Camacho
-
Posts
945 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Camacho
-
-
When U2 went on sale 2 years ago the ticket system was a nightmare and mess. Things haven't improved since then!
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Berlin Fan Pictures - Part 1
Madonna played the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany on Thursday night - here are some pictures taken by madonnalicious reader Michael at the show.
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Berlin Fan Pictures - Part 2
Berlin saw the first change of costume during the tour - the black hoodie during the Old School segment was replaced with a pink hoodie (as seen in the original costume design sketches).
madonnalicious reader Ben captured these pictures at the Berlin show - including one showing the different costume.
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Nice Fan Pictures - Part 3
Here is our third installment of fan shot pictures from the Nice show on Tuesday - these were taken by madonnalicious reader Andre.
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Nice Fan Pictures - Part 4
madonnalicious reader Martin took these great pictures at the Nice show earlier this week.
-
So there are no reports for the concert? Only the bathrobe crap?
There are tons of reports/reviews, but most people here don't know German and it's gibberish when run through babelfish. If some people here fluent in German wants to dig through all that and give us little translated highlights, feel free to do so!
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Nice Fan Pictures - Part 2
madonnalicious reader Claudio took these great pictures at the second show of the Sticky & Sweet Tour in Nice on Tuesday night.
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Nice Fan Pictures - Part 1
Here is our first installment of pictures from the Sticky & Sweet Tour show at the Stade Charles Ehrmann in Nice last night. These pictures were taken by madonnalicious reader Laura.
-
not that this is political thread but your comments are so ridiculous they have to be recognized
way to vote for the issues rather than the person. you're a joke
obama is no prize pig but he's closer to hilary on the issues than mccain.
so you're basically saying you were only voting for hilary based on the fact of who she was rather
than what she stood for and that like most americans (and i am one so i can say this) you care less about
the political process of this country and more about getting your way.
you should watch the get stupid video. its aimed at people JUST LIKE YOU.
Please post more often!
-
Editorial
So Far Over the Line
Published: August 26, 2008
One of the hallmarks of the global digital age is that anyone with a computer can participate in the political debate. That can be wonderful. Or it can be appalling, like the new video Madonna is showing on her tour.
It shows a montage of genocide (a Nazi death camp, Asian and African killing fields) and faces of evil and oppression (Adolf Hitler, Ayatollah Khomeini, Robert Mugabe). Then it cuts to Mike Huckabee, who ran for the Republican nomination, and Senator John McCain, who is about to become the official Republican nominee.
This year’s presidential campaign has already been marked by far too much negative advertising, with coded racial images and sophomoric insults. It was outrageous when Mr. McCain’s campaign juxtaposed Mr. Obama with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears as part of its effort to denigrate him as a person, rather than debating him on this country’s huge problems.
Madonna’s video is immeasurably worse. If she thought she was helping Mr. Obama by juxtaposing his image with that of Gandhi and Bono, she was wrong.
We do not subscribe to the “shut up and sing” notion that celebrities should stay out of politics — a position most often espoused by Republicans about stars who support Democrats. There is no room in decent discourse for comparing a candidate for president to Hitler.
Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman, was exactly right when he called the video “outrageous” and “unacceptable.” Mr. Obama’s team also swiftly denounced it. “These comparisons are outrageous and offensive and have no place in the political process,” said a spokesman, Tommy Vietor. But it was a distressing sign of how low the political debate has gotten this year that neither side could resist using the moment to hurl more mud.
“It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits,” added Mr. Bounds of the McCain campaign. And Mr. Vietor could not resist his own gratuitous jab. “We hope that John McCain will offer a similar condemnation as his allies increasingly practice sleazy Swift boat tactics,” he said.
At least the song Madonna was performing during the video was aptly named: “Get Stupid.”
» A version of this article appeared in print on August 27, 2008, on page A22 of the New York edition.
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Cardiff Fan Pictures - Part 7
Here is another set of pictures taken on the opening night of the tour in Cardiff last Saturday - this set was taken by madonnalicious reader Michelle.
-
Madonna's Tour Starts, Costumes Don't Disappoint
And she's off! Madonna's "Sticky and Sweet" tour began Saturday night in Cardiff, Wales, and the Daily Mail reports the stadium was "far from full" (really?!) but Madge's routines were "nothing short of breathtaking." She underwent eight costume changes, playing a "pole-dancing, break-dancing cheerleader" and a "gypsy singer with a traveling band of minstrels." Her custom-made threads were designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, Miu Miu, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent, Moschino, and more.
