Dindi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The Telegraph Madonna at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium: Review Madonna seemed to have a point to prove last night. By Isabel Albiston at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Last Updated: 12:36AM BST 24 Aug 2008 'Sticky & Sweet' is Madonna's first world tour since she hit the road in 2006 with 'Confessions' Photo: AP A week after turning 50, when most of her peers would still be shaking off a hangover, the untiring pop star performed the first of 51 shows across Europe and America. The tour promotes Madonna’s current album Hard Candy, which topped the charts when it was released in April. She opened with two fast-paced tracks from it, making her entrance to Candy Shop on board a moving throne, legs spread open. Her voice sounded shaky as she strutted across the stage in a Givenchy-designed one-piece, fishnets and knee high boots. Establishing the gangsta-pimp theme of the first quarter of the show, a cane-wielding Madonna was joined on stage by dancers in raunchy bondage–style costumes. The “Old School” phase of the show was much more fun and Madonna seemed on surer ground. It kicked off with an energetic performance of Get Into The Groove with schoolyard skipping rope dance routine that hinted at how the muscular star maintains her remarkable physique. Other re-workings of her old hits included a guitar-heavy rock version of Borderline and striking New York subway train visuals on the track Music. There were times when Madonna seemed strained and she lacked the effortless confidence of previous years. In the opening half of the show, she struggled to involve the crowd, who responded half-heartedly to her newer tracks. Her voice was stronger when she wasn’t attempting to keep up with her dance troupe. But the energy picked up during La Isla Bonita, when she skipped around the stage at the head of a procession of violin players. The pace continued with a high-energy, crowd-pleasing rendition of Hung-Up. “Sticky & Sweet” is Madonna’s first world tour since she hit the road in 2006 with “Confessions” — the highest grossing tour by a female artist. Two years later, Madonna’s biceps are no smaller and, with the news that 100 pairs of fishnet pantyhose have been procured from eBay for the artist, her costumes no less raunchy. Ricardo Tisci of Givenchy, Stella McCartney and Roberto Cavalli are among the 36 designers who have contributed to the tour wardrobe. With tickets for last night’s Cardiff gig costing between £65 and £160, it will be no surprise if this extravagant production by the world’s most successful female recording artist of all time goes on to break more records. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessie Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 OMG SHE IS SHOWING HER ABS ON TOUR!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boytoyville Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 All in all the reviews are good so far & I think as the tour continues they will only get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boytoyville Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 "Semi filled stadium" Oh dear I think they ended up selling 40,000 plus tickets compared to the 55,000 plus from Confessions but one of Madonna's reps today said to that stupid Andrew guy on the live blog thing that they intentionally put less tickets onsale so people had a better view of the show. Whe knows if that is PR or not I mean really only the billboard boxscore will tell. No doubt that there was more interesy in Wales during Confessions as she had never performed there before. I think with the VIP boxes selling out as well as the hot tickets etc...they made more than enough profit to justify the venue. Can't wait to get the final stats though just out of curiosty. Someone posted a shot of the stadium right before the show started & it did actually look pretty full but there definitly was some room on the bottom level for people but the top tiers were sold out. Wembely however is going to be a very different story. There actually really are very very few seats left. Only tix for that day left are in the upper most tier & they were all full until they just opened up a new side viewing section w a paritally blocked view of the stage a couple days ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Lecter Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 UK SUNDAY MIRROR http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/latest/2008...15875-20708803/ "MADGE-IC" (front page photo) Madonna kicked off her Sticky And Sweet world tour in Cardiff last night a week after her 50th birthday. But age proved no barrier to Madge who delivered an epic show with eight costume changes. Fans who had paid up to s160 for tickets and flown from all around the world, were taken on a high-energy trip through her career. Madonna split the show into four: Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave. She arrived on stage in a sexy black outfit for opening number Candy Shop. Husband Guy Ritchie was spotted in the crowd as his wife changed into a white top hat and appeared in a white limo for her second track Beat Goes On. Britney Spears famously snogged on stage by Madonna showed up for third song Human Nature but not in person. She appeared on a huge screen above the stage - trapped in a lift, wearing a hoodie and looking disturbingly like young Madonna. For Bond theme Die Another Day the dancers acted out a full-on boxing match in a full-size ring on stage. Madonna lap danced around a pole in red hot pants to her early hit Into The Groove, then sang alone from the centre of the stage for an emotional performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's You Must Love Me - from Evita. But the highlight came during She's Not Me when four dancers dressed as Madge through the ages came on stage. For two hours, the Queen of Pop reworked songs from her 25-year history. The colossal roof at the Cardiff venue was closed to keep the rain out - and to make the sound even louder. Rap and R&B stars Kanye West and Pharrell Williams put in virtual appearances alongside Britney, but there was never any doubt who the real star was. With another 50 dates to go around the world, Madonna's back with a bang. sean.hamilton@sundaymirror.