Really glad you loved the show! It's really one of her best!

Yeah, the tick tock thing is used throughout the show, that kinda gives a theme for the whole thing, she never really did that before.

The new version of "Vogue" is amazing, one of her all time best in my opinion!

LiveToTell86 said:

What's your favorite segment?

SoulAlive said:

Definitely the Gypsy segment! "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", "La Isla Bonita" & "You Must Love Me" are my other highlights and "Spanish Lesson" works so much better on tour than on CD!

The second act is great too but "Music" is kinda boring by now. "Heartbeat" is nothing special in my opinion, still can't believe many fans wanted it as an opener...

yeah the gypsy segment is my favorite too.I had a blast during the Old School segment too."Into The Groove" was so much fun!! I love that new remix.

Miserablism said:

Aren't those pics amazing?

SoulAlive,

I am so dying to throw in my response to this show, but my computer is down. I only have a few minutes now at the public library and have to run off. I want to write a full-fledged review.

My, by far, favorite part was the 80's retro, the jump roping and the Keith Haring sequence. Just pure frolicking fun!!!

But there is so much to say and I have no time.

I agree she was in a great mood! Much more open and relaxed than the other two shows I've seen. I'm wondering if it's because this tour has already played Europe, she's very practiced now and just playing about on stage! The other shows -- she seemed to be very concentrated, trying to remember what to do next.

PLUS I HAD A FIRST ROW SEAT OFF THE FLOOR. I could see her face very well, especially when she was at the end of the catwalk (which was often). Madonna is beautiful! And I bought my ticket the same day as the show at a VERY reasonable price. Woo-hoo!

heartbeatocean said:

I look forward to seeing the rest of your review.Come back soon!

So, any more Sticky & Sweet experiences from orgers? Maybe Vegas or Denver? Or the upcoming shows, Houston & Detroit?

Does anyone know which show(s) is being filmed for the DVD? I heard that it's gonna be one of the stadium shows in South America next month....anyone know exactly which one?

Nope, the city and the date of the DVD show have not been revealed yet. It's between Argentina & Brazil, that's all we know.

LiveToTell86 said:

She should have taped one of the New York shows for the DVD.That footage with Pharrell is outrageous!! A really fun,wild show

More thoughts on the show:

Again, I feel the best part of her show in Oakland was a sense of authenticity about her performance and message. I felt she was really there with us. It was also a special time... a few days after her divorce became public and two days before the election. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I felt she was absorbing a lot of support and love from the audience, who was more than willing to give it. That is, we had a genuine night of exchange with Madonna.

Having said that, the show was not as strong as Confessions in terms of its conceptual elements and visual performance.

Human Nature -- I really like this song, but was so absorbed with the Britney video, I felt like I missed it. Guess I wasn't really listening.

Heartbeat -- This is one of the most authentic moments. I had the impression we got a glimpse of her private self on this one, as she fully climbed inside this song and wore it. It's a perfect fit for her, and her expression of it entirely natural. Again, I think we benefited from the fact that she has been performing this show for a while.

Miles Away -- OMG, thousands clapping their hands over their heads. I was crying! It was powerful and yet so, so painful! And to experience this song en masse...

Borderline -- I was disappointed by the hard rock version.

Devil Wouldn't Recognize You -- Nice! Loved the set up and visuals, especially since it had been pouring rain that night! (She sings it inside a large hooded frock atop a grand piano inside a cylindrical screen with rain projected onto it)

Here's a good place to mention that this concert emphasized instruments much more and it was fantastic! A grand piano, great drummer, gypsy fiddler, electric guitar...REAL MUSIC!!!


Last sequence -- I'm sorry to say the show fell for me during this last sequence (4 minutes, Hung Up, Give It To Me...etc) Granted I was suffering from a head splitting headache at this point, crumbling under a horrible cold, but still...it didn't interest me much musically or visually.

But the rest of the show, and having great seats, and communing with The Queen made up for it.

Yeah,the last segment was the least satisfying part of the show."Ray Of Light" and "Hung Up" bored me.The finale of "Give It To Me" was cool,but she really could have livened up this portion of the show with some rare goodies like "Dress You Up","Everybody","Physical Attraction","Deeper And Deeper"....the list is endless.

