Madonna Celebration Tour....looks amazing

It looks like her face has settled and she's lost some weight.

I’m happy for her and all the ticket buyers

Wow! She looks great.

UH- Mazing! Can't wait till she comes to town. Love you Queen!

How’s her voice?

Holy shit. It does. I might go. She looks human and sounds good.

Tonight's setlist

Madonna proving people wrong again

What is this, 1984?

Remember these words when the inevitable disaster strikes.

Looks surprisingly good!

What about Lolahole? 😫

No Express Yourself, No Material Girl, No Papa Don't Preach, No Sorry, No Frozen, No Borderline?

Que pasa?

I like the setlist and have never seen her in concert but I HATE when the crowd sings along all the time. JFC just shut up and listen to the performer. I know I'm old :)

R13, Madonna usually changes things up at each tour stop and adds or drops songs from the setlist. Or she might do an impromptu medley of songs for the audience.

She's had so many hits she can't cram all of them into one show.

I love Madonna, but I'm not paying $350 for a concert ticket.

[quote] I like the setlist and have never seen her in concert but I HATE when the crowd sings along all the time. JFC just shut up and listen to the performer. I know I'm old :)

At a Madonna concert you should just be grateful that SOMEONE is singing.

She looks fantastic and the concert looks like a real experience.

The setlist R7 posted is amazing! What a long list of hits from 4 decades and still many of her hits aren't included. I will be very interested to hear the acoustic version of I Will Survive.

Glad it's all worked out.

Concert breakdown:

r17 For $350 you will need binoculars. Get with it, good seats for big shows are never under $600 a pop

I must admit, given her recent history I doubted her ability to put on a great concert but she proved me wrong.

The last time I went to see Madonna in 2016 the ticket cost $500. 00.

I must say that she earns because she never stops and every concert is a memorable show experience.

*I must say that she earns it...

I truly hope she is doing better. It certainly looks like it.

Only 20 minutes late....nice to see her punctuality is improving.

I have seen her three times in concert. The Reinvention Tour was excellent, but the last two tours supporting shit albums were very disappointing.

Singing Bad Girl, with her daughter Mercy on piano. Everything is perfect. No notes.

Oops... I meant to post this clip.

Bad Girl was the best video she ever did

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

I assume it will eventually be on HBO/Max.

Sad, last tour.

How can you judge anything at all about this concert experience from one 5 second clip. Patently ridiculous stanning.

r34 I saw a bunch of videos, any one of them was superior to the Rebel Heart tour.

Why end a show like that with two duds? Who wants to hear "Bitch, I'm Madonna" or "Celebration"?

Bad Girl, Nothing Really Matters, Bedtime Story...

Fuck, now I want to go!

Sad last days....

Live to Tell, with screen-projection portraits of friends and others lost to AIDS was very poignant, especially when the portraits turned to collages of dozens of portraits, then multiplied to several dozen more.

Another angle of Live to Tell.

Thank you for those clips. R40 is very impressive mis en scene.

Here are a million pictures from the Daily Mail, which I have thoughtfully archived so that you do not have to go to the site. Lots of costume changes, lots of dancers, the works.

How did she drop all the weight? Also she obviously removed the butt implants.

Honestly R34! - there are images, videos and concert attendee comments/reviews of the show all over the internet, media and social media.

I take back my snark. Now that I have seen longer clips I am impressed.

For 65, Madonna looks fantastic and she looks in control in that link R44.

[quote]How did she drop all the weight? Also she obviously removed the butt implants.

Being hospitalized and near death will keep one slim.

I wasn't interested in this show, but now I'm wanting to see it. Perhaps a final chance to see her perform this kind of full length concert, live on the road.

The Live To Tell tribute was very poignant.

I know it’s picky of me given that she looks a lot better overall but I hate her tacky, too tight costumes.

My God she has more solos than Liza in The Act.

Wow she looks amazing and more like her old self again! Not bad for 65. Even though she's "slowing down" the pace of the show, it's actually showing off her voice on more ballads, and you can tell that she's been working hard on vocals.

When you look past Madonna in that photo at R44, and look at the audience, you see the faces of Datalounge. Haha!

Ha ha R53! That's exactly what I thought when I looked at it too. "Oh! - look at all those Dlers in the background" involuntarily went through my mind.

But damn Madonna looks good.

How are her ticket sales? For those saying they changed their minds and want to go now, are there any tickets left?

Jabba must be seething.

Good.

Everything is sold out apart from a few tickets here and there R55.

Confirmation she removed the ass implants?

Maybe that health scare was a big wake up call?

From Variety:

The whole sickness thing was fake so she wouldn't have to compete and fail against Taylor and Beyonce. I guess if you're into nostalgia acts, go see her.

[quote] I guess if you're into nostalgia acts, go see her.

You can't get a ticket. Try seeing Janet. I hear there are plenty of seats every night, every stop.

Hasn't that been cancelled now due to poor ticket sales and lack of public interest R61? Her last tour was also cancelled for the same reasons.

BBC concert review >

I wonder what she was performing here

She's an older woman now and she accidentally let one rip R64. A little compassion, if you will.

Seriously though, I'm not seeing the great performances so many others do. I will say, to give her credit,she really does seem to love her adopted kids as much as her biological kids, for what that's worth.

