The day had finally come – albeit a cold and rainy January day in Boston – but there was nothing that was going to stop me and my best friend of 37 years from getting suited up in our best Madonna gear to see the Queen of Pop – and yes henny, she still reigns!
Madge had a close call with fate this past summer when she contracted a bacterial infection that forced her to postpone her summer tour until now. “No one is more surprised [than I] that I’ve made it this far,” she told the audience.” “Four decades, motherfuckers. I’ve got to tell you that I didn’t think I was going to make it this summer … but here I am.”
We all know that Madonna is notoriously known for taking the stage late, and the Boston shows were no exception. Truthfully, it did not matter to me, because she was worth EVERY SECOND OF THAT WAIT.
Her Highness finally appeared in a black kimono and headpiece, singing “Nothing Really Matters.” What followed was a high-energy, jam-packed, two-hour-plus performance that carried fans — mostly women and gays, decked out in sequins and lace — into the wee hours of the morning- on a wave of welcomed nostalgia and dancing.
The celebration in the tour’s name simply denotes the fact that Madonna is here, especially since she acknowledged throughout the show so many peers who have died in various ways: Prince, Michael Jackson, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat among them. Screens bearing black-and-white images of dozens if not hundreds of notable people who died of AIDS, from Robert Mapplethorpe to Eazy-E, accompanied by her moving rendition of “Live to Tell.”
The iconic production involved many hairstyle and costume changes, as one would expect. BITCH, it’s Madonna! She rocked designer outfits from the likes of Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier, and her looks included scant negligées, sparkling heels, cowboy hats, headpieces, robes, and of course, her trademark – the conical bra.
From the early ‘80s dance-pop of “Get Into the Groove” and “Holiday”; to big ballads to showcase her (still) powerful voice such as “Live to Tell” and “Bad Girl”; to the raunch of “Erotica” (in which Madge gets to saucily – and seductively) interact with her younger self; to the sheer, irresistible energy of “Vogue,” “Don’t Tell Me,” “Like a Prayer” and so many others – this show is proof that there is no such thing as too much Madonna.
Still dancing, still singing, still the ONE and ONLY, Madonna.
https://www.madonna.com/tour
Queerguru’s Music Editor ALLISON ANANIS is a graduate of Bowdoin College and also holds a Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University. Currently, she works in Health and Human Services in Boston where she also resides with her wife Meg. Weekends are spent in Provincetown where the incessant playing of her eclectic choice of music very loudly brought her to the attention of Queerguru’s Editor
