Madonna rocked Dallas Sunday night when she performed to a sold-out house at the American Airlines Center. While on stage Madonna apologized for Saturday’s cancelled show, promising to sing her heart out that night to make up for the previous night, and that she did. Madonna was one of the very few performers that I have never seen, so I was excited about the show. But, little did I know how awesome that the night was going to be.
Tickets stated that the show was at 8 p.m. I rushed, trying to get there on time, as I saw many others also doing. A DJ set up on stage and began spinning, then kept spinning, and spinning. It was 10:45 before the real show that the crowd was waiting for began, when Madonna made an an equalled breathtaking entrance onto the stage, where she was immediately in control. The performance began with a cathedral image as the backdrop, church bells resonating, a large group of crimson hooded monk figures ominously chanting while Wizard of Oz type flying monkeys / bats cavorted in the background, and a brightly lit chandelier like ball swung around the stage and out over the audience. The chanting evolved into increasingly louder murmers of “Oh God” until Madonna made her grand entrance.
The night was a mix of the well-known and loved hits from the past and material from Madonna’s newest CD, MDNA. All were performed with a large troupe of extremely talented dancers, both male and female. Among the first songs of the night, from the new CD, were Revolver and Gang Bang, total attention grabbers with the use of toy guns and Madonna portraying the act of overpowering and then shooting masked male figures, complete with the large video screens covered with spatters of blood. One of the many memorable points of the night was during a medley containing Shoo-Bee-Doo, featuring an intricately choreographed dance routine, which to me, at least, was reminiscent of the rooftop scene in the classic Mary Poppins movie. Vogue was another elaborately choreographed number, with cross dressers parading around the circular stage while Madonna strutted her stuff. Some of the other past hits heard this night were Express Yourself, Open Your Heart, and a new sexy rendition of Like A Virgin. At one point of the show, there were numerous marching band drummers playing while they were suspended in the air. I, as well as the people sitting next to me, were not exactly certain if this was real, or could it have possibly been some sort of illusion? All that I am sure of here is that it was mind-blowing. The whole show was over the top. The continually changing/moving stage, the lighting , the sound, the costumes, the dancers, not to mention Madonna herself, came together to make this into a truly spectacular performance.
The show ended as it began, with the ringing of church bells, only this time the sound was glorious, a sound of Celebration. This was definitely a night to be remembered. Only a handful of people left before the lights were fully on. When it was all over, the enormous crowd of people, all with huge smile on their faces, was an uplifting sight to see in itself. Many of the concert goers had probably just experienced one of the most entertaining nights in their lives. The seemingly endless wait for Madonna to appear on stage was long forgotten. Madonna is truly amazing, even more so after all of these years (and 247 recorded songs).
Source: Examiner
