Madonna

7/10

As per usual, there was no opening act. There was a DJ, Michael Diamond, but his techno lyricless set was both off target for the audience and turned down too low to really motivate the crowd. What got everyone moving was after his set when "Wanna Be Startin' Something" started blasting through the speakers.

Then at 10:15, two and a half hours after the start time, the show started. Visually it was amazing: stellar graphics, mind-blowing set pieces, and great repeated use of the elongated stage. Madonna and crew really took advantage of it. My favorite pieces were guys on the tops of 20-foot poles swinging in a 240 degree arc all over the place and "Heartbreak City" done on a spiral staircase. The final 1/4 of the show was done in 1920's imagery and flapper garb and styling and it was just beautiful.

Madonna's voice has never been better, like seriously better. And she finally learned how to play that #$#% guitar she keeps shoving down our throats tour after tour. She was very present and interactive with the audience too. There were some great parts with her dancers and she talked a lot. She's almost 60 so I didn't expect her to be bouncing up and down but she still did a lot more than I expected.

The song selection was a mixed bag. The first half of the show was heavy on songs from Rebel Heart (6 of the first 10 songs) which is not a fun, up album even though the songs she did were some of the better songs from that mixed bag of an album. Because of it we didn't have much to do because the music wasn't fast enough to dance to and the songs were too new for us to know much of the lyrics. The exception was "Heartbreak City"/"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" which was a show highlight.

She also chose to rearrange virtually all of her hits, some to greater effect than others. I liked the guitar-heavy "Burning Up", just not its set placement as the third song, She only did a snippet of "Vogue" and later did a mashup of "Dress You Up" / "Into the Groove" / "Everybody" / "Lucky Star" which I didn't think really worked. Her choice to do a French-language ballad and "Unapologetic Bitch" as second and next to last song just slowed things down again. They would have been better placed in the middle of the show.

And that is my major criticism of Madonna's Rebel Heart show in San Jose. As beautiful and mesmerizing as it was, the pacing was just off. The show opened slow, had some energy for a while, then hopped back and forth but never really got into high gear. The final 15 minutes though were cringeworthy. She ended up bringing some guy (out of the crowd?) on stage. I really have no idea why she thought it was a good idea to chat with a guy who has a heavy accent who obviously had been dancing off to the side but she did it...right before the finale and it just let the energy out of the room. She closed with a peppy but short version of "Holiday" - and then at a bit after midnight she said good-bye.

Now for my personal criticism of the show. My luck that the first time I see her in 15 years that she chooses songs that are hits of hers that I like the least - "Frozen", "Who's That Girl", "Deeper & Deeper, "Live To Tell", "Material Girl", "La Isla Bonita", and "Like A Virgin". She also remade and mashed many of them up to such an extent that I no longer recognized them. That's not a bad thing to do in theory; it worked for Sticky & Sweet to beautiful effect which is why I opted to give this show a chance knowing I wasn't wild about the song set. Thing is tho the rearrangements either didn't bring anything inspiring to the songs or they ended up taking away what little I liked from them. They appeared to be remade just for the sake of remaking them.

I'm glad I went but I'm still not sure if spending as much as I would have spent for a flight to Hawaii for a 2+ hour show was really worth it. Should you see it? If you are a long-time Madonna fan who hasn't seen her in a while I think you will enjoy the show. If you are not, and/or you are not that into her latest album, you might want to wait for the inevitable HBO special.

