jayaredee said:

cool!

"Madonna has me wrapped around her finger and she knows it"


believe me,I know the feeling

Glindathegood said:

Erotica was almost completely programmed too, yet they managed to better everything they played off that album, particularly Whys It So Hard & Bye Bye Baby. I know what you mean about her current sound, but i think one of the nice things about live performance is hearing how they've adapted the sound of the record to a live band. I ermember in an interview on the Girlie Show tour, madonna was praising her band, and saying how important it was to her that the music didnt sound the same as the record, as you could just go and play the record.

They can still have synths etc, and even some programmed stuff, but there's something about hearing the intermix of real drums, guitar, bass and percussion. I still believe she could play stuff off her last four records to a better standard, with real instruments, without it having to sound vastly different. I guess its funny, Madonna finally learns the guitar to a decent enough standard, and her band seems to regress more into an electronic sound.

My main problem is that the band for the last three tours have all sounded the same. There doesnt seem to be any real bass player any more which is a damn shame. On the reinvention tour i could hardly hear the bass in Express Yourself, and I love the bass track to that.
[Edited 5/25/06 6:04am]
[Edited 5/25/06 6:05am]

NY Post
LIZ SMITH!

LISTEN, LOOK BEYOND CRUCIFIX

May 25, 2006 -- 'THIS IS who I am/You can like it or not/You can love me or leave me 'cause I'm never gonna stop."

So sings Madonna.

FORGET THE crucifix. No, really. It has already become the visual image of Madonna's spectacular (and spectacularly ambitious) "Confessions" concert. But as usual, there is more to M's work than meets the eye. The "blasphemous" sequence, in which she sings "Live to Tell" suspended on a cross, is accompanied by desperate images and dire statistics about children dying of AIDS in Africa. Why the cross? Don't ask M, who'll only tell you her work must speak for itself and she believes in the intelligence and imagination of her audience.

In spite of the crucifix controversy, this show contains some of the great set pieces of Madonna's career. "Music" is transformed into an homage to 1970s disco in general and John Travolta in his white-suited "Saturday Night Fever" persona in particular. This incredible number is worth the exorbitant price of admission. There is her entrance from the ceiling in a giant glitter ball . . . "Like a Virgin" performed in her dominatrix equestrian outfit, playfully gyrating like a 20-year-old on an oversized saddle . . . "Ray of Light" and "I Love New York," display Madonna's impressive guitar licks and her ability to command the stage as a rock-chick extraordinaire. "I Love New York," which is one of the weakest songs on her "Confessions" album, comes alive, thanks to Madonna's ferocious in-the-flesh tackle of it. The sinewy, sometimes androgynous singer/dancer channels Iggy Pop in her angry, defiant "Let It Will Be," and then switches moods instantly with a haunting "Drowned World." Both songs question fame, in a different frame of mind, reflecting Madonna's continuing search for peace within this maelstrom of her own making.

There are the head-scratching moments, numbers that don't come off ("Erotica") and cringe-inducing profanity directed at the president. (Really, at almost 48 years old, there's no need for Madonna to engage in juvenile pandering. Especially as she makes her political point powerfully in a video montage that includes George W. Bush existing side by side with Hitler, Mussolini and other charmers.)

Even if you are not especially a Madonna fan, I defy anybody to watch this woman work for two hours onstage and come away unimpressed. (She is greatly assisted by her incredible troupe of dancers, of whom Daniel "Cloud" Campus and Leroy "Hypnosis" Barnes are standouts. But every single one in her cast is brilliant!)

Madonna is determined to tattoo her vision onto her audience and make them think whether they want to or not. She is equally passionate that her fans get the very best of her, doing what they want to see her do. She sings (live), she dances like time has stopped and surely she never fell off that horse! The star provides an ongoing visual feast; almost too much happens on a Madonna stage (and in her head!). She and director Jamie King are over-fond of the giant visuals that back Madonna and can overwhelm her, but these are often beautiful, and for the fans in the nosebleed seats, they're compensation for watching their idol from a vantage point that reduces her to the size of a postage stamp.

THOUGH THEY seem polar opposites, Madonna and Marlene Dietrich have a lot in common. Marlene also offered herself as fans wanted to see her - encased in sequined gowns, a shimmy here, a hand gesture there. Madonna's act is considerably more athletic, but nonetheless a result of iron stamina, perfectionism, self-love and a professional standard that is out of reach by even the most dedicated performers. (Indeed there is an almost Prussian, compulsive work ethic in Madonna's personality.) Old age and infirmity stopped Marlene, and she drew the curtain on her public self. Madonna is still a young woman, but not a youngster. Watching her aerobic intensity, one wonders how much longer she can do it. And why she wants to continue the brutal grind? Why? Because whatever her art and world attention has meant to Madonna, it hasn't altered. She has changed in some ways: married, a mother of two, a devotee of religion, but the great need that propelled her from Michigan to Manhattan way back when is as strong as ever. She wants to be adored - she wants to shock, confound, create, never rest on what has been. She looks to the future. Madonna is consumed by ambition and ego yet sometimes longs to free herself.