She's been getting a lot of criticism for not being able to find a look for her current album, both on and off stage. We're not sure we'd call the "Sticky and Sweet" costumes cohesive (though they all exquisitely displayed Madonna's outrageous 50-year-old muscles), but they were characteristically surprising in that "is she really going to sit with her legs open while wearing that" kind of way. And what could be more fun on a Monday morning than taking a judgmental look at some of them? At left Madge rocks a progression of the leotard. The bra she's got on underneath is lacy in kind of a dowdy way, but we'd say her thighs are buff enough to offset that. And it's hard to see here, but she's wearing fishnets. We can't help but love that even if we hate it.
Muscle-y!
Photo: Getty Images
This is perhaps the most conservative look from the show. We're digging her Britney Spears-ish do and her elbow warmers, but not how it looks like she has Bibles in her quilted pants pockets.
Photo: Getty Images
We don't really understand the gypsy number on the left here. The neck-bust area is delightfully festive and on trend with the necklaces but the flowy see-through sleeves are confusingly medieval. The custom-made boots in the center here are amazing. The fringed dress, however, looks like something a Project Runway contestant might try to pass off as a figure-skating costume. On the right, we are in love with the crystal-encrusted football-player shoulder pads, because only Madonna would come up with that and pull it off.
Photo: Getty Images
Sorry, but we hate these shorts. They're entirely uncreative and only remind us of ninth-grade lacrosse practice (which we loathed).
Photo: Getty Images
On the left we can see how skimpy that fringed non-skirt really is. Just in case any of you forgot, Madonna at 50 has a better ass than you ever had/will have at 25. On the right, we find it distracting and irritating that Madonna looks so fierce while her female backup dancers look like badly dressed ravers who forgot they were supposed to wear neon.
Photo: Getty Images
Ahhh, it's the awful gym shorts again! But Madonna does look cute here. Almost a little too cute. An astounding display for a 50-year-old.
Photo: Getty Images
Here are some better-dressed backup dancers. The top hat-long-gloves cabaret thing is just goofy enough to work.
Photo: Getty Images
And hello! In case you can't tell, these are male backup (har) dancers. Only Madonna would find a way to momentarily draw more attention to their asses than hers. Equal-opportunity exploitation!
Photo: Getty Images
-
Madonna impresses at first show of world tour
Madonna performs on stage at the premier of her Sticky and Sweet tour at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in Wales. Photo / AP
1:59PM Monday August 25, 2008
By Rob Sharp
Well, she did arrive on stage an hour and a half late. And sure, ticket touts were rumoured to be flogging the £150 tickets at half price to fill the rows of empty seats. But if those who took in this spectacular opening to Madonna's world tour on Saturday have seen anything as slick, innovative, and energetic in recent months then please point it out.
For it is easy to feel spoiled when judging one of the most successful pop acts of all time. If the bar is high, it is her own fault, and you would be hard pressed to find any other 50-year-old pelting their way through two hours of back-breaking dance routines.
The tour, Sticky & Sweet, is named after Madonna's latest album, Hard Candy, which had a less-than-effervescent reception in April.
Part of the problem seemed to be that pop's grande dame was just trying too hard; her collaborations with Pharrell, Kanye West, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake seemed to hanker after being "down with the kids".
The artists in question appeared too scared to give her any criticism.
In the end, the tracks on which they worked (4 Minutes, Beat Goes On) were less "collaborations" than Madonna shipping in the best talent money could buy to pay homage to her less-than-plugged-in greatness. Their talent was diluted accordingly.
But if such a display of raw power and influence could not impress the reviewers, in a live setting, there was no such problem.
The choreography, the visuals, the other live talent, were world class, and mind-blowingly well executed, intelligent, and witty.
While the show's producers might have bastardised the best elements of vintage acid house, Geisha culture, gypsy folk and burlesque, it was almost certainly worth the compromise.
The concert was loosely based around four themes - "Pimp", "Old School", "Gypsy" and "Rave" - that tellingly looked like they had been named by your Mum.
And so, Mother Pop was unveiled sitting in a throne for the opening number; with her legs akimbo, she launched into Candy Shop then Beat Goes On.
Vogue was remixed with 4 Minutes, her recent single with Timberlake, then dancers sparred as in a boxing match for a reimagining of her theme tune to the Bond film Die Another Day.
