Late but Great: Madonna 2012

MJagger and I went to the Madonna concert Wednesday night as scheduled.  This is our seventh Madonna concert together--we are true Madonna whores. (This was my tenth time seeing Madonna in concert. Can I claim this on my tax returns?) After weeks of anticipation, the day had come.  We survived our work day, got into my stick-shift car and headed to Chicago, tickets and money in hand.  Thankfully, MJagger had taken motion sickness pills, as there is NOTHING like being the passenger in a stick shift car in stop-n-go Chicago traffic.  I did my best to keep her from getting "stick-shift-induced-car sickness" but with the rush hour traffic, anything I tried was a feeble attempt....it literally took us one hour to go nine miles.  That is not a typo.  The 1.5 hour trip took us three hours.  So much for being early.  (Thankfully, we had heard that Madonna was starting her concerts later than advertised, so we didn't feel stressed. Worse come to worse, we'd miss the opening DJ and I can't say either of us gave a rat's ass about that.)

We took our traffic-tortured selves for dinner at a nice Chicago restaurant, seated in one of the better window seats.  I think it was my Madonna t-shirt that inspired the hostess to give us such a nice window seat--or, maybe it was my stick shift car...the valet guy seemed very impressed that I drove a stick shift car--"One in a thousand" he claimed. Dinner was indeed delicious, very enjoyable, perfect preparation for the concert. Word to MJagger: when they say "the special," this refers to what they are featuring, not the price.  Oh, to see MJagger's face when the bill came...although the special was indeed very special, it was not on special. Yum!

We parked our car in the "crack lot" and got to the venue without incident. We were pleasantly surprised by our seats--much closer to the stage than anticipated, a clear view of the catwalk, sure to be able to see Madonna without issue, even via my trifocals.  We settled in and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Madonna didn't take the stage until 10:30 PM.  This on a weeknight--a school night!  TEN THIRTY.

I'm used to waiting for bands to start--they are almost always somewhat late...but 2.5 hours late? It just seemed rather disrespectful.  I hate to say that--I hate to say anything even remotely negative about the lady who's changed the music world--but it seemed very disrespectful toward her fans. For Pete's sake, I am usually asleep for an hour by the time 10:30 PM rolls around.  Doesn't Madonna know that half her audience belong to AARP? Look around--we're her people. MJagger was probably the youngest female there and she's 40.  (Gay guys don't count--many were in their 20's--the gays of all ages have a healthy respect the Queen of Pop.) I was so tired by the time Madonna took the stage that I could barely stand up and cheer.  I think my agitation kept me awake.  Sure, there was a DJ for a half hour (around 9 PM or something) but I didn't pay to hear some Rick Astley looking DJ.  I paid to see my beloved Madonna, preferably more on time than not.

Thankfully, I loved the show.  Madonna will never be a great singer--that's not why you go to one of her concerts. You go because she is an amazing show woman.  Amazing. There is nothing like a Madonna concert--it is an experience, a happening, an artistic event.  It's lights and technology and music and visual overload. It's wonder. You don't go because you want to hear her greatest hits--that's not going to happen.  Madonna is true to her most recent album, in this case MDNA.  If you bought your ticket with the hopes she'd sing all her songs from the 80's and 90's, you were one mighty disappointed ticket holder--that's not what she does or has ever done.  (Well, besides the Re-Invention Tour, but that long ago and unusual for Madge. You missed your chance for greatest hits if you missed Re-Invention.) Here's a blurry photo of the opening act (all my photos are blurry--what can I say--camera phones can only do so much), complete with the largest Catholic Incense thingy I have ever seen.  Praise the baby Jesus, Madonna is still struggling with her Catholic roots.  Someone get her an exorcism!

People have been complaining that her opening act is too violent and too bloody.  Um, have you people watched TV in the past 25 years? This was no worse than those crime shows on television, so don't be having a double standard.  Did I like that she had guns and blood and yuck splattering everywhere on the big screen? Not particularly.  Did I get upset or disturbed by it? Not at all.  It had a point and it really wasn't worse than anything on Prime Time.  Here's a really blurry photo of Madonna striking a gun pose, complete with posse of gun-toting women. Bang, bang!

(Don't even get me started about the double standard about age--why is it that men in music can easily be 60 or more years old and no one says a word but bring on a 54 year old woman who happens to be in amazing shape and can run circles around most 20 years olds and you get a bunch of criticism that she's too old to be doing this or that.  Grrrrr.) 

She sang several of my favorite songs during the not-so-shocking-supposedly-horrible-blood-bath Act One, so I was all good with everything even more-so than I would have been.  I happen to like her old and new music.  I listened to the new album non stop in preparation for the concert.  I checked out the set list.  I read reviews. I did my homework. I embrace the ever-changing world of this genius. Anyone who features Lil Wayne in a pop song is all right with me.

My favorite part of the show was when the "marching" drummers came out, suspended over the crowd, banging out a killer cadence.  MJagger says my jaw dropped open and I believe her. Being a drummer and a marching band nerd, I was in hog heaven. All that marching and baton twirling and loud snare drumming....I didn't think it could get better, despite it being 11:30 PM.  I wasn't a big fan of this song prior to the concert but I have to say, this rendition made it a favorite.

Leave it to Madonna to make baton twirling cool.

Thankfully, Madonna's concert was two hours in duration. Although that left me incredibly sleep deprived, provided a challenge of driving so late at night & made it almost impossible to think/function/speak/perform while at work the next day, I was glad she gave us our money's worth once she bothered to take the stage.  The concert itself was exactly what I was expecting and for that I am grateful. The chance to go to another Madonna concert with MJagger was completely appreciated.  The audacity of Madge being so late was disappointing.  I gave it four out of five stars in my official review (I know, what a nerd--I do concert reviews on line.  What ARE we going to do with me?)  I took away a star for her starting so late.

Would I go to another Madonna concert?  Are you kidding me? Did you even just ask that question?

Yes, of course I would.  Next time, though, we'll skip dinner and take a nap instead.
*********************************************************************