Friday, July 07, 2006
Still Materialistic, No Longer A Girl...
My friend Julia went to see Madonna last weekend and sent out a review to her friends about her experience. Since Julia has a one-of-a-kind personality and has had a a fairly extensive career in the music industry, I thought I'd share her insights.
Take it away, J!
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I'm gonna set it off now. Yes, yes 'yall I went to see Madonna "the Material Girl herself" last night, July 2. First let me make this perfectly "clear" I had a wonderful time and thought she and the show was marvelous!!!!!!!
BUT, BUT and WHAT WHAT...
It was very true what I had seen reported that Madonna has the air conditioning shut down to conserve her voice throughout the show. In it's initial stages of this set-up the climate had remained comfortable...but you know this was gonna change. People who know me, know that I like to arrive early for concerts. To be seated comfortably and not feeling rushed or have lighting to find your seat. In doing so for this show, I arrived at 7:25PM and the show was to begin at 8PM. I went to the concert with a co-worker from my job, Vickie, and we were both charged to see Madonna perform.
First up I wanted to get some souvenirs so I went shopping with time to spare. Let me tell you to my surprise when I asked for a t-shirt and was told it was $50. FIFTY, UH FIFTY DOLLARS. I'm not getting a free pair of shoes with the shirt. The shirt didn't come with after-concert-party tickets. It was a regular black tee with a silk screen design and no guarantee that the design would NOT fade in time. I went into Whitney Houston mode and said, "hell to the no!"
Moving along Vickie and I found our seats and they were fairly good where we could see the entire staging without anyone seated or standing to block our view. We chatted and conversed as it is natural to do so about the audience attending. Which was very mixed in age--BIG TIME--there were grandmothers there you know. Culture was very diverse as was fifty percent of the audience in attendance of the alternative lifestyle...GAY! Believe me when I tell you that one gay couple was dressed very 1975ish with shiny hot pants rainbow socks and one of the guys was carrying a small disco ball--which was part of the Madonna Concert theme. We were very pumped for the show and the time had drifted into 10 past 8PM with no sight of the show to begin. I'm used to a late start but her show did not begin until 10 to 9. I'm annoyed but I persevere and enjoy the concert.
WHAT AN ENTRANCE!
Madonna was hoisted onto the stage inside a disco ball which surprised everyone and received her immediate cheers. The staging was set-up with a long runway down the center of the main floor and extended staging in the back to the left and right. This could get into a long review, which in a way it has already...so I'll cut to my two favorite performances of the evening.
"Live To Tell" is sung by Madonna as she is strapped to a cross that slowly raises from the floor. I personally feel that reviewers and the press have made too much of this staging. Her statement in this entrance merely depicts suffering. Madonna's staging is elaborate with huge and numerous viewing screens on stage that show images timed to the music. In singing "Live To Tell" she shows pictures of famine and poverty and the screen shows a counter that moves quickly and then stops at the number 12 million. The number is accompanied by a statement that shows 12 million people have died of AIDS in Africa. A Bible verse is quoted line by line and the music comes to a halt. With the audience roaring with applause and standing. The performance is very strong and heartfelt..."a man can tell a thousand tales, I've learned my lesson well, hope I live to tell the secrets I have learned, 'til then it will burn inside of me."
THEN SHE DOES THIS!
"Music"
She's does a few other songs, before she does another costume change. About 6 disco balls are suspended over the stage and she beings to sing "Music" but she's dressed like John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever." It is a high powered dance number replete with Madonna dancing down the runway reaching the end and duplicating John Travolta's dance moves and the famous finger pointing to the ceiling poise. You had dancers all over the stage left and right. Cheering from the audience ensued. MAN THIS WAS OFF THE CHAIN!
To wrap up my comments...she finished the show after 11PM with no encore. I heard throughout the audience that she doesn't do encores. I'm disappointed with that cause she started late. My feeling is that she wanted a lot of the chill in MSG to disappear. Needless to say the sweat and funk had been building throughout the evening. MSG was a nightmare to exit with the escalators not moving and the lines to exit were slow to move. Eventually Vickie and I were guided to additional stairwells that allowed us to exit.
We saw the booty-man outside selling concert tee shirts for $15 and we each bought one and headed on home.
Well I really, really did enjoy the concert and she did sing some old songs such as "Like A Virgin," "Lucky Charm" and she did one of my favs "La Isla Bonita!" A number of the other songs were from current CDs which were good and raised my curiosity to go and get them. I've always wanted to see Madonna and she is part of the three that blazed music in the 80s. Prince (who I see always) and Michael Jackson (who I have seen 3 times) are the other two. They are all the same age...Prince June 7--turned 48, Madonna and Michael will be 48 in August. Madonna is in great physical shape and energetic for performance.
But, I would give it a lot of consideration before I would see her again. Why, you say?
- I spent $100 for the ticket. Not bad but...
- No A/C can get ugly for a show like this.
- Her lateness in starting the show.
- THE BIG ONE...no encore? What up with that?
You know I paid $89 to see Prince 2 years ago. His show was very entertaining and filled with talented musicians. Some of his performance is spontaneous drawing you further in. AND HE ALWAYS does a encore! Jay-Z says it in his rhymes "can I get a encore, do you want more?" Well we always do and it punctuates the performance with icing.