[quote] I will say, to give her credit,she really does seem to love her adopted kids as much as her biological kids, for what that's worth.

What a stupid thing to say. Why wouldn't she? There's no difference. They are her children, no matter whether biological or adopted.

You're pretty ignorant R66 if you think parents always treat adopted kids like biological. You're also a cunt.

Biological kids are often damaged goods. Many should've been abortions. That's just the cold hard cruel fact of the world.

R60 doing TINA

Her adopted son is better. He may be desperate for attention like most teenagers but he’s going to be a handsome man.

I've always like the Bette Davis Dup of Vogue. Sneaking into the Polo Club in Hartford. Dancing my ass off to this with my BFF Rachel. 16 with a fake ID.1991. Good times!

[quote] Bad Girl was the best video she ever did

Yes, one of the best.

Really good setlist, opening with Nothing Really Matters, brilliant idea, I think that song is so underrated. I would probably leave during the last 2 songs. True Blue and Power of Goodbye added at some point would be perfection.

Woman knows how to put on a show.

I really like Nothing Really Matters R73. Very underrated and the video is great too. Madonna looked fantastic in it.

I’m so relieved to see her first of all looking like herself again, and secondly rising from the ashes of whatever the hell has been up with her for the past couple of years. I genuinely feared the worst when it came to this tour. Go Madge!

She's lost quite a bit of weight.

(Possibly from having liters of diseased liver fluid drained from her body, a la Judy Garland.)

It also looks like she has bingo wings and is letting a tranny manipulate her pussy and boobs.

No telling what they've got Granny Gussie hopped up on.

That setlist is fantastic, though, I really hope she adds Express Yourself. Seeing her in LA next year. It will be my first Madonna arena tour since 2001!

R77 Gosh, that's shocking. Are you telling me Madonna is doing something sexual?

God bless you gay boysl,

Good for her and I hope that she can pull this tour off. From the photos and video clips, I actually recognize the Madonna I know. Great set list. I'd actually like to catch a show when the tour comes state side.

I'm no fan of Madonna, OP, but I'm happy and excited for you that you're seeing her in December. We NEED our divas. Now more than ever, child.

I know DL is generally quite anti-Madonna and pro-schadenfreude but I’m genuinely happy to see her finally pull it together. Her decline over the past 5 years was thoroughly depressing to watch, and I never imagined she’d be able to pull it together for one show much less a tour. Especially after her recent brush with death. But she actually looks like herself again and the show is getting 4/5 star reviews. I find it strangely comforting that Madonna is back to being Madonna.

[quote] You're pretty ignorant [R66] if you think parents always treat adopted kids like biological. You're also a cunt.

No, you're the ignorant one. And you were probably beaten by your parents for good reason.

Whatever you may think of Madonna, she was instrumental in formulating the acceptance of gay men in society.

Well, she’s certainly grown into the role.

R13 She’s done all those songs every tour. Even during the Drowned World Tour during her “I hate my old music era”, she did some of those.

Oh R86, go fuck yourself. We took down Anita Bryant by ourselves, without Madonna.

As gay people, we earned our own social progress through activism, outreach and political gains. Will & Grace had more to do with acceptance of gay people than Madonna ever did. Please.

[...]

I have a feeling there will be a few tweaks to the set list by the time it hits the US. Take a Bow or Rescue Me might make the cut.

lol r64 lol 😆

Lots of sitting in chairs during her set.

Well this seals it...I've got to see one of the DC shows now.

Wish she was doing Causing A Commotion.

I honestly didn't think the old girl still had it in her. She has always had excellent physical conditioning but I wasn't sure about her mental state, and was scared by that whole "bacterial infection" business. Kudos to Madge. I may try to see her next year.

I may take a huge crap!

R86 what a stupid comment. Fuck off.

[quote] Whatever you may think of Madonna, she was instrumental in formulating the acceptance of gay men in society.

Indeed. Madonna stood up and celebrated gay men and gay culture in the midst of AIDS hysteria and the suffocating homophobia that accompanied it. I will always have a place in my heart for her. She absolutely did not exploit gay culture, she LEGITIMIZED it at a time when your other favorite divas were looking the other way.

[quote] Lots of sitting in chairs during her set.

I hope so! It's a 3 hour show! I hope the imbeciles who paid all that money for tickets don't stand and block my view the whole time.

[quote]Oh [R86], go fuck yourself. We took down Anita Bryant by ourselves, without Madonna.

[quote]As gay people, we earned our own social progress through activism, outreach and political gains. Will & Grace had more to do with acceptance of gay people than Madonna ever did. Please.

You're so fucking full of shit. Were you even around in the 80s and early 90s? Madonna was there for us. She was the only one, after Elizabeth Taylor, who stood up for us.

[quote]Indeed. Madonna stood up and celebrated gay men and gay culture in the midst of AIDS hysteria and the suffocating homophobia that accompanied it. I will always have a place in my heart for her. She absolutely did not exploit gay culture, she LEGITIMIZED it at a time when your other favorite divas were looking the other way.

Absolutely. I'm a child of the 80s (born in '76) and Madonna was a ray of light in dark, dark, times. I will always admire her for that.

I love that her kids were part of the show. That touches me. And she looks amazing. I doubt there’s a plastic surgeon around who thought she could repair the damage she did to her face with the overuse of fillers. And the weight loss! What a transformation!

