Old Metalhead Goes to a Madonna Show
Some of my favorite Philly arena shows have been GNR opening for Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe with a spinning 360⁰ drum kit, Metallica, and Iron Maiden. What do they have in common? They’re all old metal bands because I’m an old metalhead. So, going to see Madonna’s Celebration Tour is a little out of my comfort zone. Sometimes you have to do those kinds of things for your life partner. Here is this metalhead’s review.
LATE?
For starters, Madonna did not go on late. A minute or two of research on setlist.fm provides one with an artist’s previous setlists and the times the sets started. Madonna was averaging a start time anywhere between 9:45-10:15 p.m. Historically, a DJ took the stage an hour after doors opened and performed for an hour. A respectable half-hour intermission followed. In Philly, on January 25th, the doors opened at 7:30 p.m. DJ from 8:30-9:30. Madonna hit the stage exactly at 10:06 p.m.
THE SHOW
The first song, Nothing Really Matters, wasn’t a banger, but I appreciated the fact that Madonna came out by herself to start the show instead of being surrounded by a sea of dancers and special effects.
From that point on, it felt like nothing but nostalgic hit after hit after hit. From the dancers to the maze-like stage design, to the light show, everything was spot-on high-level entertainment value.
Madonna danced—a lot. She’s not the dancer she once was having recently been seriously ill, with a bad knee, and being 65 years old, but she held her own and the choreography never asked her to do too much.
HIGHLIGHTS
Madonna mentioned early in the show the importance of “remembering where we came from.” There is no Madonna without the early support she received from the gay community and clubs. She’s never forgotten that and has always been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ Community.
One of the more powerful moments came with the performance of Live to Tell. Madonna sang the song while hovering above the crowd as screens fell from the ceiling displaying the images of people who had died of AIDS such as Arthur Asche, Keith Haring, and her friend Martin Burgoyne.
Guitar Madonna performing Burning Up in the center of the arena was an unexpected variation of the track and cool to watch.
She drank a couple of Budweisers throughout the night. At one point, grabbing one from a fan. Would’ve been cooler if they were Yards Philly Pale Ales.
A glowing video box emerging from the middle of the floor was visually stunning.
The coolest moment of the night, for me, was an acoustic version of Express Yourself with just Madonna and a guitar.
WORTH IT?
The great thing about the Celebration Tour is that Madonna isn’t promoting a new album. Therefore, you’re not forced to sit through a handful of mediocre new tracks that no one wants to hear. Def Leppard did that to the crowd this summer at Citizens Bank Park. This tour is nothing but hits!
I also found it refreshing to remember days when pop stars felt a bit more provocative and edgy. Madonna sang about controversial topics and made videos that scared parents, clergy, and other authority figures. She promoted marginalized communities. It was nice to be taken back to those days.
I was also proud, as a card-carrying member of Gen-X, to see so many Gen-Xers bring their kids to experience the life and catalog that is Madonna, knowing there would be some uncomfortable moments of sexual content.
Did I get my money’s worth? Yeah. That and more.
I’ll be curious to see if Iron Maiden is as good at Wells Fargo later this year.