"Confessions" - which might be subtitled "I'm Still Here Ha! Ha! Ha!" - isn't a perfect concert, though by the time it reaches N.Y.C. in June, it might be. But it is a perfect showcase for a woman who has imposed her will on the world. And has no intention of loosening her grip.

ONE OF the happiest people at Madonna's concert was pal Rosie O'Donnell, loaded down with camera equipment. It was her first time out with a digital camera; she usually prefers old-fashioned film - "I love that darkroom smell!" Rosie compared notes with celeb lensman Kevin Mazur, much loved for his talent and good manners. Rosie has long documented Madonna's concerts. "I send her scrapbooks. I figure when we're both 80 we'll be in rocking chairs, going, 'Ah, remember the "Confessions" tour, honey?' "

Maybe. But I have a feeling M will be on her "Madonna 80: Ready, Willing and Still Able" tour.

Some fans spotted folks from HBO at the first two shows.Could the rumors be true...that one of the shows will be filmed and televised on HBO? Supposedly,one of the New York shows will be filmed.Could a DVD of this tour be be far behind?

DavidEye said:

Lets hope so. It will probably be out before the Reinvention tour DVD. I hope it is a concert from New York. In all her years she's never had one recorded from there, and i always got the impression from audio boots she buzzes off of new york crowds.

CrozzaUK said:

No other city ever made her glad except New York

DavidEye said:

i went last night.

DavidEye said:

they had signs posted at the forum letting us know we are getting filmed

jayaredee said:

thanks

ehuffnsd said:

So sings Madonna. by Liz Smith

FORGET THE crucifix. No, really. It has already become the visual image of Madonna's spectacular (and spectacularly ambitious) "Confessions" concert. But as usual, there is more to M's work than meets the eye. The "blasphemous" sequence, in which she sings "Live to Tell" suspended on a cross, is accompanied by desperate images and dire statistics about children dying of AIDS in Africa. Why the cross? Don't ask M, who'll only tell you her work must speak for itself and she believes in the intelligence and imagination of her audience.

In spite of the crucifix controversy, this show contains some of the great set pieces of Madonna's career. "Music" is transformed into an homage to 1970s disco in general and John Travolta in his white-suited "Saturday Night Fever" persona in particular. This incredible number is worth the exorbitant price of admission. There is her entrance from the ceiling in a giant glitter ball . . . "Like a Virgin" performed in her dominatrix equestrian outfit, playfully gyrating like a 20-year-old on an oversized saddle . . . "Ray of Light" and "I Love New York," display Madonna's impressive guitar licks and her ability to command the stage as a rock-chick extraordinaire. "I Love New York," which is one of the weakest songs on her "Confessions" album, comes alive, thanks to Madonna's ferocious in-the-flesh tackle of it. The sinewy, sometimes androgynous singer/dancer channels Iggy Pop in her angry, defiant "Let It Will Be," and then switches moods instantly with a haunting "Drowned World." Both songs question fame, in a different frame of mind, reflecting Madonna's continuing search for peace within this maelstrom of her own making.

There are the head-scratching moments, numbers that don't come off ("Erotica") and cringe-inducing profanity directed at the president. (Really, at almost 48 years old, there's no need for Madonna to engage in juvenile pandering. Especially as she makes her political point powerfully in a video montage that includes George W. Bush existing side by side with Hitler, Mussolini and other charmers.)

Even if you are not especially a Madonna fan, I defy anybody to watch this woman work for two hours onstage and come away unimpressed. (She is greatly assisted by her incredible troupe of dancers, of whom Daniel "Cloud" Campus and Leroy "Hypnosis" Barnes are standouts. But every single one in her cast is brilliant!)

Madonna is determined to tattoo her vision onto her audience and make them think whether they want to or not. She is equally passionate that her fans get the very best of her, doing what they want to see her do. She sings (live), she dances like time has stopped and surely she never fell off that horse! The star provides an ongoing visual feast; almost too much happens on a Madonna stage (and in her head!). She and director Jamie King are over-fond of the giant visuals that back Madonna and can overwhelm her, but these are often beautiful, and for the fans in the nosebleed seats, they're compensation for watching their idol from a vantage point that reduces her to the size of a postage stamp.

THOUGH THEY seem polar opposites, Madonna and Marlene Dietrich have a lot in common. Marlene also offered herself as fans wanted to see her - encased in sequined gowns, a shimmy here, a hand gesture there. Madonna's act is considerably more athletic, but nonetheless a result of iron stamina, perfectionism, self-love and a professional standard that is out of reach by even the most dedicated performers. (Indeed there is an almost Prussian, compulsive work ethic in Madonna's personality.) Old age and infirmity stopped Marlene, and she drew the curtain on her public self. Madonna is still a young woman, but not a youngster. Watching her aerobic intensity, one wonders how much longer she can do it. And why she wants to continue the brutal grind? Why? Because whatever her art and world attention has meant to Madonna, it hasn't altered. She has changed in some ways: married, a mother of two, a devotee of religion, but the great need that propelled her from Michigan to Manhattan way back when is as strong as ever. She wants to be adored - she wants to shock, confound, create, never rest on what has been. She looks to the future. Madonna is consumed by ambition and ego yet sometimes longs to free herself.