My opinion about what Madonna did for gay acceptance is ambivalent. On the one hand she talked about AIDS and the toll it was taking on the artistic community. She put her gay dancers front and center without apology. On the other, she used, imo, gay men in particular as a means to be provocative and rebellious because that was a huge part of her shtick. Not exactly altruistic or respectful, but Madonna isn’t one to be either when it comes to anybody so at least she is consistent. I think that’s part of why her kids performing with her is kind of touching. They are not being used to give the finger or cause chatter. Just being given the opportunity to show their individual talents and interests in appropriate lengths of time during the show.

Her singing on the Rain tune upthread is pretty awful.

R93 better she should take sitting breaks and save her energy for live singing than flailing around the whole time and lip synching the songs. I give her a lot of credit for this comeback and I hope she stays healthy and gives the audiences a great show. It would be nice if she has consideration for her fans this time and doesn’t keep them waiting for hours. That alone would keep me away.

Look--at some point, most female signers end up carried around the stage by chorus boys ala Julie Andrews was the last time she was in Victor/Victoria. So long as she shows up on time, performs good songs, doesn't play guitar, and keeps her chit chat to a minimum, I'm good.

[quote]Her singing on the Rain tune upthread is pretty awful.

So right on brand, then?

Has this been posted? Professional footage from opening night. Love the lighting. And she sounds great.

Bad Girl live

Holiday:

Vogue:

Rolling Stone concert review:

Guardian concert review:

Telegraph concert review:

New York Times concert review:

Wow, she looks human again. And muscle tone! She was always a workhorse, and I think the downtime she had + pandemic did a number for her mental health. With the tour, she had a goal and a purpose again.

However, how long is this tour? Will she able to sustain the same energy the whole time? I guess if Mick Jagger can, she can do.

Incredible. I can’t wait to see her this January in Boston. I had a feeling she would not let the fans down with this show.

She gives Julie Newmar face sometimes. Also hints of Nadja Auermann. And Madonna is short. But I haven't see her legs like this in ages.

The old girl still has it in her!

Maybe she needed this to get her out of her funk

Bad Girl was trending on X/Twitter all day.

It seems to be the show's real standout highlight.

The arrangement on it, along with Mercy's piano playing, is beautiful.

An attendee is quoted in the NYT review that the show had too much talking. But then they had a sound problem so Madonna talked until it was fixed.

Big deal. I plan on running into Janet Jackson at the Panda Express at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort later this month, for her grand spectacular show.

Love this woman! She looks so much healthier ❤️

Madonna’s 11-year-old daughter Estere voguing at the opening night. She's very good.

She’s awesome!!

R124 someone said “whew the talent is hereditary”

Vogue was a huge mess, first show so it'll tighten up in a few more.

[quote]Look--at some point, most female signers end up carried around the stage by chorus boys ala Julie Andrews was the last time she was in Victor/Victoria. So long as she shows up on time, performs good songs, doesn't play guitar, and keeps her chit chat to a minimum, I'm good.

She had a bunch of tricks, sitting A LOT, being carried around, and a turntable where she can just stand there and it moves her around.

That’s nice, R98. I guess you missed the whole of the 1970s. The Village People arrived many years before Madonna ever turned up.

Guess you missed the 1940s, ‘50s & ‘60s when writers like Tennessee Williams, William Inge, Edward Albee, Gore Vidal and James Baldwin challenged and ruled American culture and openly defined a gay identity that founded our long march for liberation many decades before Madonna turned up.

This “baby gay” idea that Madonna single-handedly liberated gay people and cured AIDS is such a nonsense - the suffering and activism itself was the movement. Not Madonna. I mean, educate yourself. Watch All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, for a start. Stop propagating this nonsense.

Madonna probably empowered some gay men to accept themselves, I’ll give her that. But it was likely indirect and not her primary goal. And it’s small beans compared to the bravery and dedication of Elizabeth Taylor who represented actual science, progress, political coalition and truly modelled compassion for the masses in our darkest, darkest hours, in very meaningful ways.

Madonna had a career in the 1980s that ran parallel to the AIDS crisis but even then it was not her sole cause of devotion and she was not the only celebrity at that time to lend support. She was not at the forefront. She was not a leader. Joan Rivers arguably did as much or more for people with AIDS. The Golden Girls probably had more cultural impact on changing attitudes than Madonna actually did. It’s not like those who opposed gay people and revelled in their suffering heard Like a Prayer and said, “Oh, I like gay people now.” Get real. Tom Hanks ultimately did more to change those attitudes than Madonna ever did, which is probably why so many straight people still think Philadelphia was a good film.

Madonna easily threw over gay people when she embraced Kabbalah in the ‘90s, which is something Elizabeth Taylor never would’ve done. Whatever her achievements, Madonna has always been a self-interested narcissist. She’s had some good tunes. But there’s no need to rob entire generations of people of their committed efforts and hard won, lasting achievements just to aggrandise some pop star.

[quote] Joan Rivers arguably did as much or more for people with AIDS.

Bitch, please. On July 13 1987 Madonna brought her "Who's That Girl World Tour" into Madison Square Garden and did the whole stadium show as a benefit dedicating it to her friend Keith Haring raising $400, 000. What the fuck did Jon Rivers do?

