The Madonna Concert, 2012 (see Part 1 here)
Two hours of hustling with three grueling subway rides, and we were at last in our seats at Yankee Stadium. We were late for the scheduled time Madonna was to appear, however, as is often the case, the main act was late in going on, so, our efforts were rewarded and we were not Tardy for the Party, but 5 minutes early.
But the tide of good fortune had only just begun. Our seats were very conveniently located under the seating tier above us – we were as far forward as possible and still sheltered from the rain, which was not a downpour but was nonetheless a factor. We did not need any rain gear whatsoever – plastic bags, umbrellas, raincoats, and ponchos were all now in storage for the evening. I was told by two young fans next to me that I would not be disappointed at my first Madonna concert.
Madonna made her stage arrival to a roaring, anticipatory crowd, and the party began. This was my first large arena concert in decades, and it was nothing short of a dazzling multimedia extravaganza. I will not review this concert in detail here – for that, there are many other sources, such as the New York Times review of her American premiere in Philadelphia. Here are excerpts from that review:
A ritual, a blood bath, slacklining, a partial striptease, drummers in midair, traditional Basque harmonies, a psychedelic train ride — they’re all part of Madonna’s “MDNA” tour
Madonna has described the show in a statement as “the journey of a soul from darkness to light,” and perhaps it is. Near the beginning, after tolling church bells and chanting, a gun-toting Madonna is besieged by assailants from all directions and dispatches them in self-defense as giant spatters of blood fill the video screen. In that opening segment she sings about jealousy, divorce and, in “Revolver” — with images of guns and ammunition — about sex as a weapon.
Madonna, at 54, isn’t giving in to pop obsolescence. The concert is a display of energy and nutty inventiveness, with Madonna costumed as everything from baton twirler to folk dancer. Featured among the musicians is Kalakan, a trio of Basque singers and drummers who bring medieval and folky elements to various songs, including a version of “Open Your Heart” that arrived as a kind of Basque jig, with Madonna dancing and singing alongside her son Rocco.
Madonna has been extraordinarily successful in reinventing herself and remaining durable over the decades. A sold out stadium at $189 per ticket says something, even if you are not a fan of Madonna 🙂
Looks like a visually exciting concert (I watched some videos online)…but did you enjoy it as much as you wanted to?? Madonna has been such a spectacular artist, but can she can keep up the quality of her performance at the not old, but not young, age of 54?