Madonna's Drowned World Tour: Detroit

[MoFo]

Back from Motor City finally [told you I'd get 1st dibs on the thread, Dora

]

I had front row, club level seats. A clear, direct view of the Big Cheese herself.

The show started with "Drowned World" which was a disappointing opening since she just stood there and sang. It then headed into her clubby number "Impressive Instant" where she and her dancers gallivanted in punk regalia.

During "Candy Perfume Girl" (which was such a rocking song with Madonna on electric guitar), she sucked her middle finger and shouted "FUCK YOU MOTHERFUCKA!" which was so refreshing to hear.

It then went into a barrage of recent Madonna songs from Bedtime Stories and up. The only classics she did were "Holiday" and "La Isla Bonita," both I'm not a big fan of.

One section included a remix of "What It Feels Like For A Girl" played with a montage of sexually violent Japanime (eg. Perfect Blue) on the five giant screens.

She also ruined the normal version of WIFLFAG because she did a Spanish version. I think Spanish is annoying when sung by non-Spanish people.

I was ecstatic that I was at my one and only idol's show but disappointed at the lack of energy in the show. A lot of the dancing was done by her dancers (I mean, who cares, right?) and A LOT of her newer stuff is dubby, bubble-gum trip hop and trance. It was almost... too well-thought out which made it almost resemble a Broadway musical.

I LOVED the Girlie Show in '93 because of its androgyny and its sexual provocation so this one was pretty tame. The Girlie Show was ALL ABOUT making a spectacle, mocking sexual repression and the freedom to fuck around on stage.

But I got to hear Madonna talk in a Midwestern accent, had beer bought for me by some lady from Pontiac, got come on to by this gorgeous German/Asian woman in the smoking section (who thought I modeled in California) and bought a silver Madonna decal necklace (pure cheese!).

So I had a good time. Anyone else there?

Thanks to Brian and Dora for the ride into Windsor and the couch. I would've been stranded in Detroit and it was good to see people I actually knew in a city full of Red Wings fans out on a Sunday.

 

[MoFo]

Oh, and another thing: I didn't sweat! I cannot remember the last time I was at an event and I didn't sweat. The crowd was so boring and DRUNKASS!

Like, I had to get up to let people by me in my row at least 20 times during the show because of beer runs.

And the music wasn't pumping enough to get up and go nuts.

Hmmm... Am I being the worst #1 fan right now???

 

[dora]

No, of course not honey! You're not alone in this...

Being the other #1 fan in the board, I had such issues too! (I've chased her from New York to Detroit...woo hoo!) But I've come to terms with it.

My friend and I had sat down and figured out the show, section by section. We realized the problem: it was not Madonna herself. The show's designers and the audience was the problem.

We knew everytime we had seen her before had been a rock out party, but she has outgrown that. The programmer's had anticipated high drama, but she had also outgrown that.

Madonna has never sounded better live. Her voice was so rich, she had such great control, there will be no doubt any more of her vocal abilities. She had also become one with her music finally. She no longer wanted to just dance to the music and call it a performance, she wanted to be part of her music, by singing and playing guitar.

Part of that sacrifice is that if she's going to sing all those difficult songs like frozen , she couldn't put in all the footwork 'cause her voice would go. She can't be doing that either if she's playing guitar. These are the things that get her high now. She would not have done a good show if all she got to do was dance around to her music, with no vocal challenges. She would have been bored... Now she's into it!

Even so, in the little bits of dancing in Impressive Instant, Don't Tell Me, La Isla Bonita, and Holiday, it's obvious that she has not lost her moves.

The Detroit show had a much better crowd than the one I saw in NYC, and it's obvious that vibe fed back into Madonna's performance. She also had less angst in her little adlib chit-chats, which made her more fun to watch, and a little more light-hearted than angry. However, the laryngitis and the live show did make her a little more nervous than usual, so her voice was not at its best, but damn close!

Thanks for hangin' with us Sunny! Next stop, let's track Tori or Bjork in some other location!

 

[IgStar]

Well, being ANOTHER number 1 fan, I too was at Madonna. My boyfriend and I drove from Kitchener to Auburn Hills to see the all mighty herself. I was disappointed at all, though I wish I had the chance to see her other tours (Blonde Ambition would have been great!)...and you are right, I believe she has outgrown alot of her old antics. Despite our seats, which weren't all good OR all bad, I had an amazing time. I didn't like the spanish version of "WFLFAG", I don't speak nor understand spanish, and I love that song.

The crowd around where we were extremely riled up, I think half of them knew from back in the day...they were pretty excited. I did think that is kinda tame for Madonna.

The cost of the damn t-shirts is what kills me the most...the one I wanted was $100!! (U.S.) Thats like friggin paycheck in Canadian dollars! I had to settle for the $35...all in all, I was impressed. I have wanted to see her since I was 10, so I can sleep better at night now.

ENJOY!

 

[SpinSugar]

OHMYGOD!!!!! this was my first time seeing madonna and i was not disappointed! after all the antics of getting there on saturday night (ie dirty cab driver who was telling us how him and madonna were best friends from high school and how she owes him money) we were let into the auburn hills palace. our seats were on the floor next to sound and lighting. and also beside the most annoying drunk girls i've ever seen who thought it necessary to sing to every song and do strange japensese dancing through most of the show.

anyway- enough bitching. BEST SHOW EVER! everything about it was pure magic. flawless set and costume changes. amazing dancing. the sound was crisp and madonna sounded exactly like the recording. loved the samurai scene. madonna kicks ass. loved the guys suspended by those ropes upside down. that was beautiful.....loved nicki and donna. they kick ass too. loved the rhinestone chaps and the whole cowboy thing, especially when they brought out the mechanical bull. nice.......LOVED la isla bonita and the solo spanish dancer. (the outfit she wore during that scene was wicked too!) loved holiday- old school. (do the bustop!) loved loved loved the montage of pics during the encore, which was of course- music. i loved the whole show from start to end. something i will definately never forget!

plur........sugar

 

[Lexicon]

Hah! Travelled from TO to Florida to catch her show, and it was excellent! It was her birthday that day and Madonna was surprised by her dancers and of course her hubby, Guy Ritchie in the middle of the show. The audience and the dance crew sang the birthday song, hearing it in the stadium is unbelieveable... Didn't make it to her afterparty Crobar, though. Had to drive back up to Orlando that night....bleh

Got some footage on it and glad I went.
Miami is fucking awesome, too!!

 

[MoFo]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Indian Girl:
I didn't like the spanish version of "WFLFAG", I don't speak nor understand spanish, and I love that song.
</font>

AGREED! That song is a killer track so I was SO disappointed to hear it in Spanish. Yuck.