Really, R101? So you were 10 years-old in 1986 and you think you saw some dark, dark times? Give me a break. Try spending the whole of your 20s and most of your 30s during the 15 years of the AIDS crisis, from 1981 - 1996. What did you do? How many marches and assemblies did you attended? How many communities did you feed? How many friends, and friends of friends did you bury? How many times did you get tested during those years, waiting weeks to find out if you’d live or die? How much of life and love did you miss out on?

I guess you had your Madonna records.

Fuck you, was I even around in the ‘80s? I was in it for every day of my adult life, you turkey. What an imbecile.

Watched all the YouTube clips from opening night. Love the staging on Like a Prayer and Live to Tell tribute to those that past made me tear up. She looked healthy and happy to be there. 🤍

[quote]This “baby gay” idea that Madonna single-handedly liberated gay people and cured AIDS is such a nonsense

But nobody said this.

For someone who once set the pace for concerts—I remember a female friend and I had to watch the Drowned World tour live on HBO back in the day, even though neither of us were really fans, that's how big Madonna was—her effort here seems kind of chintzy and lame compared to Taylor Swift's recent extravaganzas.

(And I don't like Taylor Swift.)

Well, Taylor Swift is literally half her age and Madonna just weeks ago was at death’s door. I’d far rather go to see a Madonna concert, though, Taylor is about as interesting as unbuttered toast; I will never understand the hype.

True r135.

It's kinda like kissing your sister.

Madonna's second show at O2 started roughly an hour late due to technical difficulties (camera issues), and ended abruptly at 11pm, going past the venue's Sunday night curfew of 10:30 pm. After performing "Rain," Madonna said "Goodnight" and the show was over. Attendees are pissed.

This looks fantastic! So does Madonna. Like the Madonna I remember. I'm sad she she isn't coming to my country or I would have gone to this.

Attendees were not pissed

Agreed, R134. People are getting excited about a show that looks to have achieved the same production standards as an episode of The X Factor. Seems like her real creative advisors have abandoned her. Oh well, we all move on.

Watched several clips and it’s obvious she’s singing along to recorded vocal lines. Fair play to her. She looks healthy. I prefer the look of this slatternly, kind of blowsy Madonna to the over-aerobicised version of the past.

It does seem like kind of a footnote to the mega-sized Taylor Swift tour - claims that Madonna is still the Queen of Pop sound quite hollow - but she’s done her time. She’s still got a lot of dates to get through.

I just can’t imagine that by the time the tour comes to NY in December and January she’ll still be in top form.

[quote]Really, [R101]? So you were 10 years-old in 1986 and you think you saw some dark, dark times? Give me a break. Try spending the whole of your 20s and most of your 30s during the 15 years of the AIDS crisis, from 1981 - 1996. What did you do?

I was a gay kid growing up amidst the AIDS crisis and homophobia. It had a tremendous impact on me and every other gay kid my age.

[quote]Fuck you, was I even around in the ‘80s? I was in it for every day of my adult life, you turkey. What an imbecile.

What a bitter thing you are. AIDS impacted everyone, those of us who were kids at the time were also scared to death, and we got a lot of shit from our peers.

I was 12 back then and vividly remember thinking I would never live to see 30.

AIDS, and the reaction to it scared the fuck out of us 80s kids.

In some shots when she isn't wearing the knee binding, rather hose, you can see glistening high tech golden metal swooping down her thigh and around her knee. Very flat. Is she cyborg, now?

I asked my dad one time if he’d like to take me to see Madonna in concert. He said “I’d rather watch a flock of sparrows devour a pile of cow flop”.

Your dad was a fucking poet r146

R145, you're right. It might be some sort of FES bandage. Or she's hiding bruises.

JFC r129/r131 when was the last time you changed your tampon?

R148, if you look at photos from Taylor Swift's tour (and I'm not saying that you should), you can see that she always wears extremely shiny high-compression tights. I assume Beyonce does this as well; you never see any veins or bruising or anything else indicating that she is human. I think that Madonna is wearing that type of leg wear in that photograph; the fishnets are worn over them. That weirdly shaped metallic glow is from the lights hitting the shiny surface of whatever artificial material they are made out of.

They look like bandages.

R150 your eyes is mistaken. It is some kind of tape based knew brace. Not the glow of tights. Sheesh!

knew = knee

[quote] That’s nice, [R98]. I guess you missed the whole of the 1970s. The Village People arrived many years before Madonna ever turned up.

[quote] Guess you missed the 1940s, ‘50s & ‘60s when writers like Tennessee Williams, William Inge, Edward Albee, Gore Vidal and James Baldwin challenged and ruled American culture and openly defined a gay identity that founded our long march for liberation many decades before Madonna turned up.

[quote] This “baby gay” idea that Madonna single-handedly liberated gay people and cured AIDS is such a nonsense - the suffering and activism itself was the movement. Not Madonna. I mean, educate yourself. Watch All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, for a start. Stop propagating this nonsense.

Oh, gurl...The Village People?!

Your ignorance is breathtaking.

What has Nan Goldin have to do with any of this?

It's definitely kinesiology tape-she must have had it made gold just for her.

They’re those athletic support pads that you stretch, put on and then they squeeze back together and give you muscle support along whichever muscle you place them. All sorts of people wear them.

