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Question: How many Blond Ambition shows were filmed?


material_boy

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I asked this question in another thread, but no one's answered and I'm really curious: How many Blond Ambition shows were professionally filmed?

I ask because Suedehead posted this video of "Where's the Party" from BAT in Boston -- and I had no idea that Boston had even been filmed!

I know Yokohama, Paris, Nice, Barcelona, Houston, and (now) Boston were all filmed. That's six shows. Are there others?

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Yokohama - Japan

Barcelona - Spain

Houston - USA

Bercy (Paris) - France
Nice - France
Those are the ones I know of 100% where the entire show was filmed.
Bercy footage is what was used in BAT but we have never seen the whole show(s) start to finish.
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Suedehead: Looking through Madonna-tv.com after you posted the Boston "WTP" video, and they have a note there that says Boston was filmed but never broadcast. No explanation is given as to why.

They also have video up of "LAP" in Boston:

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Jamesy explained a few months ago that both the NJ and Boston BAT shows were given to HBO prior to the Nice broadcast, and that's where the leaks came from.

Here's what he wrote:

"In the case of Boston & New Jersey - they surfaced not from WB or Madonna - but from HBO. Both those shows had been given to HBO in 1990 in advance of their Nice broadcast - and they leaked out.

For the Houston BA show that leaked (2nd night of the USA tour) there is a story that this came from the concert venue who had kept a copy of the show. I don't know about that..."

http://forums.madonnanation.com/index.php?showtopic=44332&page=2

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Jamesy explained a few months ago that both the NJ and Boston BAT shows were given to HBO prior to the Nice broadcast, and that's where the leaks came from.

Here's what he wrote:

"In the case of Boston & New Jersey - they surfaced not from WB or Madonna - but from HBO. Both those shows had been given to HBO in 1990 in advance of their Nice broadcast - and they leaked out.

For the Houston BA show that leaked (2nd night of the USA tour) there is a story that this came from the concert venue who had kept a copy of the show. I don't know about that..."

http://forums.madonnanation.com/index.php?showtopic=44332&page=2

Awesome! This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much, Gus (and Jamesy!).

Interesting that HBO is the source of the leaks. I hope to see their copies of Girlie Show Toronto and Drowned World Barcelona too.

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Aren't the shows which were never broadcast on TV pro-shot footage from the screens? It that is true, I'm afraid every show is filmed but that doesn't mean they're specifically for live broadcasts... So in my opinion, only Yokohama, Paris, Barcelona and Nice were filmed in order to see the light of day on people's tv sets.

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Guest bluejean

No. It has been discussed that David Fincher filmed a show or shows in Japan. Tokyo I think.

Maybe the ones given to HBO are feeds from the screens but that is still a professional filming even if only using a couple of cameras.

I believe Alek also filmed more than just that one Paris show. I can't remember the details, maybe it was from thebeatswithin blog but I seem to recall him doing test shoots of various shows in Europe as rehearsals. Correct me if I'm wrong!

Then of course there is media footage from many different shows but that is usually just the 1st few songs since they usually made them leave after the 1st 10-15 minutes.

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Guest bluejean

Interesting that HBO is the source of the leaks. I hope to see their copies of Girlie Show Toronto and Drowned World Barcelona too.

Drowned World from Barcelona would be mind blowing. Imagine having a pro shot version with a good hair do :lol:

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Guest bluejean

Isn't that Re-invention from Lisbon that leaked directly from the screens? That's why it has very little audience footage in it.

Wouldn't there be potentially screen footage from ALL the show she's ever done? I mean assuming someone has kept recordings of them. But odds are they haven't!

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Yeah. All her shows since her first WTG concert, were professionally filmed for venue screens (multiple camera angles using broadcast quality equipment and soundboard audio).

Although we don't know for sure, it is reasonable to assume that all were recorded and kept. The video company responsible for these videos also do the same for many many other artists on tour and apparently the video company never keep the recordings themselves.

These videos are not intended for use outside of their main purpose - to show people in concert venues a closeup view of the show. Although excerpts are often used outside of that - most commonly, clips are given to news outlets for their concert reports.

On these videos you rarely see any 'wide shots' of the concert stage or sweeping audience shots - if you think about it, that's cos people watching in arenas or stadiums don't need to see that!