There was a bit of an awkward "granny moment" when for Into The Groove she pole-danced around a 1980s Deejay booth, before Britney Spears appeared on a video screen for Human Nature, which showed her in CCTV-style footage being characteristically strange inside a lift.
Madonna strummed on her guitar (is she playing it? isn't she?) which made several appearances during the evening, before the night built to its climax: Timberlake, projected on to a collection of 15ft screens for 4 Minutes.
By sliding her leg erotically up and down his image, Madonna still managed to flirt with him.
The only downside were the "serious" moments: images of the effects of global warming and starving children have become a devalued cliche at rock concerts.
But for all her excesses, and the fact that she is musically relevant only in fits and starts, Madonna is a necessary tonic for those who remember with fondness a more impressive and talented time in pop.
It is a desert out there. Long may her hubris continue.
- INDEPENDENT
-
Great stuff BEEF, thanks for posting!
-
Old School - now this was the section madonnalicious had most been looking forward to! The screens were filled with primary colour designs by Keith Haring and Madonna skipped onto the stage in knee-high socks, red silk shorts and a tracksuit top. This section looked like it was going to be fun! Her DJ (with his Swarovski crystal encrusted headphones) appeared on stage with his decks and a pole - which Madonna proceeded to pole dance on! Blimey! What then followed was the most energetic sequence yet. Double Dutch skipping - madonnalicious stood there holding our breath hoping no one messed up - but it looked perfectly executed. Well done everyone! A heartbeat appeared on the screens as the intro to Hearbeat began, as Madonna lay on the stage, with a couple of her dancers changing her shoes like they were performing an operation - very tongue in cheek! Now it was time for a song most fans had never seen or heard live in the UK - Borderline. It was a rocky/guitar based version - taking us back to Madonna's early days in her band in New York City.
She's Not Me - wow! Another stand out piece of staging. Madonna is confronted with four different previous incarnations of herself. Like A Virgin Madonna, Material Girl Madonna, Open Your Heart Madonna, Express Yourself Madonna - all standing at the four corners of the catwalk end. Madonna went up to them, pushed them, pulled them, it even looked like she was strangling one of them at one point and ended ripping the wig off of the Express Yourself Madonna - which she then put on herself. We were all shocked thinking - boy is she angry with someone! Then followed a breakdown/dance routine on the catwalk podium floor (very similar to Let It Will Be on Confessions Tour).
To up the tempo again, it was time for Music - the same mix and routine as done on the promo tours - so no great surprise but the mix with Fedde Le Grand's Put Your Hands up for Detroit is always good to hear.
Another video interlude followed and this one was a bit odd to be honest - again we were greeted with computer animation on the screens as Eurthymics Here Comes the Rain Again played - with only very slight hints of Madonna's song Rain. A kind of strange fantasy land and creatures were on the screen as two dancers appeared - almost like butterflies on the side of the stages as they were raised up on platforms. Too little Madonna in that segment, maybe if Madonna was featured on the video screens it would have been more satisfying.
The two LCD screens had been lowered over the catwalk and the sound and flashes of very loud lightning and rain filled the stadium, with computer animation rain falling down the LCD screens as a piano - with Madonna on top - was raised up on the catwalk end. Thank goodness the stadium roof was on otherwise we would have been experiencing the Welsh rain for real! A good vocal performance of Devil Wouldn't Recognise You followed with Madonna standing on the piano (with musical director Kevin Atunes playing piano) - and although we guess it was meant to be atmospheric - we were wishing for LCD screens to raise so we could properly see Madonna....it was a little frustrating basically looking at a black cloak behind a black screen for the whole song.
Spanish Lesson! The marmite of Hard Candy - you either love it or you hate it. Madonna had now removed the black coat and her colourful gypsy outfit was on display. A rousing version of the song with the dancers all wearing black hooded cloaks followed. Now Madonna moved to the catwalk end again and performed a simple yet effective performance of Miles Away - with more or less the same video footage that was featured during the promo tour.
By now the dancers had changed into their colourfully gaudy satin shirts as La Isla Bonita started up - with the help of a Romanian gypsy band. This was the same version as was performed at Live Earth - a slightly bonkers version of the song but something great to dance to with friends! We then had the Romanian musical interlude with the band on the catwalk podium - which left some people baffled. To madonnalicious it sounded like the Hokey Cokey - so we just had a good knees up in the gold circle - to the bemusement of some fans around us!