I just wrote a lengthy review in the other thread. The show is a complete mess. She mimes 90% of it. No live band, no backup singers. They just press play. The computer kept fucking to and they had to restart the show. It has a great setlist but the show makes no sense. Bob the Drag Queen is featured non-stop and is unbearable. Madonna either sits or stands moving her arms. She is wobbly and barely there mentally. Her miming is off too. “Bad Girl” is the highlight and she sings it live. Very, very well done. How much of the show was reworked due to her illness, I don’t know. She sits for Vogue while they do a drag off. She judges. The show was definitely done on the cheap. It’s worth going as this could be the last show she does. The ticket price is ridiculous once you see how little in the way of production it has. She admitted that she wasn’t expected to live a few months ago. Just be prepared that this isn’t a show to her standard. It still not sold out so you have a good chance of getting a ticket. They released more tickets the night of at the 02. I loved hearing the songs in a big venue, especially ones she seemed to be avoiding for years. It’s just that the performances weren’t there but it’s understandable given the circumstances. Oh, and she’s been on time so far.

There’s a bit in the show where a dancer dressed up as her Blond Ambition Show past, wearing a rubber mask, masturbates her.

I’m surprised that she’s showing her arms as they’re basically big flappy wigs. She looks every bit her 65 years. I was shocked that she didn’t take her tits out or something. It was pretty tame overall.

This thread is full of Madonna’s ass kissers.

Madonna looks really good in R159's linked pics.

[quote] she’s showing her arms as they’re basically big flappy wigs

She wears wigs on her arms?

She saw Beyonce's Renaissance Show in NJ in July. I am sure that took the wind out of her sails. She knows she cannot compete with a spectacle of that scale -- even though she basically invented the pop star spectacle tour. But she is giving it her best shot.

Beyonce has 1/3 the talent of Madge, however. So I think Madge wasn't too crushed by the gaudy spectacle.

Beyonce NEEDS the gaudy spectacle to cover up her screechy voice.

R154, if you’re the arbiter of intelligence, I’m not at all concerned about my ignorance.

You haven’t said one thing of any relevance on this thread.

[quote] Beyonce has 1/3 the talent of Madge, however. So I think Madge wasn't too crushed by the gaudy spectacle.

Tell your doctor you had a psychotic break and need new meds.

[quote] [R154], if you’re the arbiter of intelligence, I’m not at all concerned about my ignorance. You haven’t said one thing of any relevance on this thread.

From the cunt who thinks the Village People celebrated gay culture?! Stay unconcerned...

[quote]Bob the Drag Queen is featured non-stop and is unbearable.

Every clip I've seen, you hope he falls off the stage.

Sorry, you infected gash, please make your case that with songs like Y.M.C.A. and In The Navy, plus their cosplay, that The Village People were celebrating straight culture. Go ahead. Make your low I.Q. case.

We’re waiting.

I hope the show is recorded and please don’t let her edit it. The last three shows she edited are horrible! I miss the live telecast shows. No quick shots or dubbing. You got warts and all. A much more realistic experience. Unfortunately, Madonna is too vain for that. Thank god for fan recordings.

[quote] Sorry, you infected gash, please make your case that with songs like Y.M.C.A. and In The Navy, plus their cosplay, that The Village People were celebrating straight culture. Go ahead. Make your low I.Q. case. We’re waiting.

Make my case?!! You stupid fucking whore! The Village People and their songs LAMPOONED gay men and their sexual 'perversions.' Their allusions to homosexual sex at the YMCA and in the Navy were considered a joke. At best they reduced the entirety of gay culture to having sex in a filthy locker room at the YMCA. Of course, you're probably too dumb to know that prior to 2009 you could be expelled from the Navy based on a mere allegation of homosexual conduct. Nevermind that the Village People NEVER identified as gay men until well after the 80s, they were a non-entity and completely out of the picture when AIDS was ravaging the gay community. No thinking person with knowledge of 80s gay life or gay culture has ever cited the Village People as a move forward for gay men. Comparing them to the influence Madonna had on popular opinion of gay men and gay culture is something only a moron who is too simple-minded to feel shame would ever even attempt to do.

Someone uploaded the entire concert (blue knee brace) on Youtube. She didn't talk about blow jobs during her early years. i'm at, "Burning Up", and she sounds okay- it's weird to hear not the sped up Minnie Mouse version.

Holiday has everyone wearing big black full length cloak jackets which is the last thing one would wear on a holiday. And then a dancer "dies" at the end, and she covers him up with the jacket.

R174, and after Holiday is Live to Tell and Madonna's tribute to the victims of AIDS. So the big, joyous celebration comes to a tragic end.

Given the amount of surgery Madonna has had (and I agree it finally has been straightened out a bit, given the unfiltered concert footage), I was surprised that her upper arms show some "bat wing"-yness. Other than that, she does look great. However, based on all of the YouTube footage I have seen so far, I feel like this concert has some growing pains to work out as it gets rolling, beyond the London shows.

I was contemplating buying tickets, but I'm at the end of Erotica, and it's been pretty meh so far.

Here's the full concert in quite good HD quality. Video is just under 2 hours in length.

R176 After a certain age, it's difficult to correct batwings on women's arms.

She insists on "playing" the guitar each show now.

[quote]Given the amount of surgery Madonna has had (and I agree it finally has been straightened out a bit, given the unfiltered concert footage), I was surprised that her upper arms show some "bat wing"-yness. Other than that, she does look great.

