject altogether.

She likes to try out new things. Sometimes she likes to revisit her past from totally different angles or changing things up to the extent that they are almost difficult to recognize.

That's the way she is.

The only thing you can do it either love her and embrace her or not.

People may stop buying her music tomorrow, but she will still be an artist and she will still be Madonna, a woman that has changed the entertainment world forever.

So, please....if you expect from her what she obviously will never deliver, go see someone else.

:thumbsup:

[debord]

It's incredible how transparent all of these 'I'M A FAN BUT...' columns are. What opportunistic cunts. Clearly willing to write anything for a byline and a cheque.

[Msig]

Your posts are always so informative and kind of positive in tone in a strange yet predictable backanded way (markm type of posting comes to mind "OMG she doesn't have a hit from this album, OMG she's not going to sell out her UK dates, OMG the crow voice" then BAM she sells out and she outdoes herself with her performance but "OMG something else must be wrong")

Pity you're missing the point on RIT since she's performed half of AL on it and that tour merely looked more hits-packed because it was coming after DWT when she had unperformed material from three consecutive studio albums at the time, not having toured for 8 years and by now you'd think a fan of hers or a supposed fan would know that her showcasing/performance paradigm since day 1 has always been the same: first the new material.

My posts certainly aren't backhanded by intention - I'm just not as obsessively positive about everything M does as I used to be, and I no longer feel the need to defend M whenever someone criticizes her, as long as the criticism is reasonable.

As I see it, Re-Invention is hits-packed not only compared to Drowned World, but also compared to Madonna's later tours, especially Confessions, which featured only 7 old classics, whereas Re-Invention featured twice as many. Sticky & Sweet and MDNA also feature many old songs, but both have at least 9 full performances of new songs, while Re-Invention had only 5.

Not that I mind the Re-Invention setlist - not at all - I just like M's later tours much better, especially MDNA, as I feel their mix of old and new is much more balanced.

[CMoody]

Another intelligent article from a journalist who actually gets it:

Madonna rolls into Dublin next week to play the Aviva Stadium as part of her "controversial" MDNA world tour. She may have lost her power to truly shock a long time ago but what annoys Madonna haters the most is the fact that, at the age of 53, she keeps on keeping on, says Alan Corr.

She's only two months into her MDNA world tour but already Madonna has cried live on stage, flashed the audience in Turkey, flashed the audience in Rome, made some silly statements about drug use, flashed the audience in Paris, and incurred the wrath of French far right leader Marine Le Pen by showing pictures of her face plastered with swastikas as part of the stage show.

Maybe it's all in a bid to make up for the lack of decent songs on her new album, but Madonna was at in again in Hyde Park the other night - dropping her drawers during a rendition of Human Nature. So the original of the species is back doing her utmost to annoy as many prudes and killjoys as possible and good for her. It's all good dirty fun to some people; tiresome attention seeking to others. However, as has been the case for far too long, some arbiters of bad taste have decreed that Madonna should no longer be allowed to (even try) playing shock tactics any more.

It's true that the last truly shocking thing she did was release the album MDNA but right now, Madonna haters are out in force. They hate the fact that she's made a cool $50 million in the first two months of her current tour and they've always hated the fact that she's an aggressively ambitious woman who has spent her career smashing barriers, glass ceilings, and taboos.

But what really gets them hating till it hurts is the fact that, at 53, Madonna plainly doesn't care what they think and has no intention of stopping. They may find her more boring than actually shocking but boy are they still mad and it's their very ire that seems to keep her going.

Madonna bashers seem to consider her an embarrassment to womankind and pop music in the same way that some feminists and music snobs were conflicted by her blatant careerism and sexual aggression when she first arrived thirty years ago.

Surely by now, they reason, she should bow to young pretenders like Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj and drift off into proper old age performing torch songs at supper clubs. Some of Madonna's best moments are, indeed, torch songs (This Used to be My Playground, Live to Tell et al) and on the current tour, she's performing Like a Virgin as a mournful piano-and-violin ballad of lost innocence, an acknowledgement that perhaps the glory days are, indeed, over.

That won't placate the Madonna bashers. She keeps on keeping on, gyrating, dancing, running and singing all at the same time. There should be a bylaw against it! Madonna should not be allowed cavort in a built-up area. At any time of the day.

Forget the fact that Britney still can't kick-start her wayward career and that Gaga can't seem to leave the house without checking what Madonna's had for breakfast, this woman must be stopped!

The Daily Mail, no fan of Madonna (or any woman who doesn't meet their high moral standards), was also at it again yesterday. It ran a negative news report on her Hyde Park show while, in the same edition, running a mostly positive review of the same gig. The Mail said that "hundreds of fans" walked out of the concert, many complained about the poor sound quality, Madonna's bald cheek in not playing a greatest hits show, and the fact that the 10.30pm curfew rather took away from the visuals on the night.

All fair points but the paper also mentioned "public relations disasters" in Madonna's long career. Well those "public relations disasters" are in fact the very career flashpoints that have helped make Madonna the most successful female pop star of all time. That, and thirty year's worth of pretty great pop songs.

