I still remember the very first time I ever heard Madonna. I was eight years old, and my friends and I were playing in a big field near my house. Julie Spencer brought over her boom box, popped in a cassette tape, and hit 'play.' Suddenly, the most fun, joyous melody I'd ever heard sprung forth, prompting us all to dance around. It was "Holiday," and I'll never forget how it made me feel.
At the time, however, I didn't know who it was, and when subsequent songs like "Borderline," "Material Girl," and "Papa Don't Preach" were putting Madonna on the charts (and in the headlines), I was too young to know what all the fuss was about. It wasn't until I randomly purchased "The Immaculate Collection" during my junior year of high school that I realised all these songs (to include "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself," and "Vogue") were sung by the same woman. During the summer of 1991, that was the only tape in my car, and I totally rocked out to it.
My admiration (or borderline obsession) for Madonna grew rapidly over the next few years. I was always at the record store early in the morning whenever a new Madonna album was released. I covered my college dorm room in posters. I purchased two copies of the notorious Sex book. At the end of basic training, on my town pass, I made my parents take me to see Evita.
But, over the years, my tastes changed and even though I still considered myself a fan, it seemed to be mostly out of habit. I would pay attention whenever a new album was released, but didn't really scan the headlines or buy all the maxi-singles anymore.
When Madonna toured in 2001 for the first time in eight years, I was a kinda bummed I was going to miss it, especially since she was playing two nights in Vegas, and I had just moved from there to Japan. She toured again in 2004, and again, I missed out. A few months ago, when she announced plans to tour behind "Confessions on a Dance Floor," my heart began to flutter with excitement that this might finally be the time when I would be in the presence of Madonna. And it was.
This great event occurred on May 27th, 2006 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the fourth night of her 58-show Confessions Tour. The show was scheduled to begin at 8 PM. I arrived at 7. All day long I had been nervous with anticipation, and I couldn't believe it was finally happening. As I walked into the arena, I saw the stage, which included a main catwalk toward the center, and two smaller ones toward the sides. My seat was on the side, directly to the right of the end of the main catwalk. It was a great seat, and I immediately sat down and began fidgeting and wondering how slowly the next hour would pass by. (Thanks to Paul for letting me talk to him to calm myself down a bit.)
I kept looking at my watch, and eventually, it was 8 PM. But still, no Madonna. 8:10...8:24...8:37. Finally, at 8:45 PM (because apparently, Madonna likes to see me squirm), the lights went down. The whole place started screaming.
Spot lights began swirling and strobe lights started flashing. The huge video screens began showing footage of Madonna walking around her stables with her horses. A giant disco ball slowly descended from the middle of the arena, and landed at the end of the main catwalk.
The disco ball opened up to reveal Madonna wearing a black equestrian outfit. She launched into "Future Lovers" while her dancers, all wearing saddles, gyrated around her.
Now, this whole time, I'm not really sure what kind of expression was on my face, but my mind was working overtime to take it all in. Everyone around me was dancing, and eventually, I began dancing, too. But this moment, seeing Madonna for the very first time, will forever be burned into my memory.
It was probably the most extravagant, theatrical production I've ever seen. There were several video screens that moved all over, trap doors in all parts of the stage, a talented dance troupe, elaborate costumes, and a brilliant light show. But at the center of it all was Madonna herself, dancing and singing and loving every minute of it. I would expect it to be difficult for one person to be able to entertain a sold-out crowd of over 17,000, and make every single person feel they got their money's worth, but she had no trouble at all.
She seamlessly moved from one song to the next. Most of the evening concentrated on tracks from the newest album, but she threw in some old classics like "Like a Virgin" and "La Isla Bonita" just to keep us on our toes. And as she did, the entire stage was perfectly orchestrated to move around her. Even the interludes and costume changes were designed to be fluid so it never got boring. After the "equestrian" portion of the show, Madonna emerged on a giant disco ball/cross singing "Live To Tell" while images of African children with AIDS shown in the background. Later, she wore a big glam-rock outfit and rocked out on her guitar to "I Love New York," which was one of my least favourite tracks on the new album, but seeing it live made me love it.
For the evening's final disco theme, Madonna arrived sporting a white suit (a la John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever") and singing "Disco Inferno" which segued nicely into "Music." The evening ended with high-energy versions of "Lucky Star" and "Hung Up." I don't think I stopped dancing the whole time, nor did anyone else.
A few days before the show, I started to get nervous. Not just because I was seeing Madonna, but because I was wondering if I was making too big a deal out of it. What if I went to the show and it didn't fulfill my expectations? A lot of people have asked if it was worth paying $400 for two hours of entertainment, and now I can answer with a resounding "YES!" Who knows when she'll tour again, or if I'll even be able to go? Madonna is a living legend, and this performance proved why. It was a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I'll never forget. Ever.
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