I had the pleasure, that's right haters, PLEASURE of seeing Madonna for the second time in my life. The first was in Phoenix during the "confessions" tour, and now - in Denver - last week! I have to say, I prefer the other concert to this recent one. She wasn't as angry (alright, "pissed") and took to the stage on time, unlike as in this concert. I don't know why she's calling it "Sticky & Sweet." Maybe bitter and bitchy would be better? ("Hard Candy" would certainly be appropriate, since it's the album title and there seems to be a harder edge.) Regardless, she put a rocker's guise in this show, playing the guitar for many of the songs. (Okay, "playing" may be a loose verb in this case.) Still, the woman puts on the most entertaining specatcle of anyone, short of a little guy from Minneapolis we all know and love.

During "Jump," Madonna performed the entire song while jump-roping! Durng "Confessions," I would have sworn she sang while standing on her head at one point and nothing could top it. I stand corrected. For 50, it should be credited that M can still move. In fact, she didn't stop moving the entire show! There were no breaks or intermissions, leaving concert-goers glued to the stage for 2+ hours.

It was a great show, don't get me wrong. But in the lyrics of a Sade song, it's 'never as good as the first time' I suppose. For me, I nearly wet my pants when the synthesized orchestra blossomed into the plucky strings of Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again." Then I swear I must have pissed myself when I heard the bass of the song kick-in and Annie Lennox start singing their song! The thumping beat was fantastic and truly a highlight of the show as the song was sampled with Madonna's "Rain." I have heard from other fans at other shows who said they either didn't get the Eurythmics/Madonna sampling at all, or it was minimal - as evidenced on youtube. However, it seemed like the Denver show got a bit longer treatment... and I tell you, it was AMAZING! I would love it, love it, love it if I could get a clean audio recording of it someway -- so I truly hope the show is released on DVD afterall.

That's my report from the Denver show, Tuesday, Nov. 11th!

SoulAlive said:

Come on, "Ray Of Light" and "Hung Up" were huge singalongs and energy blasts, how could you be bored by them? Of course it's a different story if you watch them on DVD, but in person, those songs were the definite crowd pleasers (following 2 huge crowd pleasers already in fact)!

FormerlyKnownAs: Cool review, but you mean "Into The Groove" instead of "Jump", right? And which song you mean with "Confessions"?

The "Rain" interlude is generally disliked by fans, however, I think it's a nice video. Her parts are really subtle and in some stadium shows, they couldn't even be heard. I still wish "Rain" would get an actual live performance, as it's one of my favourite songs...

LiveToTell86 said:

My experience was that Ray Of Light got a big singalong, mainly because Like A Prayer had everyone hyped - but people were slightly baffled by Hung Up, and were more forcing themselves to enjoy it. The last segment fell down at Hung Up. She should have just cut it completely.

I felt that the entire show was more enjoyable than Confessions - but Confessions had that killer final segment that left a good taste in the mouth. This show didnt have that as the last segment was so messy.

I agree the rain interlude was lovely, but a performance would have been more welcome.

^Maybe it depends where the show was. In Wembley, those 2 songs really got a huge reception.

Sorry, but the last segment of CT was kinda ruined with the demo version of "Erotica" that completely killed the hype after the massive "Music Inferno". Not only I find it a boring number with that kind of dancing, not even the hardcore fans could sing along...

LiveToTell86 said:

I couldnt disagree more - Erotica was the highlight of that segment for me. One of the best reinventions of her old songs - and i adore the fact she pulled the original elements of the song out again. It was a perfect performance - fantastic choreography and a brilliant S Price arrangement. I actually think they should have released it as a single to promote the DVD.

I was at wembley for S&S and i stand by my observation that people were forcing themselves to enjoy Hung Up, although i agree Ray of light was enjoyable and got a good singalong. Hung Up is a horrendous version of what could be a madonna classic. Imagine if she performed a heavy rock version of Vogue .....urgh.