There was also this quote from a fan's Twitter account which once again depressingly reminds us that ageism will always rear its ugly head when it comes to female pop stars and actors of a certain age: "When Madonna has concerts in her 50s where she strips herself on stage, you know her career is as dead as myspace."

It's perfectly fine to gaze with fond bemusement at The Rolling Stones doing their priapic peacock thing (well, Mick anyway) or smile as the parchment-faced Steve Tyler (64) coos over another babe young enough to be his granddaughter. It's also fine for Anthony Kiedis (nearly 50) and co to play their old hits like they're still strung-out teenagers but when it comes to Madonna, all you're likely to hear is "put it away love!"

Twenty years ago in an interview (with Jonathan Ross no less) Madonna had these fine words to say: "I think that not only do we suffer from sexism and racism, we also suffer from ageism, that once you reach a certain age you're not allowed be adventurous, you're not allowed to be sexual and I think that's rather hideous. People say, oh I hope she's not still doing that in ten years. Who cares? What if I am? Is there a rule? Are you supposed to just die when you're 40? "

After performing a two-hour set in Hyde Park this week featuring many costume changes, much dancing and much theatrics, the soon to be 54-year-old Madonna ended the night with a speech about the dangers of discrimination and prejudice.

Let's hope the Madonna bashers are listening in Dublin next week.

Alan Corr

http://www.rte.ie/ten/2012/0719/blog_music_madonna.html

[iainmdna]

How much is her tour programme?

[Raider of the lost Ark]

This stupid cunt of a journalist Jane Fryer at the Daily Mail thinks Like A Virgin is Express Yourself.

http://www.dailymail...arrassment.html

Wow this article really is an embarrasment. She doesn't even get her "facts" straight. "Journalism" of the worst kind. But funny or sad enough this article was totally made to make the Daily Mail readers happy which seem to be rather unhappy and unpleasant people. Want prove: just click on the columns best and worst rating. The best rating have comments with the most pathetic and mean content wheras the worst rated are comments that are defending Madonna. Any questions?

I wouldn't be surprised if this all is just part of their revenge. Remember that the Mail on Sunday had to pay a few million pounds for publishing the stolen wedding pics.

[realityisalways]

My posts certainly aren't backhanded by intention - I'm just not as obsessively positive about everything M does as I used to be, and I no longer feel the need to defend M whenever someone criticizes her, as long as the criticism is reasonable.

As I see it, Re-Invention is hits-packed not only compared to Drowned World, but also compared to Madonna's later tours, especially Confessions, which featured only 7 old classics, whereas Re-Invention featured twice as many. Sticky & Sweet and MDNA also feature many old songs, but both have at least 9 full performances of new songs, while Re-Invention had only 5.

Not that I mind the Re-Invention setlist - not at all - I just like M's later tours much better, especially MDNA, as I feel their mix of old and new is much more balanced.

I think Msig is one of few grounded, coherent, logical, informative and sane posters around here, I don't know why he gets so much crap.

Edited July 19, 2012 by realityisalways

[DIRTY PIG]

excellent article.

[jonski43]

I think Msig is one of few grounded, coherent, logical, informative and sane posters around here, I don't know why he gets so much crap.

I completely agree. I'm slightly baffled why he was picked on in the first place.

[realityisalways]

I completely agree. I'm slightly baffled why he was picked on in the first place.

I've been here for a short time but this is not the first time I see this, somewhere in this thread (I think) out of the blue someone posted something really agressive towards him and telling him to stfu, it was completely random and in my opinion completely uncalled for

[Guest bluejean]

Wasn't he the person who posted all that supposed insider information about her songwriting, or lack thereof on MDNA that came from some nay sayer at Madonnatribe?

It so, that would have been the start of it.

[Case39]

I've been here for a short time but this is not the first time I see this, somewhere in this thread (I think) out of the blue someone posted something really agressive towards him and telling him to stfu, it was completely random and in my opinion completely uncalled for

It's MadonnaNation. I've been called out for nothing myself. Also, on the Australia thread, mnation09 has been making fun of Madonna, some member (don't remember his name) told him to stop his trolling but another person tell that member to "shut up", without any argument. Apparently for some people on here, it's now perfectly ok to make fun of Madonna just because she cancelled the australian leg.

That's why i'm happy svperstar made his topic, he was right about Madonna being bashed by her own fans, it's sad. As if the trolling by Gaga loons wasn't enough...

[Msig]

Wasn't he the person who posted all that supposed insider information about her songwriting, or lack thereof on MDNA that came from some nay sayer at Madonnatribe?

It so, that would have been the start of it.

Yup! And due to the source of the information, I still believe most or all of it to be accurate.

I may have experienced "only" two or three people (who don't even know me!) posting insulting attacks on me - Suedehead's post being the most aggressive by far - but I've never experienced anything like that in any other Madonna-related online forum in the past 9 years.

At the end of the day, though, I don't care about such attacks, and I really can't take them personally when they come from people I don't know. Won't let a stranger give me a social disease.