Madonna - Concert Review

Courtesy of Warner Music.

Madonna's 80s look.

Even though Madonna's show is called the Drowned World Tour, this pop icon is anything but washed up. I was extremely lucky to snag very hard-to-come-by tickets for the second of two sold-out Oakland shows and it was soooo worth the effort. For the first few songs, I was in awe as I watched one of the biggest pop stars in the world. I mean after all... it's Madonna!

She opened the show slowly with Drowned World, followed by an electrifying performance of Impressive Instant - a high-energy techno song from her latest album, Music. Different colored lights dazzled the stage as the dancers climbed on top of each other and carried Madonna around the stage. The choreography was fast and flawless, and the dancers sported dark gear and space-age gas masks with lights coming out of them.

Madonna surprised me by picking up a guitar on more than one song during the show. I knew she was gonna play but was surprised that she gave it a go on so many songs. Way to go Madonna! She told the audience she had read a review of her concert the night before and a critic had slagged her guitar playing. The audience reacted with a supportive "boo" for the critic. She talked about him jokingly but managed to let his name slip out - oops! (Obviously it was on purpose.) It was pretty funny.

Her voice sounded great but a show by Madonna isn't just about music - it's a theatrical presentation too. For one part of the show she was dressed up as a Geisha girl during Nothing Really Matters and the arms of her robe expanded across the entire stage. Other visual eyecandy included the Material Girl being shot up to the ceiling and bucked around on a mechanical bull. Madonna also performed a traditional salsa dance. A fight scene, which had Madonna and her dancers flying through the air on harnesses and pulling Matrix-style martial arts moves, had to be the coolest part.

La Isla Bonita was one of the few retro grooves she sang while drummers played hand drums, dancers danced and Madonna strummed her guitar. The crowd went nuts when she performed, Holiday, which was mixed with samples of the club hit, Music Sounds Better With You, by Stardust. She left the crowd beggin' for more when she closed the show with Music. What a night! Spectacular shows like Drowned World are the reason Madonna's been a major pop icon through the 80s, 90s and into the Millennium.

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