You Must Love Me - the part of the show to make you cry (if you are inclined that way) - a very strong vocal performance with Madonna on guitar surrounded by the Romanian band and Monte Pittman. The video screens played footage from Evita, of the funeral procession and the mourners - very moving.
Now for the political part of the show - the video interlude 'Get Stupid' - images of destruction, waste, war, and some of the more unsavoury political characters in history, Hitler, Mugabe....and John McCain - as his face flashed up an audible collective gasp from what seemed like the whole audience was heard - boy this is going to cause some trouble! Then as the clip went on - which featured some brand new footage of Madonna singing the song - we were shown images of people who had tried in the past like Kennedy and Lennon, and some new faces who maybe could change the world in the future such as Oprah and Obama! It will be interesting to see how this clip fairs when the tour hits the USA in October just before the election!
The 4 Minutes video begins, smaller LCD screens move into place on stage and the promo tour version (minus a real Justin Timberlake) is performed. Madonna is now wearing her 'futuristic rave' outfit and seems to have had a child cut her fringe! A look that is going to have to take some getting use to - but it certainly fits in with the theme!
Now Like A Prayer - always a crowd favourite but this mashed up rave version (mixed with Felix's Don't You Want Me) is an absolute stomper and a totally unexpected version. Laser beams now fire patterns on the ceiling (how is that going to work at an outside venue madonnalicious wonders?) and we are now in the middle of a rave. Who would have thought it? Madonna does rave! Backing singer Nicki Richards does an excellent solo in the song at the end of the catwalk.
Madonna says 'Do you want more?! YES! Now it's the request section' - people shout, she replies 'F*ck that, I chose the songs'....When the tour first starts Madonna never says much - just sticks to the script - however by the time she reaches the US Madonna will not be able to stop talking!
The guitar is strapped onto Madonna and Ray Of Light begins - a computer animated game of chess take place on the video screens behind as a rocky version of Ray Of Light (similar to Live Earth) is performed.
Now Hung Up starts, it's the same version as seen on the promo tour - and this together with Ray Of Light feels a bit of a guitar heavy end to the show. The songs chosen for the final section of the show couldn't have been better - just their arrangements seemed to let it down - or maybe madonnalicious had too high expectations for this section.
And now the final song - Give It 2 Me - a remixed version! A computer animated game appears on the screens - including an animated M flying around shooting lazer guns from the top and with rockets on the bottom! By the end of the song the whole cast come on stage - we dance, we jump, we sing and we cheer, and then it's over. Game Over the screens say. The lights come on and we linger around - not wanting this to be over. Eventually we reluctantly leave before being swept up with the discarded rubbish!
madonnalicious doesn't remember seeing such a smiling, happy, bouncy, energetic Madonna on stage - and even the more serious sections of the show were more moving than dark and disturbing. Complaints from some fans in the press that Madonna didn't say thank you and goodnight will probably be addressed as the tour continues.
Now madonnalicious may have sounded a bit critical in some sections of this review - but don't let it fool you - we cannot wait to see the show again. Being of short height madonnalicious felt that they missed out on some aspects of the show - but will be able to soak up all these missing pieces when sitting our seat next month!
Thanks to madonnalicious reader Paul for the great pictures from Cardiff that illustrated this report.
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: madonnalicious report
It has taken madonnalicious a couple of days to let the whole experience sink in (and to catch up on sleep), but now we can give you our report on the opening night of the Sticky & Sweet Tour in Cardiff.
Firstly madonnalicious wasn't looking forward to seeing the show in a stadium as they always seem so big and impersonal and you can never get a great view. Our tickets were checked, and a hole punched in them (Hey! That was meant to be a souvenir and you just put a hole in it Mr Ticket Checker).
Our hands were then stamped to allow us access to the gold circle, and we walked down a rampway into the stadium, which with the roof closed almost seemed intimate! We were greeted with the site of the stage, which had a catwalk with a large round end and some LCD screens on the middle of the stage in the shape of a cube. A set of two round LCD screens were also spotted high above the catwalk podium.
The gold circle was smaller than expected, and madonnalicious settled in a spot about 10 metres from the stage about halfway down the catwalk, stage right (any closer and madonnalicious would have trouble seeing over everyones heads!). The majority of the crowd was bunched up around the catwalk, with more space towards the sides of the gold circle.