You see her on a low res YouTube video, up close she looks like a 65 year old woman.

[quote]up close she looks like a 65 year old woman

It's about fucking time.

Give her a break, she's in her mid-60s and is doing a major career tour retrospective/spectacle, months after being really ill. No one was chastising the Stones for going out on tour at that age, way back in the early 2000s.

What the hell was she thinking with that Bob The Drag Queen mess? Hopefully he is temp helping get the bugs out of the first shows.

R184 exactly he’s a zero talent idiot in a dress. Fucking annoying.

Madonna has been hanging out with young ghetto trash for years, now. They are her circle of friends and her influence. Sad fact.

[quote]ghetto trash

Ew, R186. Why don't you just say the N-word, like we know you want to.

Madonna was an hour and half late tonight. Back to her old ways.

R183, what are you talking about? Madonna is not The Rolling Stones. She will never be in their league. Age has nothing to do with it. You’re either prepared for a show or you aren’t. Mick Jagger isn’t on stage looking like he’s about to croak any minute. Madonna isn’t bad but this show is messy and Madonna looks off. I’ll cut her a break due to her recent hospital stint, but still, she had years to plan this. Every night there’s some technical glitch.

Age and sexism have a lot to do with it r189. Come on. No one gives old Mick tons of grief for being the wrinkled, slower elder man he clearly is these days. He may be very professional, and in very good shape, but physically he looks every bit his 80 years. Look at his face! But no one is going on about his "arm wingflaps". Don't get me started on Keith Richards.

My post at r183 was mostly about the commentary directed at her physical appearance, and her age. Not her chronic tardiness or professional ethics (which are clearly suspect at times).

R190 oh god. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING? I’m so sick of hearing this IT IS BECAUSE SHE IS A WOMAN! bullshit.

People always make fun of Mick and Keith for looking old and gross, and have for decades. Tons of men are made fun of for their appearance as they age. Dumbfuck “victims of the patriarchy” like you are always ignoring criticism of straight men and screeching if anyone dares criticize Madonna, a public figure, and her self-inflated blimp face, or any other attention whore who demands unwavering worship from her peasants. Women do all that bullshit for other women and gays. It’s not some misogynistic conspiracy. You hate men and see women as infallible, because you’re insecure and envy masculinity, which surely you have very little of. Get a fucking clue, you woke virtue signaling douche bag.

Mick Jagger has been a joke since 1981.

r190 bitch please. Madonna's male counterparts/contemporaries like Prince, Michael Jackson and George Michael all needed to be freakishly talented musicians, dancers, singers and songwriters to have equal the amount of success as Madonna, while Madonna really only needed to be a slutty music video vixen. Prince and MJ were involved in music since birth, Prince played every instrument and Michael performed professionally by age 10. Madonna did not need to have ANY of that and she was still able to be at the same level as them.

R193 spot on, also see Britney Spears.

R193 I’m sure R190 is spinning her wheels to blame modern slutiness on the patriarchy. I don’t know a single straight guy who bought Britney Spears albums, watch her videos on MTV sure, but the main consumers were gays and girls. Straight men would bang Sarah Plain & Tall if that was the standard. All the peacock tactics of makeup and slinky clothes are solely women trying to outdo each other. Women should fix their own toxic community, but they can’t take accountability.

Madonna's music is miles above Britney Spears. Madonna was never a great live singer but she put out a lot of catchy well done music and had years of good taste about what would be popular. I don't think she was the creation of any other musical mastermind. She's the one who pulled it all together, all the visual and musical talent, to make her a superstar. That's her talent.

[quote] Age and sexism have a lot to do with it [R189]. Come on. No one gives old Mick tons of grief for being the wrinkled, slower elder man he clearly is these days. He may be very professional, and in very good shape, but physically he looks every bit his 80 years.

And he doesn’t have his ass out. Stop with the ageism and sexism nonsense. Madonna presents herself as a sex kitten. Mick is not getting masturbated and eaten out on stage. You know who is - Madonna. If Mick did that, not only would he be criticized, people would be calling him a pedophile for doing it with dancers 4x younger than he is. Madonna gets away with a lot because she’s a woman. No one criticizes Cher for touring, nor did they criticize Tina Turner. Madonna simply chooses to be raunchy, and that’s always going to raise an eyebrow regardless of sex or age. Look at Sam Smith. Nuff said.

[quote]You see her on a low res YouTube video, up close she looks like a 65 year old woman.

I mean... she [bold]IS[/bold] a 65 year old woman R181.

[quote]Madonna presents herself as a sex kitten. Mick is not getting masturbated and eaten out on stage. You know who is - Madonna.

While her kids are backstage waiting to go on.

R199, we were all thinking about that as she told the audience that she gave blow jobs for showers and apparently two nights ago she had a guest judge for the drag off on stage with her. Madonna’s twin daughters perform in this and Madonna had the guest open her legs so she could get humped and eaten out by the dancers. The guys were in jockstraps nude with their asses out. This show is not for kids and my god, doing this drag bit with underage children on stage - isn’t this hurting that community? This is the stereotype. This is what has so many people in an uproar in regards to drag. Leave it to Madonna to pull a stupid stunt like this. Wait until the show hits the US. The media will have a field day and in this case rightfully so. It’s disturbing. Her daughters are like 8 or 9 years old and all this sex and nudity shit is going on right in front of them on stage. They’re not backstage. They’re right there included in the performance. It’s not cute.