"Confessions" - which might be subtitled "I'm Still Here Ha! Ha! Ha!" - isn't a perfect concert, though by the time it reaches N.Y.C. in June, it might be. But it is a perfect showcase for a woman who has imposed her will on the world. And has no intention of loosening her grip.

ONE OF the happiest people at Madonna's concert was pal Rosie O'Donnell, loaded down with camera equipment. It was her first time out with a digital camera; she usually prefers old-fashioned film - "I love that darkroom smell!" Rosie compared notes with celeb lensman Kevin Mazur, much loved for his talent and good manners. Rosie has long documented Madonna's concerts. "I send her scrapbooks. I figure when we're both 80 we'll be in rocking chairs, going, 'Ah, remember the "Confessions" tour, honey?' "

Maybe. But I have a feeling M will be on her "Madonna 80: Ready, Willing and Still Able" tour
[Edited 5/25/06 9:56am]

sallysassalot said:

Tickets in hand!

heartbeatocean said:

Just got your Orgnote.We will meet up before Wednesday's show

hey,where are you sitting at? Did you get good seats?

DavidEye said:

Section 110 Row 18

Decent enough considering the bargain I got

heartbeatocean said:

I just saw a really good clip of the Future Lovers / I Feel Love hybrid. I Feel Love part sounds really cool.

Anyway got me thinking to all the songs / artist madonna's paid hommage to throughout her tours:

The Virgin Tour:
Billie Jean by MJ (in Like A Virgin)
WTG Tour:
I Can't Help Myself by The Four Tops(in Like A Virgin also)
Blond Ambition:
Family Affair by Sly & The Family Stone (intro to Keep It Together)
The Girlie Show:
Fever as a cover.
Just My Imagination by The Temptations (as part of Rain).
Singing In The Rain (as part of Rain).
Pretending to be James Brown during Holiday
Everybody Is A Star by Sly & The Family Stone (as an intro to Everybody).
Drowned World Tour:
Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk (in the intro to Music)
Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust(Mashed up with Holiday)
Re-Invention Tour
Imagine by John Lennon(as a cover)
Bittersweet Symphony / The Last Time by The Verve / Rolling Stones (in Dont Tell Me)
Mission Impossible Theme (as part of Music)
Confessions Tour:
I Feel Love (during Future Lovers)
Disco Inferno by The Trammps (mashed up with Music)

Can anyone think of any Ive missed?

Shes done some pretty good samples of stuff, some original, some obvious, but there's a blatant omission from all of this and thats Prince. If she loves his music so much why hasn't she sampled hime yet?
[Edited 5/26/06 8:34am]

CrozzaUK said:

falling in love again during Like A Virgin on Girlie Show
It Takes 2 to make a thing go right during Deeper and Deeper on Girlie Show
Dance to the Music during Everybody on the Girlie Show

ehuffnsd said:

Shit I knew there were more during the Girlie Show. That band were shit hot, throwing samples into the arrangements all over the place.

CrozzaUK said:

there are awhole bunch but i dont have my dvd cover handy so i can't say them all, just the ones i can recall

Ahhhhh!!! I want to see her so bad! I'm so jealous of you guys! lol.

There's a new mix of Erotica/You Thrill Me on iconradio. Someone ripped it and i have it and absolutely adore it.

I just can't believe that she dug back into her vault and pulled out 'You Thrill Me' for this show. Not that I'm complaining, but it's just totally uncharacteristic of Madonna. She's not exactly known for releasing demos and unreleased cuts.

Axchi696 said:

but it is her since she is saying i'm older and still sexy and i'm going to do Erotica... and i'm not going be ashamed of that era of my life... the best part of it she was giving people an oldie but still doing a song she hadn't done live before.
[Edited 5/27/06 14:53pm]

i don't know "you thrill me" -- what's it from?

madartista said:

it's the orginal form of Erotica... the fans have called it you thrill me because it is repeated over and over through the song


it was canned after Shep asked Madonna to come up with some racier lyrics. Madonna than wrote the version that came with the Sex book

After deciding it was to racy she came up with the lyrics for the album version of the song.

The orginal version of Erotica leaked on the internet a few years ago with some demos from Ray of Light.

ehuffnsd said:

cool, thanks. was this when the "substitute for love" version leaked? i heard that, but i don't remember "you thrill me"

madartista said:[quote]

ehuffnsd said:

01 i think... when i get back from DC let me see what info and stuff i can find for you