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Lecter Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 UK NEWS OF THE WORLD STICKY IT TO THEM http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/incoming/article17895.ece More than 40,000 fans in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium gasped as the superstar singer emerged wearing sexy black Givenchy bodice, black hotpants, fishnet stockings and knee-high lace-up boots. Surrounded by four male dancers in top hats and suits, she shouted: “All right, Cardiff? That’s what I’m talking about!” The pop icon had kept her fans waiting, kicking off the Sticky & Sweet show more than half an hour late at 9.05pm with a video playing on four giant screens across the stage. The film of a pink and white candy production line accompanied her opening track, Candy Store. Next up was Beat Goes On, with Madonna standing in a white convertible car which drove 60ft out into the crowd on a runway. Then she whipped off her bodice, twirling it round her head before launching it into the crowd and revealing a see-through black top. Madonna then showed her versatility, picking up a guitar for third number of the night, Human Nature. Old favourites such as Into The Groove, La Isla Bonita and Like A Prayer were scheduled for later in the show, which was split into four parts with video interludes to allow for costume changes. The sexy fishnet tights which figure in many of those costumes are all bought second-hand by her staff after scouring eBay and dance shops. Madonna’s team have snapped up 100 pairs, including her famous net leggings and old-style weave pantyhose. They will take 30 wardrobe trunks to each venue after work on costumes from 36 different designers. But the most staggering statistics from the tour surround the fortune it is generating. Madonna is raking in a jaw-dropping £153.45MILLION from the Sticky & Sweet tour. The Material Girl will be making £3,568,023 for each of the 43 two-hour gigs—that’s £29,733 every MINUTE she’s on stage. It was thought her hubby—Lock, Stock director Guy Ritchie—was in the stadium to watch his wife in action last night, despite rumours their eight-year marriage is on the rocks. In July, Madonna denied planning to divorce Guy after being linked with American baseball idol Alex Rodriguez. It had been claimed Madge had even introduced separated ‘A-Rod’ to her mystical Jewish religion Kabbalah. But Madonna said: “My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce. “I know Alex Rodriguez through Guy Oseary, who manages both of us. I am not romantically involved with him.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dindi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 abcnews.com Madonna Kicks off `Sticky and Sweet' Tour in UK Madonna and her 250-strong entourage launch `Sticky and Sweet' tour in Wales By JOEL RYAN Associated Press Writer CARDIFF, Wales August 23, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Even at 50, the queen of pop just can't stop courting controversy. Madonna performs on stage at the premier of her 'Sticky and Sweet' tour at Cardiff's Millennium... (AP) As Madonna kicked off her international "Sticky and Sweet" tour Saturday night, she took a none-too subtle swipe at the presumptive Republican nominee for U.S. president. Amid a four-act show at Cardiff's packed Millennium Stadium, a video interlude carried images of destruction, global warming, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe's authoritarian President Robert Mugabe — and U.S. Senator John McCain. Another sequence, shown later, pictured slain Beatle John Lennon, followed by climate activist Al Gore, Mahatma Gandhi and finally McCain's Democratic rival Barack Obama. The rest of the show had the usual Madonna fixtures: sequins, fishnets, and bondage-style outfits drawn from the 3,500 items of clothing reportedly whipped together by 36 designers specifically for the tour. Dancers sauntered across stage in top hats and tail coats, and Madonna tried her hand at break-dancing and pole-dancing. Some 40,000 fans — many in pink cowboy hats and boas — were treated to a heavy metal version of "Borderline," while "La Isla Bonita" served as backdrop for a flamenco routine. The show, billed as a musical mishmash of "gangsta pimp," Romanian folk, rave, and dance — was an homage to Madonna's continuous reinventions over the past three decades. She took a playful take on her variegated career, mocking dancers dressed as her previous incarnations — including the "Material Girl" and "Blonde Ambition" — before they sank into the stage to the tune of "She's Not Me." Madonna finished off the concert with her thumping "Give it 2 Me" from her new urban-inspired album, "Hard Candy." If the world's top-selling female recording artist is still writhing, shaking and shimmying with the best of them, her personal life has recently been unsettled. Earlier this summer her brother Christopher Ciccone published a gossipy memoir, and she has faced speculation about her relationship with