Spring Break
Madonna brings it home
by Brad Stern
Staff Writer
Arts | 10/21/08
Posted online at 12:53 AM EST on 10/21/08
The glittery pink gumball rolls down the path, picking up speed as it winds around the twists and turns of the metal track. Suddenly, its path straightens, heading straight toward us. The ball flings itself off the tracks from sheer inertia, spinning faster and faster as the screams grow to shrieks. Finally, the impact: the ball smacks into the massive LED screens in a smokescreen of glitter and dust. As the speckles disappear, the screens glow, spelling out "C-A-N-D-Y."
It's Oct. 15, the first night of Madonna's two concerts in Boston on the Sticky & Sweet Tour. I am standing on the floor level, next to my friend Michael. We are 15 rows from the catwalk. Both of us, equipped with our glittery home-made outfits, are screaming at the top of our lungs. Slowly, the blinking screens turn inward to reveal a casual, smirking Madonna, seated luxuriously atop an M-shaped throne with cane in hand. She might have been singing, but at that moment, I don't think anyone could have heard.
The Sticky & Sweet Tour symbolizes Madonna's final circuit around the world under contract with her longtime label Warner Brothers. In a way, the event marks this finality, as images of Madonna's videos and performances from over the past 25 years flash across the giant screens throughout the night. Many of the dance moves are reminiscent of past tour moments, and Madonna injects many fan favorites into the mix.
But, this is Madonna, an artist who refuses to stay put in time. As a result, many of Madge's classics were glossed with a fresh coat of relevance. While I generally consider myself a purist who favors her original material, I found the updated editions to be excellently crafted. "Vogue" benefited from a nice sprucing-up provided by the horn-heavy backbeat of her latest release, "4 Minutes," while "Borderline" underwent an incredibly convincing rock-and-roll reinterpretation that hearkens back to Madge's rock roots in the 1980s with Emmy and the Emmys. "Music" was injected with samples of Fedde le Grand's "Put Ur Hands Up 4 Detroit" and Indeep's "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life." And, while you'll never convince me that a guitar-fueled rendition of "Hung Up" could be somehow greater than the glittery synth sounds of the original, Madge still managed to rock it out on that purple electric guitar during the show's closing moments.
It's Oct. 15, the first night of Madonna's two concerts in Boston on the Sticky & Sweet Tour. I am standing on the floor level, next to my friend Michael. We are 15 rows from the catwalk. Both of us, equipped with our glittery home-made outfits, are screaming at the top of our lungs. Slowly, the blinking screens turn inward to reveal a casual, smirking Madonna, seated luxuriously atop an M-shaped throne with cane in hand. She might have been singing, but at that moment, I don't think anyone could have heard.
The Sticky & Sweet Tour symbolizes Madonna's final circuit around the world under contract with her longtime label Warner Brothers. In a way, the event marks this finality, as images of Madonna's videos and performances from over the past 25 years flash across the giant screens throughout the night. Many of the dance moves are reminiscent of past tour moments, and Madonna injects many fan favorites into the mix.
But, this is Madonna, an artist who refuses to stay put in time. As a result, many of Madge's classics were glossed with a fresh coat of relevance. While I generally consider myself a purist who favors her original material, I found the updated editions to be excellently crafted. "Vogue" benefited from a nice sprucing-up provided by the horn-heavy backbeat of her latest release, "4 Minutes," while "Borderline" underwent an incredibly convincing rock-and-roll reinterpretation that hearkens back to Madge's rock roots in the 1980s with Emmy and the Emmys. "Music" was injected with samples of Fedde le Grand's "Put Ur Hands Up 4 Detroit" and Indeep's "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life." And, while you'll never convince me that a guitar-fueled rendition of "Hung Up" could be somehow greater than the glittery synth sounds of the original, Madge still managed to rock it out on that purple electric guitar during the show's closing moments.
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