A compelling show: an insight into Madonna’s life through drag queens, musical hits and her children!
By Stevie Adams
Madonna is a pillar of the music industry, with four decades of hits, from Get into the Groove in the 80s to her super hit Hung Up in the 2000s. In January, when the Queen of Pop announced her greatest hits tour consisting of 78 shows, it left everyone with questions. Can she possibly perform every hit? Is she still able to do 78 shows? On Saturday the 14th of October, a sold out O2 arena found out the answer to the question on everyone’s mind. Can she still do it?
The show opened with Bob the drag queen taking to the stage, who is best known for starring in RuPaul’s drag race. The star appeared on the stage to the instrumental of the hit ‘Material Girl’, exclaiming how we were here to witness ‘the most famous lady in the world.’ The screens behind flashed iconic moments such as the famous kiss with Britney Spears at the VMAs and montages of her music videos. To the audience’s surprise, the drag queen yelled how this was not a concert but a celebration, almost magically disappearing to reveal Madonna’s arrival with ‘Nothing Really Matters.’ To the audience’s delight she had strong vocals as she sang the lyrics which referenced her lifetime in the public eye.
Madonna ended the song to an ovation from the ecstatic audience. She had taken to the stage, 40 years into her career and at the grand age of 65 she was meeting the standard she had been setting throughout her lifetime in the public eye. Madonna dramatically left the stage, and a timer took to the screen, starting at 2023 and flashing backwards to 1982 before the singer returned in new attire. It was clear to the audience they had been transported back to the 80s as she immediately burst into ‘Everybody’ with perfect vocals and to the delight of the audience, a simple yet still thrilling dance routine. Madonna followed this by more smash hits of the 80s such as ‘Into the Groove’, ‘Burning Up’ which featured her rocking out on a guitar and ‘Open Your Heart’. She finished this off with the song that started it all – ‘Holiday.’ The audience was thrilled. Madonna was here, and oh could she still do it!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Madonna concert if there weren’t provocative moments that left everyone wondering, ‘Did she really just do that?’ This was no different. The show featured topless women dancing the intense ‘Hung-Up’ routine with her, or men doing suggestive dancing around her during a ballroom scene in ‘Vogue’. This element of the show caused controversy in the audience, which Madonna is no stranger to. Some people had almost disgusted expressions, wondering that a 65-year-old would include such things in her show, whilst others were happy to see that she still showcased what her career has consisted of, even the moments people most dislike. Madonna made it clear that she planned to showcase not only her most famous moments on this tour, but also her most infamous.
Something the show did in a perhaps more tasteful manner was tributes. There were a variety of tributes to music legends such as Freddie Mercury, Prince and Michael Jackson. The singer showed images of Freddie Mercury and fellow AIDs victims as she flew through the sky singing her ballad ‘Live to Tell’ which encouraged the audience to have an emotional reflection and to pay respects to the famous faces. However, Michael Jackson’s tribute seemed almost opposite to this, as it showcased the silhouettes of the icons dancing to a mix of ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Like a Virgin’. As the performance ended, a message from Madonna took to the screen, paying tribute to the king of pop and expressing how he is never forgotten.
At the heart of this phenomenal show was Madonna’s family. Whilst talking about her near-death experience over the summer, she explained how her children were key to her recovery and at the heart of everything she does. This was reflected throughout the show as her children joined her on stage in various key moments. Her eldest daughter Lourdes was seen on stage ‘judging’ the dancers and holding up boards with numbers on as they all took to the stage during ‘Vogue.’ One of these dancers was Madonna’s 11-year-old daughter Estere who performed jaw dropping choreography. Her other children were seen performing with her in other areas of the show, such as her 18-year-old son playing the guitar and another 17-year-old daughter played the piano for one of her more slow sections.
As the show neared its end, it was clear that she planned to go out with a bang. As the beginning of her song ‘Give me all your Luvin’ (which chants Madonna’s name) filled the stadium, the dancers marched onto the stage. On closer inspection they were all wearing iconic Madonna outfits, whether it be from the Material Girl music video, or her Superbowl halftime show outfit. Madonna then arrived and broke into ‘Bitch I’m Madonna’ which slowly changed into ‘Music’ and then ‘Celebration’. This was a clear celebratory moment as she performed these hits that went down a treat with the crowd. ‘Celebration’ ended with the music stopping and Madonna exclaimed: ‘Bitch I AM Madonna’. It seemed the answer to the questions and doubts everyone had. She was Madonna, and she could do it. In the same quick style as she had arrived, the Queen left to a roaring reaction from the crowd.
Leaving the O2, the message was clear. The questions were answered, and everyone left knowing one simple fact. Madonna’s reign as the Queen of Pop is far from over.