New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriquez and rumors that her marriage to British filmmaker Guy Ritchie is on the rocks — which she hotly denies. Madonna's tour was eagerly anticipated in Britain, where the pop superstar has made her home, and fans weren't disappointed. Madonna performs on stage at the premier of her 'Sticky and Sweet' tour at Cardiff's Millennium... (AP) "We enjoyed it to the max," said Ruth Henson, 24, who works in human resources in London. "Madonna, considering she's now 50, is so fit. She did a really good job." Following Cardiff's opening concert, "Sticky and Sweet" moves across Europe, hitting London's Wembley Stadium on Sept. 11 and Paris on Sept. 20. From there, it goes to North America in October before wrapping up Dec. 18 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is Madonna's first tour since striking a deal with concert promoter Live Nation Inc. worth an estimated $120 million over 10 years. The partnership gives Live Nation a stake of future music and music-related business she generates, including touring, merchandising and albums. Madonna's last tour was her 2006 "Confessions" — in which she staged a mock crucifixion only a few miles (kilometers) from the Vatican. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dindi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Mirror.co.uk Madonna's showstopping Sticky and Sweet tour kicks off with a bang By Sean Hamilton, Showbiz Editor in Cardiff 24/08/2008 Madonna kicks off "Sticky &Sweet" tour Madonna kicked off her Sticky And Sweet world tour in Cardiff last night a week after her 50th birthday. But age proved no barrier to Madge who delivered an epic show with eight costume changes. Fans who had paid up to s160 for tickets and flown from all around the world, were taken on a high-energy trip through her career. Madonna split the show into four: Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave. She arrived on stage in a sexy black outfit for opening number Candy Shop. Husband Guy Ritchie was spotted in the crowd as his wife changed into a white top hat and appeared in a white limo for her second track Beat Goes On. Britney Spears famously snogged on stage by Madonna showed up for third song Human Nature but not in person. She appeared on a huge screen above the stage - trapped in a lift, wearing a hoodie and looking disturbingly like young Madonna. For Bond theme Die Another Day the dancers acted out a full-on boxing match in a full-size ring on stage. Madonna lap danced around a pole in red hot pants to her early hit Into The Groove, then sang alone from the centre of the stage for an emotional performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's You Must Love Me - from Evita. But the highlight came during She's Not Me when four dancers dressed as Madge through the ages came on stage. For two hours, the Queen of Pop reworked songs from her 25-year history. The colossal roof at the Cardiff venue was closed to keep the rain out - and to make the sound even louder. Rap and R&B stars Kanye West and Pharrell Williams put in virtual appearances alongside Britney, but there was never any doubt who the real star was. With another 50 dates to go around the world, Madonna's back with a bang. sean.hamilton@sundaymirror.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boytoyville Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Wow, all the reviews keep positive. Keep them coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitch Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Hello, boyos: Madonna kicks off the first leg of her world tour The undisputed Queen of Pop has kicked off her latest world tour with a dazzling and extremely athletic performance in Cardiff. Madonna took the stage at the 75,000 capacity Millennium Stadium on Saturday night for the first date of her Sticky and Sweet tour. The decadent show, which involved £1million of jewellery, saw her perform many of her greatest hits as well as indulging in eight costume changes. Exactly one week after her 50th birthday, the pop superstar arrived onstage dressed in a Givenchy outfit in a vintage white American car for the first section of the four-part show. Labelled 'Pimp', the opening sequence was recently described by the Material Girl's publicist as a homage to '1920s deco and modern day gangsta pimp'. Madonna followed up that segment of the concert with Old School, a tribute to the urban dance music of early 1980s New York, the environment from which her star first rose. The remaining two sections, Gypsy and Rave, saw the toned singer defy her age by continuing to deliver a high-energy performance over a two-hour concert. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...world-tour.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yummy Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Madonna Starts 'Sticky And Sweet' Tour In Wales Madonna Even at 50, the queen of pop just can't stop courting controversy. As Madonna kicked off her international "Sticky and Sweet" tour Saturday night in Cardiff, Wales, she took a none-too subtle swipe at the presumptive Republican nominee for U.S. president. Amid a four-act show at the packed Millennium Stadium, a video interlude carried images of destruction, global warming, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe's authoritarian President Robert Mugabe -- and U.S. Senator John McCain. Another sequence, shown later, pictured slain Beatle John Lennon, followed by climate activist Al Gore, Mahatma Gandhi and finally McCain's Democratic rival Barack Obama. The rest of the show had the usual Madonna fixtures: sequins, fishnets, and bondage-style outfits drawn