It doesn't even seem right to call a Madonna concert a concert. It is so much more than that. Nothing can really compare to it. It is a of course a showcase of her incredible hits, but it is also a dance production, a circus, a burlesque, and a vaudeville performance among other things. The show encompasses many theatrics too difficult to quantify, but without a doubt it is a night filled with uncontrollable energy.
First and foremost Madonna is an entertainer, but she is also a serious singer whose talent can't be denied. This is too often eclipsed by the absolute tour de force performance she gives. Her show is beautifully choreographed and features virtual media displays that transfers the audience to other-worldly territories. In a live performance of one of her more recent tracks "Nobody Knows Me" she is jumping with acrobats who are flipping and flexing on tightropes all to a backdrop of haunting images displayed on the halogen screen surrounding them. Watching it is like seeing a stint from the Chinese Performing Art troupe set to a techno-dystopian universe.
If you attend a Madonna show of course you will hear hit upon hit, but don't always expect to hear the ordinary version. For the MDNA tour she did a completely unexpected cabaret version of "Like a Virgin" . It was a stripped down version in the sense that Madonna acted like a stripper literally dancing on stage for money and also in the sense that it was expedited of all the synth flourishes of the actual recording featuring only an upright piano and her vocals. The minimalist setup for this particular part of the performance allowed attention to be shifted to her voice showing the audience why she is such a revered singer.
Madonna is not an artist who milks the success of her past, but is one who marches forward with extreme progression. Her music continues to stay relevant and inspires current artists and newer fans. Her most recent album features Sri Lanka hip-hop star M.I.A. and rap diva Nicki Minaj and integrates modern sounds and cutting edge technology. Given Madonna's ever evolving style anytime seems like the right time to catch one of her shows.

It would be unfair to call Madonna just a singer when in reality she is an icon. She is a talent that has managed to change the face of pop music forever, still projecting her creative vision onto the industry.
Growing up in a house where Madonna's music could always be heard it was only understandable that this lady quite easily found herself onto my bucket list very quickly. The MDNA tour saw her sing material from her twelfth studio album 'MDNA'.
The most refreshing attribute about Madonna is that unlike so many artists of today she is unafraid to break the boundaries and stir up some controversy at the same time. As usual the show didn't sit comfortably with everyone as some of its key themes included violence, human rights and nudity. Despite this, at the age of 56 she is still able to cause such an impact with her music which is why this tour became the twelfth highest-grossing tour of all time. It may not have included as many of the stars classic hits as some of the audience members would have liked, however it should be noted that this was not a Greatest Hits tour instead a tour aimed to showcase new songs. What has to be admired about Madonna is her ability to reinvent herself every time a new album is released, and despite being in the industry for a long time it can be so easy to lose yourself and particularly what you stand for but it's this that she has so easily avoided. However, there is no denying that as soon as the familiar tunes of 'Papa Don't Preach', 'Vogue' and 'Like A Prayer' were heard the audience were sent into a frenzy, but it must be noted that it was the careful crafting of the set list which allowed for these songs to be enjoyed so much more when they were sang.
Overall, seeing Madonna was unlike anything else I have seen, it wasn't just a show it was a performance; an artistic movement showcased by a true legend.

Even if she hasn’t quite managed to win the critics over since 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, the enormous commercial success of her subsequent records - Hard Candy and MDNA - confirms that Madonna is still among the world’s most popular solo artists. On the live front, too, she can hold her own against anybody, with a box office taking of $305 million for 88 shows on the MDNA front placing her on the very top tier where pulling power’s concerned, up there with U2 and The Rolling Stones. Perhaps with good reason, too; her most recent live show was a typically lavish affair, with a thematically complex structure boasting four sections - Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine and Redemption. Musically, the setlists saw some reinvention of her classic material, with a stripped-back version of ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ and dramatic new incarnation of ‘Like a Prayer’ among the highlights. Nods to the current pop scene, too, were commonplace; Lil Wayne made an appearance - albeit in digital form only - on their collaboration ‘Revolver’, whilst MDNA choice cut, ‘I Don’t Give a’, saw Madonna backed by Nicki Minaj over the big screens. Blending the old and the new so brazenly is one way in which she divides opinion; if there wasn’t controversy, though, it wouldn’t quite be Madonna.

Madonna is an artist with such credentials under her belt that very few others have obtained, even less so by themselves. She has fought against all kinds of "demons" such as sexism, critics, "bad" husbands, while always being under the public eye.

