 |
| |
|
| |
Live Review
by SashaS
5-7-2001
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Madonna's strumming plays with her manic |
|
Live: Madonna
Earls Court, London
Wednesday, July 4, 2001
The lady knows the way to bump the show that's a revue of her career; but is she really going to close black magic box of tricks, for good?
Now I don't wish to poke rudely at a slow-dying, lowbrow-ing culture, but the Establishment has gone rottenly bad, the system's gone skewhiff mad. The paltry alternative is to give TV soaps a bodyswerve, which is like such-an-out-there-attitude-dude. So, when Madonna hits the stage it's as easy to 'shock' this lot as it is to stoke their fires, past multi-orgasmic levels. In short, 'The Drowned World' tour, after nine years of no-gigs in particular, is a super-condensed lesson in turning the people ON.
All the motion, commotion and onstage action is best summarised by Madge herself, "A theatrical presentation of my music". With half-a-dozen costume changes, flying, mechanical-bull riding, 'megakimono' (26 ft in 'imperial metric') it's a circus, almost. The decor moves and morphs all the time and Madonna's also become a musician, a guitar player, who picks different instruments for 'Candy Perfume Girl', 'Secret', '1 Deserve It' and 'La Isla Bonita'... She apparently studied the instrument over the past eight months... wait a minute, who cared for Rocco, Mrs Ritchie? Sorry, heatstroke got the better for a minute, she is da uberfemme.
But this 43-year-old (next month) inventor of reinvention is a victim of her own control-freakishness and regimented search for perfection: everything is choreographed and rehearsed to the point that the participants, a pervert feels, start jigging it even during fake lurve-thang scenes. Yeah, all necessary due to the obvious complexity of staging, but it doesn't make it less of a Las Vegas show. There's a whopping great kitsch element here, and not all by design Madge me dear.
There's no disputing the pop-greatness of tunes like 'Frozen', 'Beautiful Stranger', 'Holiday' or 'Music' - the grand finale climaxing with 25 cannons firing! (Pure AC/DC, I'm tellin' ya). A fitting end flourish for the Linda Hamilton-like (circa 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day') physique of Madge-version 2001.
In a world where music matters less than iconoclastic attributes such as Madge's boobs, J-Lo's posterior, Britney's virginity or L'il Kim's nudity, the Material-Girl-turned-cool-mama's image manipulation is less about selling power and chart positions than just staking a global claim - to being the baddestlsexiest lady. And so far, this veteran is still Queen supreme in the Noughties.
SashaS
5-7-2001
Madonna's 'Music' is out now on Maverick/Warner Bros
|
|
|