from the 3,500 items of clothing reportedly whipped together by 36 designers specifically for the tour. Dancers sauntered across stage in top hats and tail coats, and Madonna tried her hand at break-dancing and pole-dancing. Some 40,000 fans, many in pink cowboy hats and boas, were treated to a heavy metal version of "Borderline," while "La Isla Bonita" served as backdrop for a flamenco routine. The show, billed as a musical mishmash of "gangsta pimp," Romanian folk, rave, and dance, was an homage to Madonna's continuous reinventions over the past three decades. She took a playful take on her variegated career, mocking dancers dressed as her previous incarnations -- including the "Material Girl" and "Blonde Ambition"-- before they sank into the stage to the tune of "She's Not Me." Madonna finished off the concert with her thumping "Give it 2 Me" from her new urban-inspired album, "Hard Candy." Following Cardiff's opening concert, "Sticky and Sweet" moves across Europe, hitting London's Wembley Stadium on Sept. 11 and Paris on Sept. 20. From there, it goes to North America in October before wrapping up Dec. 18 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1003842039 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Topaz Scorpio Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 There is already a thread for reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yummy Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 There is already a thread for reviews. Opps, didnt c it. Merge if u will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XtremeMadFan Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Kinda a blah review for Billboard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldtooth Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Kinda a blah review for Billboard? It's not really even a review so much as just stating what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skin Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Lynne, wearing her best silky cowboy shirt and pink, flashing angel wings, is outraged. 'It's bollocks, that's what it is,' she said. 'One and a half hours late and she still hasn't bothered to come on stage? It's disrespectful. I've driven down two hours from Birmingham. This just isn't right.' Two seconds later...... 'This is more like it!' Lynne screamed. 'This is what I came for. I never doubted her really. Madonna rocks. There's no one like her. No one. She's an icon. Her best is yet to come.' Typical bipolar Madonna fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XtremeMadFan Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 It's not really even a review so much as just stating what happened. Good point. The rest of em sound good. I so can't wait till November!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camacho Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 My wallpaper now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camacho Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 never mind I'm changing it to this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camacho Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 People.com 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dindi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The Press Association Cardiff hails Queen of Pop Madonna 5 hours ago For a woman who has just turned 50, Madonna could be forgiven for being obsessed with time. In her first concert since reaching the milestone, a ticking sound and images of clocks punctuated the opening night of her Sticky and Sweet world tour. The message "Game Over" filled screens around the stage as she left on Friday night, but her energetic performance - which including skipping, pole dancing and break-dancing - would seem to suggest her career is anything but. Madonna sealed her position as Queen of Pop by entering the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on a throne in a glittering black Givenchy outfit before revisiting classic looks and hits during a two-hour set. The only thing some fans could be rightly disappointed with was a lack of controversy, after her last tour saw her suspended on a crucifix. The diverse production was not without drama however, with Britney Spears making a much-anticipated appearance on a video screen. A film of CCTV-style footage showed her trapped in a lift, wearing dark glasses and a hooded top. Britney whispered: "Express yourself, don't repress yourself," as Madonna sung Human Nature - one of many in which she also played guitar. A raunchy version of Vogue set pulses racing at the stadium, with dancers in bondage clothes and black masks contorting at the front of the stage, before fans revelled in a heavy metal version of Borderline. Madonna took the 1980s streets of downtown New York as her inspiration for Into The Groove, given a high-energy dance treatment that saw the star take part in a skipping contest before pole dancing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dindi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 nydailynews.com Madonna rocks hard, wears little in Sticky and Sweet start by Jim Farber Saturday, August 23rd 2008, 11:30 PM Madonna brought her usual sexuality and energy to the stage in Wales on Saturday to kick off her Sticky and Sweet tour. She may have just sailed past the half-century mark, but that didn't stop Madonna from dancing hard and fast in skimpy clothes for two hours nonstop at the opening show of her Sticky and Sweet tour Saturday night. No slack in the star's sexuality or energy was apparent at the icon's show before 40,000 fans at the new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Madonna showed "the energy of a woman decades younger than her," wrote the WalesOnline.com Web site correspondent. Reuters wrote: "The singer defied her age." The 22-song event moved briskly through four elaborately theatrical segments, opening with Madonna appearing on a queenly throne while performing her recent song "Candy Shop." That salvo moved to a section dubbed "Pimp," an homage to the art-deco movement of the '20s and the gangsta style of now. There were no fewer than eight costume changes, featuring the work of designers ranging from Tom Ford to Stella McCartney to Roberto Cavalli. After the "Pimp" tease, Madonna, backed by 16 dancers, moved into a nostalgic "Old School" section about her roots in the early '80s downtown New York scene. Next, Madonna adopted a Gypsy look, mixing in traces of Romanian folk music. For the finale, Madonna morphed into a "Rave" section, featuring her highest-energy dance numbers, like "Ray of Light," while dolled up in clothes influenced by the futuristic fashions of the current Far East. She drew heavily during the show from her new "Hard Candy" album, performing no fewer than nine of its 12 tracks. But she also included hits as vintage as "Into the Groove" and "Borderline." The Sticky and Sweet tour, with 49 dates through December, will spend the next month in Europe and the U.K., then open here Oct. 4 at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands. It then hits Madison Square Garden on Oct. 6, 7, 11 and 12 - with all local shows already sold out. Promoter Live Nation has claimed the tour is on track to gross $250 million. They've got a lot at stake: The tour marks the start of Madonna's 10-year, multiformat recording contract with the company, worth a reported $120 million. jfarber@nydailynews.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camacho Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 BBC 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dindi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Not suprisingly, raves about the press photos on Perez. More Sticky Sweetness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dindi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The Money Times Madonna and More on the first day of International ‘Sticky and Sweet’ tour by Samia Sehgal - August 24, 2008 - 0 comments Some things get better with age. No wine it is, but half-a-century old Madonna proved she can give some 20-year-olds a run for their money as she kicked off her Sticky and Sweet tour with a power-packed performance on Saturday night at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in Wales. The pop queen decided to go a little off track for £85 a ticket and a crowd of 40,000. It was about Madonna and more. The audiences were treated to a video interlude carrying images of destruction, global warming, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe's authoritarian President Robert Mugabe — and U.S. Senator John McCain. Contemporary artists like Kanye West, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake made onscreen appearances. Also, there were clips of Beatle John Lennon, followed by climate activist Al Gore, Mahatma Gandhi and finally McCain's Democratic rival Barack Obama. On-stage presentation involved a crew of 250, 16 dancers, eight costume changes and £1m of jewellery. The concert, which was homage to Madonna's continuous reinventions over the past three decades, was split into four sections - Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave. Mocking dancers disguised as her previous incarnations — including the ‘Material Girl’ and ‘Blonde Ambition’ put up an interesting display and eventually sank into the stage to the tune of ‘She's Not Me.’ Madonna wrapped it up with ‘Give it 2 Me’ from her new urban-inspired album, ‘Hard Candy.’ She had recently been in the news, facing speculation about her relationship with New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriquez. According to the buzz her marriage to British filmmaker Guy Ritchie was on the verge of collapsing. However, Madonna denied it all; and it just got proved. Guy Ritchie was not only present at the show, but remained backstage to lend support to his superstar wife. During the day, Madonna kept busy to firm up her performance, said a rep for the singer. "She's been putting the finishing touches to some of the dance routines today, in a good way, she's a perfectionist!" After 2006’s ‘Confessions’, Madonna has set out with ‘Sticky and Sweet,’ which will move across Europe in the coming days. She will perform at London's Wembley Stadium on Sept. 11 and Paris on Sept. 20. She is then scheduled to move to the other side of the Atlantic in October, where she will perform at different locations and close on Dec. 18 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Madonna had recently signed a deal with concert promoter Live Nation Inc. worth an estimated $120 million over 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boytoyville Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 WOW, the media response to this tour is even better than the last 2 tours it seems. It's a pretty overwhelmingly positive reaction! It seems like it's just a few fans that are in a tizzy because they didn't get their way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madsexy18 Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 some swedish fan posted a message on perezhilton that Madonna was getting negative reviews in the swedish press..anyone seen any press clippings from sweden?