And yet, with So many things/people battling to impede her succeeding, she always came out not only on top, but also having created yet another rhythm or style or trend for all the rest to follow...

So, as you may imagine, this was: ONE. HELL. OF. A. CONCERT. FOR. ME.

I have to say though that it was a BIG letdown the fact that she started the concert with some two hours of delay, which basically robbed us (Madonna fans attending on that night) of all the Encore set she could/should/would have played, most probably including some of her most famous hits, such as "Like a Prayer", amongst many other possibilities.

So, to sum it up, it Was indeed one of the Best Concerts I've ever attended (and having been to this one, there's only about some 5-8 Great Bands/Singers that I still have to see Live), but the experience was only (slightly over) half consumed.

I Fucking LOVE that Bitch!!!!!!

It was my very first Madonna concert. I paid my most expensive ticket fees, 2!week salary, to get a Mezzanine section in my he Wiltern theater, Los Angeles (LA) when the tour was first announced, 6 months mabe.About the his venue, no AIr Condition for entire night outside or inside the theater. No comments no apologies from the facility. It might be always under this condition or just one night, I am not sure. About the production, nothing special, small stage, recycled props and pretty much the same dance moves. Madonna has a beautiful voice as ever but this show very disappointed me per all of my expectations. I recently attended Lady Gaga and Pinks (2 times), Aerosmith (2times). I would rate these shows 10 times better than Madonna in LA. To true fans who don’t make much money it is better to skip this show to retain a better memory about Madonna shows of old time.
I ran out of air the breath inside the theater so I left toward the end of the show when the stage turned totally dark. I could said the the show affected me negatively financially and emotionally. Thank you for reading.

I have been seeing Madonna concerts for many years and she always puts on a great show ! She is an excellent performer. The Madame X show was very close and personal. She played mostly from her new album with some old favorite hits. Due to injuries and her age, she does not move around and dance like in previous shows. She also looked unexpressional due to work on her face.

Start time was 10:30 and she came on a little after 11. There was a Portuguese band beforehand playing some of her songs which was very nice.

Overall, a good show. She had her daughter with her on stage which was a sweet touch. Madonna as always was outspoken about the President and current politics which is her freedom of speech. However, I did not go to hear political views, but to see her perform her music.

She always has a god message to inspire others to make a difference in the world. I love how she stands up for women and gay rights. I love Madonna and always will !

I've been a Madonna fan since the 80's and have always wanted to see her but never did until 1/23/16 in Miami. Because we read prior reviews and saw that she has been at lest 2 hours late, we did not get to the arena until almost 10 pm. We went to the restroom, grabbed some drinks and climbed to our $200 nosebleed seats. We only had to wait about 15 minutes before she started at 10:24 pm. She performed until almost 1 am. The stage show was good but I was kind of disappointed that most of her older popular hits were performed at a slower beat than expected. It was definitely not the dancing concert I expected. I'm happy that I finally got to see her and crossed her off my must see list but I do not feel like I ever have to see her in concert again.

Well Madonna is known for her tremendous shows and originality. The show I went to see in 2011 was one of them, all Paris was there waitig for THE idol of all times. As adored as mickael Jackson at least she's the revolution in girl idols for many decades of teenagers and growing women. The show even at her age was incredible, she dances and sings like a twenty year old, she still has it. She could be ridiculously slow and tired in comparison with her young and muscular dancers but not! She leads every minute of her creation with great energy and passion. This was a huge venue and even though I was far from the stage it was incredible, everyone was happy and singing along, dancing also. This MDMA tour was just incredible...

AMAZING!!! Love that she engages a lot with the audience. The track list was fantastic...the small theater experience was hard to adjust at first because I’m so used to her large stadium/arena productions, but it all changed when she started talking and explaining her reason for this production. I had many favorite moments for example, Vogue was fun, no remix just the original song performed, the Batuka ladies where fantastic, Frozen was so beautifully done, her Fado club was section was cool. Everything about this theater experience was great...I can’t wait to see it again in Vegas next weekend. I highly recommend it!