First of all, we had great seats.. The stage set was simple compared to the last tour, and relied heavily on specially shot images projected on huge screens behind Madonna and her crew (band and dancers). But somehow, a circus atmosphere prevailed through the entire show which actually made it kind of fun.
When a performer, any performer, has a large back catalogue of hits there will always be a few songs missing from a concert set list and someone will be disappointed. I could've done without a few tracks from the last album "American Life" (which I hated!) but she more than made up for them with powerful renditions of some of her best known hits. The highlight for me was "Burnin' Up" which I always felt should've been a rock song. Well she rocked alright, tore it apart with screaming guitars. Even the light pop of "Material Girl" was given a rock makeover and the result was pure pop/rock perfection.
Madonna sounded and looked fanstastic. Except for the severe thigh muscles, which were thankfully covered up later by several costume changes. She did overdo the whole Kabbalah shtick (yawn!) with a series of Hebrew scripts projected onto the screens during "Like A Prayer", and a silly t-shirt that read "Kabbalists Do It Better" during "Papa Don't Preach". I was reminded by my companions that in the original video from 1986 the t-shirt read "Italians Do It Better". Whatever..
The big surprise was a moving cover of John Lennon's immortal "Imagine", which was accompanied by images of children ravaged by war and famine around the world, and ended with quick shot of a young Palestinian boy playing with an Israeli boy. That was nice of her, I thought.
Overall, it was a fun concert with a wild and enthusiastic crowd. If you get a chance to see her in London this August, do not miss it because you never know.. it could be her last tour.
Eee-hah! I know someone who went to the concert! Yippee!
ReplyDeleteSo you had lots of fun while in the good ol' West. I think it's good of you to not wish us all dead. What with the media telling us what to think, we all think you guys are crazed maniacs. Regarding some of those songs, They are my favorites too.
Actually, I think Madonna might have a huge untapped fan base in the Arab world which she may alienate with her newfound Kabbalah. I think a concert in Beirut, Cairo or Dubai would be a total sell-out!
ReplyDeletehey, since uu seem to know.... is madonna jewish now? because i know that kabala has to do with jews? um am clueless here lol
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ReplyDeleteMy interest in Judaism never went beyond the Official JAP Handbook which taught me all about American Jewish humor, guilt, food, dating habits, places of residence (Miami, Long Island, Upper West Side etc.) It was invaluable guide throughout my years at George Washington Univ. :-P
ReplyDeleteOh crap! I was going to delete my double entry and deleted Ibn's entry by mistake. Can you please enter it again? Sorry!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought you didn't want advertising on your blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat I basically said was that I don't think that Madonna is Jewish. Her interest in Judaism or Kabbalah is no indication. For instance, Kabbalah was very popular in the middle Ages in Europe and Hebrew letters (especially the tetragrammaton YHWH) were put in pictures where God was (eg. in a cloud). I too know Hebrew from a year's course I just finished and read the Bible on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean I'm Jewish. I compare this to someone who reads the Analects of Confucius. This doesn't mean the reader is a Confucian.
Also, I said that if anyone wants to know some Hebrew or have a passage translated, don't hesitate to ask, here or at my blog.
It's not the same as learning Hebrew. She lives and breaths Kabbalah. She is or at least was Catholic and now she seems to be Jewish. I went to a Madonna concert last night, and she seemed to be confused about her religious beliefs. One minute she is flashing all of these Kabbalah signs then a picture of Jesus comes up, and then a huge screen portrays a burning cross. She also mocked the United States army which was totally uncalled for. No one paid a bunch of money to go listen to Madonna's messed up politcal views and confused religious beliefs. She is an entertainer, so she should entertain Danm it!!!!!!!!!!! Advice for Madonna: you are famous for a reason, (because you are an awsome entertainer and singer), not for your views and beliefs, no one gives a damn what you think, they just want to hear you sing.
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