Madonna left her show (cake) dry.
Peace Out - J
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Technorati Tags: music, Madonna, concert
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Take it away, J!
***********************************************************************************
I'm gonna set it off now. Yes, yes 'yall I went to see Madonna "the Material Girl herself" last night, July 2. First let me make this perfectly "clear" I had a wonderful time and thought she and the show was marvelous!!!!!!!
BUT, BUT and WHAT WHAT...
It was very true what I had seen reported that Madonna has the air conditioning shut down to conserve her voice throughout the show. In it's initial stages of this set-up the climate had remained comfortable...but you know this was gonna change. People who know me, know that I like to arrive early for concerts. To be seated comfortably and not feeling rushed or have lighting to find your seat. In doing so for this show, I arrived at 7:25PM and the show was to begin at 8PM. I went to the concert with a co-worker from my job, Vickie, and we were both charged to see Madonna perform.
First up I wanted to get some souvenirs so I went shopping with time to spare. Let me tell you to my surprise when I asked for a t-shirt and was told it was $50. FIFTY, UH FIFTY DOLLARS. I'm not getting a free pair of shoes with the shirt. The shirt didn't come with after-concert-party tickets. It was a regular black tee with a silk screen design and no guarantee that the design would NOT fade in time. I went into Whitney Houston mode and said, "hell to the no!"
Moving along Vickie and I found our seats and they were fairly good where we could see the entire staging without anyone seated or standing to block our view. We chatted and conversed as it is natural to do so about the audience attending. Which was very mixed in age--BIG TIME--there were grandmothers there you know. Culture was very diverse as was fifty percent of the audience in attendance of the alternative lifestyle...GAY! Believe me when I tell you that one gay couple was dressed very 1975ish with shiny hot pants rainbow socks and one of the guys was carrying a small disco ball--which was part of the Madonna Concert theme. We were very pumped for the show and the time had drifted into 10 past 8PM with no sight of the show to begin. I'm used to a late start but her show did not begin until 10 to 9. I'm annoyed but I persevere and enjoy the concert.
WHAT AN ENTRANCE!
Madonna was hoisted onto the stage inside a disco ball which surprised everyone and received her immediate cheers. The staging was set-up with a long runway down the center of the main floor and extended staging in the back to the left and right. This could get into a long review, which in a way it has already...so I'll cut to my two favorite performances of the evening.
"Live To Tell" is sung by Madonna as she is strapped to a cross that slowly raises from the floor. I personally feel that reviewers and the press have made too much of this staging. Her statement in this entrance merely depicts suffering. Madonna's staging is elaborate with huge and numerous viewing screens on stage that show images timed to the music. In singing "Live To Tell" she shows pictures of famine and poverty and the screen shows a counter that moves quickly and then stops at the number 12 million. The number is accompanied by a statement that shows 12 million people have died of AIDS in Africa. A Bible verse is quoted line by line and the music comes to a halt. With the audience roaring with applause and standing. The performance is very strong and heartfelt..."a man can tell a thousand tales, I've learned my lesson well, hope I live to tell the secrets I have learned, 'til then it will burn inside of me."
THEN SHE DOES THIS!
"Music"
She's does a few other songs, before she does another costume change. About 6 disco balls are suspended over the stage and she beings to sing "Music" but she's dressed like John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever." It is a high powered dance number replete with Madonna dancing down the runway reaching the end and duplicating John Travolta's dance moves and the famous finger pointing to the ceiling poise. You had dancers all over the stage left and right. Cheering from the audience ensued. MAN THIS WAS OFF THE CHAIN!
To wrap up my comments...she finished the show after 11PM with no encore. I heard throughout the audience that she doesn't do encores. I'm disappointed with that cause she started late. My feeling is that she wanted a lot of the chill in MSG to disappear. Needless to say the sweat and funk had been building throughout the evening. MSG was a nightmare to exit with the escalators not moving and the lines to exit were slow to move. Eventually Vickie and I were guided to additional stairwells that allowed us to exit.
We saw the booty-man outside selling concert tee shirts for $15 and we each bought one and headed on home.
Well I really, really did enjoy the concert and she did sing some old songs such as "Like A Virgin," "Lucky Charm" and she did one of my favs "La Isla Bonita!" A number of the other songs were from current CDs which were good and raised my curiosity to go and get them. I've always wanted to see Madonna and she is part of the three that blazed music in the 80s. Prince (who I see always) and Michael Jackson (who I have seen 3 times) are the other two. They are all the same age...Prince June 7--turned 48, Madonna and Michael will be 48 in August. Madonna is in great physical shape and energetic for performance.
But, I would give it a lot of consideration before I would see her again. Why, you say?
- I spent $100 for the ticket. Not bad but...
- No A/C can get ugly for a show like this.
- Her lateness in starting the show.
- THE BIG ONE...no encore? What up with that?
You know I paid $89 to see Prince 2 years ago. His show was very entertaining and filled with talented musicians. Some of his performance is spontaneous drawing you further in. AND HE ALWAYS does a encore! Jay-Z says it in his rhymes "can I get a encore, do you want more?" Well we always do and it punctuates the performance with icing.
Madonna left her show (cake) dry.
Peace Out - J
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Technorati Tags: music, Madonna, concert