^Musically "Erotica" was a cool reinvention indeed, but certainly not "last segment material", because that part of the show is supposed to have the hits that get a whole stadium singing. I still find the choreography boring, she's been doing that kind of dance since the DWT, good thing it was dropped for STicky & Sweet (she only does a bit of that in "Spanish Lesson").

"Hung Up" is not the best reinvention of a Madonna track and I hated it when she first played it on the promo tour, but after I heard it live, I made peace with it. It's that it had to be included in the show, but she had to find a way to change it from the previous tour...

LiveToTell86 said:

I guess I'm just tired of "Ray Of Light".I know that it's her favorite song but I really think it was unnecessary this time around.Plus,she didn't really do anything interesting with it this time.It's the same version from the Confessions tour,only this time,it didn't have the cool choreography.As for "Hung Up",it just sounded so much better on the last tour.These two songs performed back-to-back just didn't work for me.




I like the "Rain" interlude too.

CrozzaUK said:

I'm with Crozzza on this one.The "Erotica/You Thrill Me" performance is one of Madonna's BEST LIVE PERFORMANCES EVER!! It's a mesmerizing,sexy and surprising performance....one of the highlights of the Confessions tour.The entire last segment of the Confessions tour was absolutely amazing!!

CrozzaUK said:

I generally like when Madonna "rocks out",but even I have to agree that "Hung Up" just doesn't work as a rock number.It was meant to remain a dynamic disco number.On the other hand,I really enjoyed the rock version of "Borderline".

CrozzaUK said:

As much as I enjoyed this show,I don't think it was as good as Confessions.I didn't think she'd be able to top that show But you know what,her mood seems better on this tour.She looks like she's really enjoying herself...joking and smiling alot.Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that,the Sticky and Sweet shows are less theatrical and dramatic than previous tours,allowing her to just let loose and have some fun.

SoulAlive said:

Definitely - i think thats why i like it more. Her "theatrical" / political concepts have been bogging her performances down ever since the DWT. The problem is they're mostly a concept that isnt well thought out or planned - so they seem more like an afterthought.

The only times Ive enjoyed these so called theatrical concepts have been:

Blond Ambition Tour - Like A Virgin > Papa Dont Preach
Girlie Show - Experss Yourself > In This Life

The rest are lost on me. I still love her as much watching the Virgin Tour where the concept is simple - song and dance and fun. Dont get me wrong i love seeing her try new stuff - different types of staging and choreography, but i hate it being dressed up as this faux theatrical rubbish.

here's a question for those of you who have seen the show already...

The DVD will include a bonus 'Live' CD (similiar to the 'IGTTYAS' and 'Confessions' DVD packages),but it won't include the entire concert...just 12 or so songs.

What songs from this tour do you want to see on the CD?

SoulAlive said:

1. Candy Shop
2. Human Nature
3. Vogue
4. Into The Groove
5. Borderline
6. She's Not Me
7. Devil Wouldnt Recognise You
8. La Isla Bonita
9. You Must Love Me
10. Get Stupid
11. 4 Minutes
12. Like A Prayer
13. Give it 2 Me

Soul Alive I know youll hate me for not including Miles Away - but i felt it was so similar to the CD version. Ditto 4 Minutes actually - you could lose that to cull it to 12 tracks.
[Edited 11/18/08 7:05am]

SoulAlive said:

Well I really hope a live CD is not going to happen this time because what they did with the CT was unbelievable.

Anyway my picks of 13 songs:

1. Candy Shop
2. Vogue
3. Into The Groove
4. Borderline
5. She's Not Me
6. Rain
7. Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
8. Spanish Lesson
9. La Isla Bonita
10. You Must Love Me
11. Like A Prayer
12. Ray Of Light
13. Give It 2 Me

Of course in reality, they'd pick Beat Goes On, Die Another Day, Heartbeat, Music, Miles Away, Get Stupid & 4 Minutes...

The request song in Detroit was "Material Girl.

LiveToTell86 said:

Seriously? Any more details about the Detroit show?

CrozzaUK said:

I could live with that tracklist,despite the absence of "Miles Away" I actually wish she would just put the entire show on CD.