A couple of years ago Michael Jackson's 1988 Bad Tour finally got a home video release - and since (shockingly) no full show had been filmed at the time for home video or TV, their only option was to put out one of the venue-screen recordings. And that's what they did! It is awesome - but it's almost entirely closeup shots and therefore quite different to typically released concert videos.

The same video company shot all MJ shows as has done so for Madonna, and interestingly, it was explained by the MJ estate when they released the Bad Tour, that ALL shows on the tour were indeed recorded onto U-Matic professional tapes at the venues by the video company doing the screen footage and each was handed over to MJ's management after the gig.

It is reasonable to assume the same practice has been in place on all of Madonna's tours since 1987 and therefore we can guess that every show from every tour she has done, might be stord somewhere!

Back to the original question - with regards Blond Ambition, there's no reason they would ever give us one of these shows, because they would never need to. there were a number that were fully filmed for broadcast / release (that do include all the wide-angle shots and audience footage that the others don't):

Confirmed:

Yokohama (NTSC Standard Definiton TV Cameras)

Paris (35mm Movie Cameras)

Barcelona (PAL Standard Definition TV Cameras)

Nice (PAL Standard Definition TV Cameras)

Rumoured:

Tokyo (35mm Movie Cameras)

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Confirmed:

Paris (35mm Movie Cameras)

As usual, thanks for the amazing info Jamesy!

I know they shot the 3 Paris shows for TOD but not sure if they filmed the 3 shows in full or different songs each night, any idea?

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I think it's likely most venues had recorded and kept a copy of most of the concerts they had. At the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, they have a wall dedicated to some of their most famous acts that have played at the Philadelphia sport complex venues, and have footage displayed of the BAT show of Express Yourself.

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They also have the 1st Detroit show shot

mxjS044O14E.jpg

Typically she looks much better here than in the official release where she was channeling her inner Bowie

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Didn't they also record the show on a soundstage for some close ups for truth or dare??

First time i read this...she did that for the Confessions tour dvd though...

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Guest bluejean

Yeah. All her shows since her first WTG concert, were professionally filmed for venue screens (multiple camera angles using broadcast quality equipment and soundboard audio).

Although we don't know for sure, it is reasonable to assume that all were recorded and kept. The video company responsible for these videos also do the same for many many other artists on tour and apparently the video company never keep the recordings themselves.

These videos are not intended for use outside of their main purpose - to show people in concert venues a closeup view of the show. Although excerpts are often used outside of that - most commonly, clips are given to news outlets for their concert reports.

On these videos you rarely see any 'wide shots' of the concert stage or sweeping audience shots - if you think about it, that's cos people watching in arenas or stadiums don't need to see that!

A couple of years ago Michael Jackson's 1988 Bad Tour finally got a home video release - and since (shockingly) no full show had been filmed at the time for home video or TV, their only option was to put out one of the venue-screen recordings. And that's what they did! It is awesome - but it's almost entirely closeup shots and therefore quite different to typically released concert videos.

The same video company shot all MJ shows as has done so for Madonna, and interestingly, it was explained by the MJ estate when they released the Bad Tour, that ALL shows on the tour were indeed recorded onto U-Matic professional tapes at the venues by the video company doing the screen footage and each was handed over to MJ's management after the gig.

It is reasonable to assume the same practice has been in place on all of Madonna's tours since 1987 and therefore we can guess that every show from every tour she has done, might be stord somewhere!

Back to the original question - with regards Blond Ambition, there's no reason they would ever give us one of these shows, because they would never need to. there were a number that were fully filmed for broadcast / release (that do include all the wide-angle shots and audience footage that the others don't):

Confirmed:

Yokohama (NTSC Standard Definiton TV Cameras)

Paris (35mm Movie Cameras)

Barcelona (PAL Standard Definition TV Cameras)

Nice (PAL Standard Definition TV Cameras)

Rumoured:

Tokyo (35mm Movie Cameras)

Tokyo was confirmed though wasn't it?

In any case since we now know they have LOST the Paris tapes I think it's safe to assume shows from the screens has not been archived in any real deliberate fashion. They probably have random things sitting around or for in the hands of HBO and others. For eg Reinvention screen footage got leaked but I'm doubtful Madonna or her team has anything to do with that. Someone probably salvaged it from that company that did the screens.