Saw her last night.

Good but not great. Staging lighting dancers and costume were fabulous. Music? No live band. Big mistake. Mainly done with the original backing tracks - so it was unimaginative and lazy. And that is even with Stuart price doing the music. She was an hour and fifteen minutes late. People were leaving before the end because they would not be able to get home. There was an over long and uncomfortable Michael Jackson tribute. And a weird character dressed as her from the past wearing a gimp mask that fingered her on a replica of the blond ambition velvet bed. Bob the Drag Queen...hard to see why he was there to be honest.

There were some truly great moments. Live to tell was stunning and made everyone cry - it was a tribute to all the friends she lost from aids. She sang Nothing Really Matters for the first time. Her 4 Malawi kids were in the show. She sang Bad Girl to the piano being played by Mercy - another highlight.

But she ended with Bitch I’m Madonna? Did a pointless cover of I will survive. She did a montage of the blond ambition dancers which was well received. But she missed a lot of tricks. No Lucky Star, No Papa Don't Preach, No Express Yourself. Some of her iconic songs missing but she put in Bitch I'm Madonna and Celebration? Only one song from Confessions (Hung Up)?

6/10

[quote]She sang Bad Girl to the piano being played by Mercy - another highlight.

Did she really play or was it a recording? Listening to the YouTube videos it seems the sound was off. Did you leave with your ears ringing?

Not good that she’s already started with the being ridiculously late. They have all day to get ready for curtain time, what the heck.

[quote]Mainly done with the original backing tracks - so it was unimaginative and lazy.

Strange.

For years, DL has complained that she reworks her songs to the point of them being barely recognizable so now when she does it like everyone has claimed they wanted, she gets slammed for that....

Link R203?

There's nothing Madonna could do which would be right R204. No matter what she does - it's always wrong.

This is pretty good:

Gloria Gaynor approved.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

Why does it always look like a she has no idea what she is doing with that guitar?

[quote] And that is even with Stuart price doing the music.

I’ve never liked him. The Reinvention Tour sounded so thin and cheap. He’s just computer. Said computer keeps fucking up and stopping the show. Can anyone explain why Human Nature segues into Crazy for You?

Sorry, I (R209) forgot that was a Daily Mail link. The point I was trying to make was that starting late helped Madonna cut four songs from her performance. If a performer is starting to feel run down, I can see how that might be a way out.

Farewell Tour

What exactly is she doing that makes her go on so late? Is it pathological? Is she doing it on purpose?

214 her nightly blood transfusion is taking longer than usual

R214, The second night, supposedly one of the front cameras was malfunctioning, so the show started an hour late. She finished at 11pm, thirty minutes past O2's Sunday night curfew, so that's going to cost her.

The fourth night, the show again started over an hour late, supposedly because Madge was stuck in traffic as there was an awards ceremony nearby at the Troxy. She finished the show at 11:26 pm, nearly 30 mins past the weeknight curfew, so that's another fine.

God forbid she show up an hour or two early and get her shit together backstage.

Why can't she set off early and have a quiet room with a bed to lie on before the show? Do singers take something to give them energy/focus before a show?

R218 yeah...coke

Interview with Stuart Price about their approach to the music and how he adapted and mixed original tracks (including previously unheard elements of some of the tracks) for the show's live mix. I'm definitely in the 'always would prefer a live band' camp, but this sounds pretty cool.

Any idea how much a dancer might get paid per show for working for a big star like Madonna?

Strange, R220.

DL assured us awhile back that Price and his wife hated Madonna and vowed never to work with her again.

I do love this mix of Love Profusion.

[quote]God forbid she show up an hour or two early and get her shit together backstage.

Hey she has to cook supper for the kids and help them with their homework.

R220 what happened to the days when the dancers were hot?

Stuart Price sucks. This is basically a karaoke show. She needs a band, not some dork with a computer.

London audiences are the worst. They stood there like zombies, talked through the show ignoring her. Then they started laughing when she talked about what was happening in Israel. Then there’s the curfew shit. She didn’t want to start this tour in Europe and for good reason. The UK has been over her for over a decade and it shows. We won’t really know this show’s full setlist until she’s out of there which is coming up.

Hottie Daniel Sabili is there but now he’s all drag and enby.

R227 the UK has been no more 'over her' than anywhere else. She arguably stayed popular for longer in the UK and still got radioplay long after the US had relegated her. Plus I doubt more than a minority of the audience were 'ignoring her'. Not at those prices!

R220 I find it amusing that the soi-disant beautiful freaks in her Tod Browning Dance Corps are so self impressed with their unique and cutting edge looks. To me they all look dated and very Hot Topic Rustbelt meets port city on the Caspian Sea.

r230- she had a few flat chested women dancing with the guys with the long black hair and palazzo pants number. They were all topless.

Meets Sea Queen and Mrs Pauls

She'll be dead by January

Making out with dancer. Doesn’t she know Covid is back?

R227 Stop talking crap you idiot.

She got quite emotional after singing 'Mother & Father' in Antwerp tonight. Hope she's doing okay.

Meh. We'll see how long she holds to her touring schedule.

Prediction: Not long.

R237 - do you mean Madonna will cancel like Janet Jackson always cancels her tours because of "throat cancer"?