There were rumours circulating in the crowd that Madonna was due on stage at 8.30pm, but we were expecting the show to start at 9.00pm as is the usual for Madonna tours. Not sure where all these reports came from that said the show would start at 7.30pm (the tickets only stated a 'gates open' time).
Another rumour was that Chris Martin from Coldplay would be playing the piano in Devil Wouldn't Recognise You. Strange and not true!
Despite reports to the contrary in the press we struggled to see any empty seats in the upper tiers - the empty seats in the lower bowl are not sold as seats but are for the use of the general admission ticket holders (who obviously chose to stand instead). madonnalicious has rarely seen a stadium so full!
At about 8.50pm the first set of lights were switched off - screams - wait another five minutes - another set switched off - more screams - further five minutes - then it all went very dark very quickly....behold she is coming soon! Screams, cheers, whistles, and the hairs stood up on the back of your neck!
The start was a surprise as madonnalicious had been expecting a Steven Klein video as on the previous two tours, instead we got computer animation playing on the screens, hints of tick-tock played as the screens began to open in a way we weren't expecting. Images of candy and razor blades, wheels and cogs (reminiscent of the Blond Ambition opening). Dancers appeared on platforms being raised at the far sides of the stages, and then the LCD screens slid open to reveal Madonna sitting on the throne as she launched into Candy Shop.
Candy Shop looked the same routine as the promo tours - but it does work well as an opening number, with Madonna cheekily playing with her cane. Next up was the Beat Goes On - and the first wow-moment of the night - a very large white pimp-style car glided onto the catwalk with Madonna and dancers sitting in it and on it - with Madonna wearing a white top-hat.
Then came Human Nature, Madonna stood on the end of the catwalk with a guitar. Some strange vocal effect (madonnalicious is unsure whether we liked it or not) was put on her voice as the 'infamous Britney' video was played on the screens (including the LCD screens above the catwalk podium). Britney, wearing a hoodie, was trapped in a lift, waiting, lying on the floor, standing up, on the phone, pacing around. As Madonna came to the end of the song singing, 'I'm not your bitch...I'm not your bitch' - the song ended with a close-up of Britney answering back saying 'It's Britney bitch!' Great applause from all the crowd - and for all those fans worried that Britney being featured in a Madonna show wouldn't work - it did work, and worked well.
Now for Vogue - the song was mashed in with elements of 4 Minutes and it sounded great, a full-on dance routine with dancers started at the end of the catwalk that worked it's way to the end stage for some compulsory voguing of course!
Now it was the Die Another Day video interlude - shot by Tom Munro during the tourbook photoshoot. While this was playing a boxing ring was set up on the catwalk end and two dancers came on dressers as boxers and danced/boxed their way from the main stage to the boxing ring - they fought, we watched!
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Cardiff Fan Pictures - Part 6
A big thank you to everyone who has sent tour pictures in so far - please keep them coming into madonnalicious@gmail.com - here is another selection of great pictures from opening night taken by madonnalicious reader materialcowboy.
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Cardiff Fan Pictures - Part 4
Here are some super tour pictures taken at the Millenium Stadium by madonnalicious ticket give-away winner John.
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Cardiff Fan Pictures - Part 5
madonnalicious reader Chris managed to capture the finale of the Britney Spears video during Human Nature and these other great shots of the show in Cardiff on Saturday.
-
Awww la isla kid
-
random pics from flickr
-
Just imagine the fanfare she'll get in Mexico when the tour plays there in late November
Mexican Press on the Sticky & Sweet Opening Night in Cardiff.
Category: Live Performances & Tours.
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Cardiff Fan Pictures - Part 2
madonnalicious reader Leon captured these moments from the opening night of the Sticky & Sweet Tour in Cardiff last Saturday.
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Cardiff Fan Pictures - Part 3
Here are some more great fan shot pictures from the Cardiff show - these were taken by madonnalicious readers Tom and Kristof from Belgium.
-
Sticky & Sweet Tour: Cardiff Fan Pictures - Part 1
Here is our first set of fan pictures from the Sticky & Sweet Tour - these pictures were taken by madonnalicious reader merboy at the Millenium Stadium last night.
-
Madonna raves on as tour begins
By Ian Youngs
Entertainment reporter, BBC News, Cardiff
The stage show involves 250 crew and £1m of jewellery
Madonna has begun her new world tour in Cardiff, proving to fans that she can still cut it on stage at the age of 50.
