Another AMAZING concert by Madonna! I've been a Madonna fan for a long time, but never got to a concert (for one reason or another) until 2 years ago (almost exactly) in Anaheim for the Reinvention tour. We paid $300 for two tickets then and I thought that we'd never go to another of her concerts again (the price is outrageous, right?), so it was worth the money.
By the beginning of the Reinvention tour, I had decided that I was probably wrong about never going to another Madonna concert. By the end, I knew I would see every tour she does from now on and that it was worth every penny! Who would have thought that in the next tour I'd pay even more for tickets ($400 for two in premier is not bad at all for one of her concerts - that's barely above the original price) and still think that she's worth the money and that she earns every penny?
The techs she needs to control her sets in the last tour alone were worth the money. I think she could have not shown up and it still would have been an amazing tour. The Confessions tour centers more around Madonna (not as many hydraulics used in the sets this time), but was still amazing from a theatrical standpoint as well as a Madonna fan's view.
The concert opened with a video montage, which seems to be typical for her shows. Madonna started off by descending in a giant disco ball, which opened up for her to walk out. It just got better from there. Not long after that, she was riding a saddle around in a circle that moved it around like a merry go round with just one saddle. Later in the show (as many people have read), she performed on a mirrored cross for "Live to Tell." The cat walk was used a lot, balloons were dropped at the end, and the show was totally amazing.
I've only seen Madonna in two concerts and hope to see her in many more to come. The dancing in her concerts is fabulous. It would be impressive for Madonna to be in that kind of shape if she were a teeny bopper. At her age, it's beyond amazing. I'd kill for a body like that and I'm younger than Madonna... She does moves I haven't been able to do for years and makes me feel like I really need to spend more time in the gym!
The most amazing thing to me, since I've been to many concerts over the years, is that in two concerts I have only seen Madonna sing one song twice. And that's Music. I love that I got to see her do different older songs this time around, which is really cool! She even did my favorite song from the older albums (La Isla Bonita) on this tour. Another surprise was that she closed with the most popular song on her most recent album (Hung Up). I expected her to close with something older like she did in the last tour, but I guess it depends on the most recent album's content.
Madonna is so talented that it's just amazing to watch her sing, dance, and change costumes repeatedly. I don't care what Elton John says... With the exception of the interludes which are clearly not sung live (and Madonna has never pretended otherwise), I believe that she's sung every word of every song of the concerts I've seen. And to be able to do that and dance as hard as she does every night is impressive! Who wouldn't love to be able to do that?
I'm already looking forward to her next tour, though I know I'll have to wait a while. I can't recommend Madonna's concerts enough. If you enjoy her music (even a little bit), consider seeing her in concert at least once. You will not be disappointed and believe me, it's well worth the high price!
Grade: A+
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Madonna (Eva Peron), Antonio Banderas (Che), Jonathan Pryce (Juan Peron)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Evita page.
In my opinion, the movie Evita contains the best overall cast of Evita ever. Yes, Mandy Patinkin was a better Che, but the accent Antonio Banderas brought to the part really helped make Che seem more authentic and beneath Eva. They did take out my favorite lyric in the musical, but they didn't alter too much and did an amazing job putting this musical on film.
Although some are upset that the mistress's part was almost complete cut out (since Madonna asked to sing "Another Suitcase in Another Hall"), how can anyone who's heard the song blame Madonna? It's one of my favorites from Evita and she sings it beautifully.
The lowering of some of the notes in "Rainbow High" bothered me quite a bit (as a soprano who used that song in auditions), but it worked in the show and it's still a great song.
I decided to see the movie before deciding if I needed to buy another version of Evita on CD (I owned the American recording already) and I've decided that I need the movie soundtrack, since it's such a great cast.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Antonio Banderas, drama, history, Madonna, Mandy Patinkin, movie, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tom Hanks (Jimmy Dugan), Geena Davis (Dottie Hinson), Madomna (Mae Mordabito), Lori Petty (Kit Keller), Jon Lovitz (Ernie Capadino)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's A League of Their Own page.
Baseball, comedy, and drama - what more could I want in a movie? This movie about the first female professional baseball league and the struggles within it is priceless. The cast is wonderful! The baseball is great, and the real-life drama is such a wonderful story! If you somehow missed it, you must see it now. Then, you can get all the "There's no crying in baseball!" and other quotes that people use from A League of Their Own. A wonderful movie about life and sports when the men are off to war.
Grade: A-
Labels: 1992, comedy, drama, Geena Davis, Madonna, movie, sports, Tom Hanks
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:40 PM show | 0 screams