UNBELIZEABLE VACATION DAY 3 :: MIAMI, FL :: A couple years ago, we happened to catch the NBC broadcast of Madonna's Confessions tour at Wembley Stadium and thought it was a pretty awesome show. We told ourselves the next time she's in town, we gotta get tickets.
Well, here's some trivia: Madonna kicked off her Virgin tour in 1985 in Seattle's Paramount Theater. She returned to the Kingdome in 1987, but hasn't been back since. And chances are, she won't ever be back. Key Arena is too small and Qwest Field is too rainy. Perhaps Safeco might someday fit the bill.
But we were in luck. It just so happened that while we were planning our trip to Belize, we noticed Madonna was performing the night we were scheduled to arrive in
Miami. I scored a couple floor tickets and we were set to join 50,000 other fans in Dolphin Stadium.
Okay. So I could have made up a story about how this was all Kristie's idea and I really didn't want to go. I could have beaten my chest and grunted I'm a manly man who only listens to classic rock and roll. You see, male Madonna fans seem to fit a certain profile: you're either gay, or you're an overpaid sports celebrity. Not that there's anything wrong with these, but I am neither nor.
I like music that falls into pop, hip hop, electronic and new wave genres. I'm a sucker for dance anthems and love ballads from the 80s. I melt when I hear the soaring voice of a contemporary songstress, especially against a trance, trip hop or downtempo beat. Madonna's music can be categorized under any of these labels. I dig William Orbit, Massive Attack, Björk, Groove Armada, BT, Oakenfold, Prince, Pharrell, Timbaland and Kanye West. Madonna has collaborated with all of these musicians to produce some of her best tracks. That's right, I rock out to Madonna. Ray of Light, Confessions on a Dance Floor, and Hard Candy are in heavy rotation in my playlists.
The thing is, she's now fifty years old. And while the concert was great and Madonna was keeping up with dancers half her age, I really didn't care for the "Sticky & Sweet" theme of this tour. The staging and costuming for the Confessions tour was more appropriate for her age, allowing her to show off her talent with grace and style. She was sexy and stunning in Confessions. A little too trashy and skanky in Sticky & Sweet. I hope she ditches the fishnet stockings, heavy mascara and stripper poles for her next look.
There were some very cool moments, including one during a trancy remix of Eurythmics' "Here Comes The Rain Again" and Madonna's "Rain". During this segment, a pair of kimono-garbed Japanese poppers moved in stroboscopic effect across the stage. There was also a segment with dancing ninjas and another with space robots. Both of those always score high marks in my book. Timbaland and Pharrell also made surprise appearances during the show, her last in the US for the tour.
This was the set list: Candy Shop, Beat Goes On, Human Nature, Vogue, Die Another Day, Into The Groove, Heartbeat, Borderline, She's Not Me, Music, Rain/Here Comes The Rain Again, Devil Wouldn't Recognize You, Spanish Lesson, Miles Away, La Isla Bonita/Lela Pala Tute, Doli Doli, You Must Love Me, Get Stupid, 4 Minutes, Like A Prayer, Ray Of Light, Hung Up, Give It To Me
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