In a typically energetic performance, the pop superstar played two hours of hits from her 25-year career.
It featured radically reworked versions of some of her old favourites, such as a techno remix of Like A Prayer and a rock take on Borderline.
"She gets better with age," said Lewis Aldous, 23, from Brentwood, Essex.
He said Madonna looked "incredible", adding: "She looks like she's in her 30s. This is the most fast-paced tour of recent times, especially Like A Prayer."
Maria Paradisis, 32, who travelled from Sydney, Australia, for the show, said Madonna's dancing was "mesmerising".
"She can still shake it like she's a 20-year-old," she said.
'Disappointed'
But some fans at the Millennium Stadium were not so happy with her latest reinvention.
"She didn't do any of the traditional stuff that everyone loves her for," said Susan Harvey from Cardiff.
"For £85 a ticket, I was really disappointed."
Danielle Wheeler, 26, said she was "not as good as Kylie", while Stephanie Olokopa, 20, from London, gave the show six out of 10.
"She was late and she didn't even thank the people," she said.
The show was first of 51 dates for the pop superstar, who celebrated her birthday a week ago.
It involved 250 crew, 16 dancers, eight costume changes and £1m of jewellery.
The concert was split into four sections - Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave.
Madonna appeared on a jewel-encrusted black leather throne with the letter M written on its back.
Opening with Candy Store, the first track of her latest album Hard Candy, the Pimp section was characterised by revealing and risque black outfits for Madonna and her troupe.
When a classic white convertible rolled on, it took Madonna and her dancers out into the crowd, with Madonna donning the driver's white top hat before pushing the car back.
The show is split into four sections - Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave
Old School
The intricately planned visual spectacle was as potent as the music, and Madonna is the master at using colour, costume and choreography to full effect.
She was raised on podium for Vogue with four female dancers wearing long black gloves and boots and very little else.
After that, it was into the Old School segment - intended to evoke her 1980s New York roots - with Madonna appearing in red shorts, pop socks and a skipping rope, surrounded by the kids from Fame.
Into the Groove was the first of her '80s hits to be updated, backed by heavy bass and trance piano.
She then picked up a guitar for Borderline, backed by a more conventional rock band set-up.
The star donned heart-shaped sunglasses for She's Not Me, from her latest album, with her old videos flashing up behind her.
When four dancers appeared as Madonna at various stages of her career, the singer went on to abuse them before indulging in some very frenetic, angry dancing.
The set included old and new hits
Gypsy theme
With her long, wavy blonde hair, fit physique and endless stamina, she doesn't look too dissimilar to the Madonna of a couple of decades ago.
She certainly doesn't look ready for a Saga subscription.
The Gypsy segment began with Madonna in a black cloak writhing on top of a black piano, before her dancers donned hooded robes for Spanish Lesson.
They then ripped off the cloaks to reveal shiny, gaudy shirts and indulge in some flamenco-style dancing.
Not everything quite made sense - but it looked quite good, and that, you suspect, is what matters to Madonna.
With her dazzling friends, she went on to play a Europop version of La Isla Bonita, complete with big, bearded violinist in a sequined shirt.
The final section was Rave, which started with a pair of sparkly American football shoulder pads for her recent hit 4 Minutes.
It then turned into a full-on rave as the queen of pop played thumping techno versions of Like A Prayer and Ray Of Light.
During Like A Prayer, screens behind her flashed the names of sacred figures from various religions and quotes from holy texts.
Madonna changes costume eight times
Heavy beats
Most of the crowd seemed to lap up the pumped-up dance remixes.
But as she strummed guitar in a skin-tight silver top, surrounded by futuristic creatures during Ray of Light, lasers firing over her head, it was tempting to think that maybe she should calm down just a bit.
The entire night had the feel of a giant nightclub - and that is something that some purists didn't like.
But heavy beats made the more mediocre new songs more passable, and the momentum was maintained by non-stop music even when she was off stage.
With wailing thrash metal guitars at end of Hung Up, Madonna posed, hand on hip, seemingly satisfied with her night's work.
Now she's hit 50, she seems even more determined to prove that she doesn't stand still, and she certainly doesn't slow down.