(*Throat cancer is code for poor ticket sales and lack of public interest.)

Poor ticket sales and lack of public interest isn't something Madonna has to worry about.

Same old, same old. You'd think that people would learn.

Yes, R238, Vadge has different issues but they are equally irresponsible and rip off her fans.

Take a look at R239, this is just the beginning of Vadge's fuckery on this tour.

Has she cancelled yet?

It's inEVITAble!

Did she mean she's not feeling well physically? Or mentally? I have sincere empathy for her. I think she is finding the state of the world hard to bear, like many of the rest of us. Plus her physical body is betraying her at every turn. And on the other hand, no one forced her to do this tour.

Her "body is betraying her" how? By remaining alive and aging rather than being dead? That's not betrayal, did you think she wasn't a human being?

She’s got a cold or something. Her energy level was completely depleted.

People were walking out of the Stockholm show. They’re really not putting up with her lateless anymore and Bob the Drag Queen is annoying as fuck.

The dumb bitch keeps using the Danish flag for Sweden. She did this 3x.

Oh dear God, R246, however will we live with ourselves? Who cares.

[quote] Who cares?

Um... People in Sweden, you airhead.

R248 gives R247 the only possible and absolutely correct answer, bitchslapping a somewhat 'tarded R247.

Well done to you, R248 ('tards can't be permitted to run amok).

No it doesn’t- not at all. I’ve loved her music over the years. I can listen to it- rather than watch a kitschy diminished performer strut a bit while costumes dancers etc mingle around her with lots of lights and smoke and noise.

R246 is that Rocco with her ?

She's pulling the hours late start again? Why won't the press call her out on it?

Weren't the first couple of converts plagued with technical problems R252? She's not been late since from what I've heard.

'This is exactly what you don't want to happen on your opening night, so this wasn't planned, I'm sorry,' the pop superstar told the fans, according to Metro.

R248 if that’s the extent of their problems, I’m sure the Swedes will survive, MARY!

Everyone’s a Swede at Madonna’s show!

If anyone so much as points out the difference between Sweden and Denmark to Madge, she'll scream ageism, patriarchy, sexism and every other ism she can to deflect and compensate for just how uninvolved and disinterested she is in the places she's playing.

Stfu

Is this thing still on?

The tour is now in Paris.

In Lisboa, she was joined by her friend Jon Kortajarena.

If she cranks the key down on these tracks any further she's going to sound like Barry White

Does she have anyone over 30 on stage with her? I get Kortajarena is nearing 40, but he looks eternally young here. Unlike Madge.

Does she not realise that being surrounded by so many young 'uns only emphasises her age.

R261, Jean-Paul Gaultier, 71.

Damn what a tenacious and strong woman. She definitely proved me wrong. Go M go.

This show is pretty much irrelevant at this point. The public isn’t talking about it. The press isn’t interested. It’s not even due to backlash this time, just her irrelevancy. She looks very uninterested to boot.

R264, Where do you live? The tour is still in Europe. We'll be hearing about it more once it hits North America.

A couple of my favorite performance art creepazoids were there! Love Fecal Matter!

R265, we’ll hear that it’s here but it’s not going to spark intense interest. It still hasn’t even sold out. People are bored of her. Hell, she seems bored of herself.

The show doesn’t even have a tourbook. She did the minimal. There no live band, no backup singers, the costumes look cheap, she took no promotional photos nor filmed anything for backdrops. I like the setlist but this is not her best work. She can barely move. She’s also miming the majority of the show.

r266, I think that is the first time that I've seen them smile and have a good time.

God, R264 needs to get shot

R264 what are you talking about? Are you Janbot? The tour has been all over the press here and getting brilliant, sometimes 5 star reviews. Following her recent brush with death there seems to be an uncommon amount of goodwill toward her.

R271, no, dear. It’s gotten the usual review at each stop. It’s not getting anywhere near the press of Taylor Swift and Beyonce. This is supposed to be Madonna’s biggest tour ever, a summary of her entire career. It’s had lame coverage. That’s why there are still tons of tickets available. I love the setlist, btw, but she really half-assed this show. No one wants to watch Bob the Drag Queen as her co-star for two hours.

Agree with R264. It received scant coverage beyond opening night in UK. Some of the tabloids were hoping to bash her for lateness, but on the whole, it generated a great big 'meh'.

There will no big movie like Taylor and Beyonce.

^^^ She'll re-release In Bed With Madonna on blu-ray for the nth time. Just to remind us all that she was the OG when it came to 'spectacle before singing' in the women who 'rawk' category.

R275, you mean, Truth or Dare. Stay in your lane, tea bag.

[quote]you mean, Truth or Dare. Stay in your lane, tea bag.

"Truth Or Dare" AKA : "In Bed with Madonna" (Ireland, English title) "In Bed with Madonna" (Japan, English title) "In Bed with Madonna" (United Kingdom) "In Bed with Madonna" (France) "In Bed with Madonna" (Germany)

Go to bed and let the adults talk.

I never understood why they changed the title only in the US

She gets a lot of unnecessary shit about her singing, but this vocal coach is impressed.

[quote] Stuart Price sucks.

He's fantastic at sound and audio engineering, so his recordings sound great. Probably doesn't translate well to a live setting with poor acoustics.

"I Will Survive"

Is there no beginning to her originality?