I find it hard to fathom that Alek was super proud of the Paris footage yet never kept a copy himself. Maybe the bitch never let him have a copy then went and dumped it in the trash or taped over it when filming 'I Am Because We Are' :lol:

Madonna: We need more tape! What's this? *watches BAT Paris footage* Oh, footage from that doco I made in 1990. Let's just record over this!

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In any case since we now know they have LOST the Paris tapes I think it's safe to assume shows from the screens has not been archived in any real deliberate fashion. They probably have random things sitting around or for in the hands of HBO and others. For eg Reinvention screen footage got leaked but I'm doubtful Madonna or her team has anything to do with that. Someone probably salvaged it from that company that did the screens.

You could be right! But I'd like to live in hope and think that possibly all these tapes are stored somewhere.

With Michael Jackson - it was revealed that Nocturne Productions handed pro-tapes to his people after every show and they were all stored somewhere - most of them though either unlabeled or incorrectly labeled. But they did mostly exist 25 years later.

Who knows with Madonna though.

As for Re-Invention - just to clear that one up - what leaked is not strictly speaking standard "screen footage".

It's one edit of what was gonna be the Re-Invention Tour official release.

At the Lisbon shows, HDTV cameras were used to film for the DVD - and they filmed everything in 16:9 widescreen.

On all other Re-Invention shows, the Nocturne venue-screen crew used SD NTSC cameras and filmed in 4:3.

What we got is some kind of version of the 16:9 HDTV footage.

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First time i read this...she did that for the Confessions tour dvd though...

First time I heard BOTH of these things
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First time I heard BOTH of these things

Yep the CT dancers told us in London they had to go to Wembley Arena early one day during the tour cos they were gonna film Jump in the afternoon with cameras on the stage throughout. Something that wouldn't have worked during the live shows!

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Guest bluejean

You could be right! But I'd like to live in hope and think that possibly all these tapes are stored somewhere.

With Michael Jackson - it was revealed that Nocturne Productions handed pro-tapes to his people after every show and they were all stored somewhere - most of them though either unlabeled or incorrectly labeled. But they did mostly exist 25 years later.

Who knows with Madonna though.

As for Re-Invention - just to clear that one up - what leaked is not strictly speaking standard "screen footage".

It's one edit of what was gonna be the Re-Invention Tour official release.

At the Lisbon shows, HDTV cameras were used to film for the DVD - and they filmed everything in 16:9 widescreen.

On all other Re-Invention shows, the Nocturne venue-screen crew used SD NTSC cameras and filmed in 4:3.

What we got is some kind of version of the 16:9 HDTV footage.

Well hopefully! But I feel like MJ was more the type to keep copies of everything so he could wank over it later. Why would Madonna have kept copies of screen footage but not the masterpiece BAT in Paris? She clearly has just turfed this shit aside like it's worthless. I bet she regrets it now though.

Oh and I did not know that about Re-invention. I guess we can see why it was never released. It's not the greatest footage. The sound doesn't sound top notch to me either.

In saying that I am happy with it and am not dying to see an official release of it. I think the Jonas Akerland version in full would have been amazing but I am guessing that was never even shot in full otherwise they would have been inclined to release that?

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Yep the CT dancers told us in London they had to go to Wembley Arena early one day during the tour cos they were gonna film Jump in the afternoon with cameras on the stage throughout. Something that wouldn't have worked during the live shows!

It's the one thing i don't like that much on this dvd...

I love Madonna's face when she interacts with the audience and she feeds from that energy, and some of the close ups on the dvd look kind of weird, most notably the first close up when she emerges from the disco ball, it looks a bit staged.

I remember on S&S they shot the first 2 days the more general takes, away from the stage, last 2 shows they did the close ups, i have to say that the dates they shot the close ups, the cameras were pretty annoying, maybe that's why she sometimes films close ups without the audience.

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Guest bluejean

Well it's a pretty common thing I think.

Frankly I prefer that over all the continuity issues on MDNA.

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Well it's a pretty common thing I think.

Frankly I prefer that over all the continuity issues on MDNA.

Yeah, i agree.

I actually like when they purposely mix shots from different shows with different outfits sometimes, she's been doing that ever since the virgin tour(during over and over there are a couple of shots from behind where she's wearing the black jacket and they cut to closer shots where she's not wearing the jacket), ciao italia is full of things like this, but they respect the continuity of the performance...

On MDNA there are several parts where they use different shows and continuity is not respected at all...oh well

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