-
Madonna Kicks Off World Tour in Knee-High Boots
By Monique Jessen
Originally posted Saturday August 23, 2008 09:30 PM EDT
Photo by: Kevin Mazur / WireImage
Sitting on a diamante "M" throne in a fringed black leotard and over-the-knee leather boots, Madonna kicked off her Sticky and Sweet tour Saturday night at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in Wales, opening with "Candy Shop."
The 40,000-strong audience was in for a night of treats, including onscreen appearances by Kanye West, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, who dueted on "4 Minutes."
The image of rapper West encircled the stage for "Beat Goes On" as fans screamed and Madonna cruised through on a white vintage convertible car.
Spears made her virtual guest spot during "Human Nature," writhing while trapped in an elevator as Madonna played the guitar. The popster departed with her trademark line "It's Britney B–!"
Madonna switched themes multiple times, going sporty for "Into the Groove" in diamante-encrusted shorts and a hoodie, and invoking the Far East for a segment that had her in a cage with computer-generated water gushing around it. "La Isla Bonita" turned the stage into a Mediterranean street party with Greek dancing and a flamenco solo performance.
While fans went wild, husband Guy Ritchie was lending support backstage, according to the singer's rep, who also said Madonna had spent the day rehearsing. "She's been putting the finishing touches to some of the dance routines today, in a good way, she's a perfectionist!"
The 50-year-old singer pulled out all the stops, even using a video interlude to send a political message with images of peace campaigners, Al Gore, Bono and Barack Obama mixed with scenes of war-torn continents and poverty.
Religious messages flashed on the screens behind her for a remixed house version of "Like a Prayer," which was met with mass cheers.
At one point the singer shouted to the crowd, "This is the bit where I take requests," and started singing "Express Yourself" – then changed her mind. "F– that s–. I choose the songs."
After two hours, Madonna left the stage as the screen flashed "Game Over."
The singer heads back to London before traveling to France to continue the tour around Europe before arriving in New Jersey on Oct. 4.
-
never mind I'm changing it to this
AMSTERDAM - 2nd Sept - FAN report/pics/video
in ARCHIVE - Madonna
Posted
'I should take you guys on the road with me!'
Madonna played the fifth show of the Sticky & Sweet Tour at the Amsterdam ArenA on Tuesday night, a great show, with some mistakes which made it a little bit more special for fans!
madonnalicious attended the show and noted that Madonna appeared to be far more chatty than at the Cardiff show. Obviously the crew are getting more comfortable with the show as they perform it for the fans.
During Human Nature Madonna messed up the lyrics and jokingly yelled at the crowd infront of the catwalk that 'You guys made me mess up!'. During Into The Groove she gave a quick speech saying she was going to do some special double-dutch skipping for Amsterdam, and some feet got tangled in the ropes but the dance carried on - later she said to the crowd: 'Just because I f*cked up my jump rope, doesn't mean you can f*ck up your singing' just before she got the crowd to sing the song.
Obviously impressed with the crowd during the Express Yourself sing-along Madonna said: 'I should take you guys on the road with me!'
Here are some fan reports from the show - to read the full versions visit the Amsterdam Fan Reviews page.
From Divamayday:
Madonna looked fabulous and rested and you could she she really enjoyed it herself.
She was so into it that she made mistakes with her words about three times. She even said to the audience you make me mess up my words!
Madonna talked to her audience quite alot and said it was the best crowd so far. When Vogue started it just went to the next level. The new version was amazing, simple and clean but strong and powerful.
I went home after the show and I kept thinking what the hell did I see, it was so much and I already forgot half of it. Just today I realised what this woman did. She let everybody know that she's not done yet and has energy of 10 people.
From Stef:
She took time to interact with the crowd asking if we had a suggestion for a song we would like to hear. Then she said 'What about Happy Birthday for me?!' Everybody cheered and sang to her.
Madonna also made a few jokes, she sang a few lines of Express Yourself and then she said 'Don’t you just hate men who can’t express themselves and then you get hung up on them?' Then the song (rock version with her on the guitar) of Hung Up came.
From Tom:
This tour was very different then the last one in my opinion. It was clean, less polished. Her voice wasn't that much supported and the band seems more like a band instead of a tape. And I like that. It was back to basic and her voice sounded great!
M spoke, yelled, ooo-ed and aaah-ed and tried to make contact with the crowd from the beginning. So, either she listened to the critics and really tried to make it work or she was just in a good mood. She 'shined' the whole evening.
She said 'You are the best crowd so far' and you could see that she meant that and it was her own doing.