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeMySoul Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 wow the pix are just amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andra Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 ^ Thats my wallpaper right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonski43 Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 And here is a review from the Times. I must agree with some of the sentiment towards the end about meaningless video montages, just like the 'Sorry' montage. Just the usual assortment of clips of world leaders and 'gurus' to show us she cares about things. New songs, same old message, same old money-making machine. She should save the politics for Lourdes and Rocco. Madonna at the Millennium Stadium American singer Madonna performs onstage at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium on August 23, 2008 during the first concert of her "Sticky and Sweet" world tour Madonna opened her ’Sticky and Sweet’ world tour in Cardiff Stephen Dalton Hours before Madonna launched her "Sticky & Sweet" world tour in Cardiff last night, the phenomenal pulling power of history's biggest female pop star was evident for miles around. Heavy traffic tailbacks clogged main roads into the city, while a carnival atmosphere prevailed near the venue, where stallholders enjoyed a brisk trade in pink furry cowboy hats and feather boas. I am still wearing mine. Never mind that the Millennium Stadium was only two-thirds full, or that tout tickets were changing hands nearby for half the original £90 asking price. And never mind that the diva kept us waiting so long (she was more than an hour late) that the excitable crowd eventually began to boo loudly. Yet when she finally arrived, her amazingly taut 50-year-old body wrapped in skimpy burlesque gear and shiny top hat, the sheer totalitarian spectacle silenced all doubters. The two-hour show was divided into four chapters: Pimp, Old School, Gypsy and Rave. As ever with Madonna, dazzling theatrical touches abounded. Most were achieved using brilliantly programmed, billboard-sized, mobile video screens that allowed her to duet with Britney, Kanye and Pharrell – and to dance with no fewer than three virtual Justin Timberlakes. Early in the set, a vintage car materialised during the deluxe disco anthem "Beat Goes On", gliding up and down a catwalk protruding into the audience. Fantastic. Later, during "Spanish Lesson", Maddy’s dance troupe appeared as hooded monks, eventually shedding their robes to reveal brightly hued matador outfits. This jumble of costume changes and disconnected images was often confusing: one minute we were watching a slightly scaled-down version of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, the next a stage musical of "The Da Vinci Code". Maddy’s latest album, "Hard Candy", accounted for nine out of the 22 numbers played. It is a decent record, well received both critically and commercially, but it takes a hefty dose of misplaced self-belief to favour bland filler such as "Heartbeat" or "She’s Not Me" over "Like a Virgin", "Material Girl", "Justify My Love", "Cherish" or half a dozen more ######ling omissions. Throughout the show, Madonna self-consciously referenced the 1980s Manhattan which shaped her early career. There were robotic dancers in glittery crash helmets – Daft Punk meets Damien Hirst – plus chunky hip-hop beats and computer-game graphics galore. "Into the Groove" and "Music" came backed by animated Keith Haring artwork and a superbly realised, graffiti-splattered New York subway train. Meanwhile, Maddy and her team sported Day-Glo legwarmers and performed synchronised skipping-rope dance routines. Highly impressive, in a "Kids from Fame" kind of way. The boldest digression of the evening was the Gypsy section, a full-blooded campfire singalong affair. For "La Isla Bonita" and "You Must Love Me", the latter taken from the musical "Evita", Madonna gathered a band of fiery acoustic players around her, led by Alexander Kolpakov, director of the Russian folk music and dance ensemble Via Romen. Clearly her recent fascination with the gypsy-punks Gogol Bordello has left its mark. Of course, this kind of musical tourism could easily be dismissed as tacky tokenism, a cheap holiday in someone else’s mystery. But in reality it was audacious, surprising and rather splendid. Madonna should consider an entire tour or album featuring gypsy-folk arrangements of her greatest hits. Less convincing were the grating interludes in which she strapped on a guitar to play mildly raucous, ersatz garage-rock versions of classic singles, including "Borderline" and "Hung Up". Oh dear. Not that revved-up riffs should be the sole preserve of male rockers, but Madonna’s flirtation with power chords and feedback had all the plastic-punk conviction of Mel C or Kelly Osbourne. Equally disappointing was the lack of vintage Maddy scandal. There were no mock crucifixions, no simulated lesbian orgies, almost no gratuitous swear words. Instead, we were treated to earnest but meaningless video montages of Al Gore, Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi and – inevitably – Barack Obama. Woolly sentiments prevailed. No religious groups were offended in the making of this show. Closing with an oddly anticlimactic "Give It 2 Me", "Sticky & Sweet" is an archetypal 21st-century Madonna tour: hugely impressive, technically slick, musically uneven, and slightly soulless. Compared to other recent mega-shows in comparable venues, such as those by Prince or Leonard Cohen, it lacks warmth and wit. But in the premier league of sense-battering, unit-shifting, song-and-dance spectaculars, the robot queen of pop remains unrivalled and undefeated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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