Madonna launches an ecstatic assault on Key Arena

by Jessica Price - SGN A&E Writer

MADONNA
KEY ARENA
October 2

Madonna is, and will always be, Madonna - no matter what anyone else wants her to be. It should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed her career that she never, ever repeats herself and will invariably do whatever she damn well pleases, pushing as many hot buttons as she can along the way. She's unpredictable - at times infuriatingly so - but we continue to adore her and live vicariously through her sheer force of will and fiery independence. She also delivers a spectacular live show so thrilling that all others pale in comparison, every single time. Truly, nobody does it better than the Queen of Pop.

SHIFTING PERSONAS
Madonna tore the roof off a sold-out Key Arena Tuesday night with what could only be described as a full-frontal (and posterior) assault on the senses via a mind-bending variety show. One of her most enduring qualities is the ability to slip into and out of a persona in a smart and calculated way. This time, she shifted from dark diva to majorette to torch-song stripper to peace-loving karma chameleon and back again, in a tightly run and precisely choreographed set that ran just over two hours.

The opening suite began with a typically bombastic Madonna intro: cloaked monks began a Gregorian chant, swinging a giant, incense-filled censer over the stage. A backlit confessional chamber was lowered to the stage, revealing a veiled, machine-gun-toting Madonna inside. As she stormed the stage with guns blazing, it was clear that the evening wasn't going to be just a feel-good dance party.

The first three songs, 'Girl Gone Wild,' 'Revolver,' and 'Gang Bang' were a fantasy playground for a deeply angry, aggressive diva, pissed off and not afraid to let you know it (MDNA, her latest album, is full of blatant references to her failed marriage to Guy Ritchie, among other provocations). She brandished fake weapons and raised hell in a hotel room set-within-a-set, finally relenting and being 'captured' during 'Papa Don't Preach' and 'Hung Up.' Ending the suite of ultra-violence was 'I Don't Give A,' not one of the strongest tracks on MDNA but a song that found new life with Madonna on guitar and Nicki Minaj's towering video image rapping along behind her.

THE TRUE ORIGINAL
Suddenly leaving the darkness behind, Madonna reappeared in full majorette getup, complete with a baton and a troupe of similarly clad dancers and colorful, humorous Roy Lichtenstein-style visuals flashing in the background. (I spotted a few boy-boy and girl-girl kisses as well as Rosie the Riveter giving the finger.) A victorious 'Express Yourself' suddenly became 'Born This Way' for a few bars, proving how un-coincidentally close those two melodies happen to be and delivering a slight jab at Lady Gaga. A snippet of Madonna's 'She's Not Me' segued into the mix, driving the point home that Madonna wrote the anthem from which the latter song was born. 'Give Me All Your Luvin' and 'Turn Up the Radio' finished the lighter portion of the set and led into a stripped-down version of 'Open Your Heart' and 'Masterpiece,' accompanied by Basque trio Kalakan (not to mention the appearance of son Rocco dancing with the cast).

Next, Madonna returned to the conjoined twins of sexual ecstasy and holy redemption that she can always be counted on to bring to the foreground. A 'Justify My Love' interlude ushered in references to the Erotica era, including 'Candy Shop' mixed with 'Erotica' and one of Madonna's live favorites, 'Human Nature.' Notable here was the Jean Paul Gaultier-designed black cone-bra caged corset worn over a crisp white shirt and pin-striped trousers, reminiscent of the famous golden cone-bra she wore on the 1990 Blond Ambition tour. Madonna prostrated herself atop a piano for a solemn, ego-stripped version of 'Like a Virgin,' leading into a heartfelt 'Love Spent' and a 'Nobody Knows Me' interlude indicating yet another shift in tone. 'I'm Addicted' and the psychedelic 'I'm a Sinner' were followed by a euphoric 'Like a Prayer' (yes, the choir wore the robes made famous at the Super Bowl, only with white sashes added to form crosses instead of the G-rated white vertical stripe you may recall).

TAKING SIDES
The MDNA era has not been without controversy. Nip slips, swastikas, guns - you name it, she will take you there. Provocative imagery and pointed references to current events are nothing new for Madonna - some may recall her biting Bush-era jabs during the Reinvention and Confessions tours. Anti-bullying and pro-Obama messages are clearly on her mind these days. At one point, she stripped down to reveal a faux tattoo proclaiming 'OBAMA' on her lower back. 'When Obama is in the White House for his second term, I will take my pants off all the way,' she announced. 'And that's not some cheap political promise.' Images of LGBT youth who committed suicide and disturbing images of anti-Gay marriage protesters were haunting reminders of how much work is still to be done in the fight for true equality. Madonna knows her audience, and the Gay community knows and loves her in return.

Just as ferociously as she appeared, Madonna went out in a blaze of glory with a joyous dance-floor throw-down of the club hit 'Celebration.' Madonna knows how to make an exit that leaves you in a state of otherworldly disco bliss for days afterward. Key Arena erupted with cheers as the entire floor became a bouncing, jumping sea of fans and the swell of music reached a fever pitch, indicating the party was over. 'Almost 30 years ago today I did my first show in Seattle,' she said at one point. 'I just wanted to thank all my fans that have supported me over the years & I do not take your love for granted.'

Though the sets and mood changes seemed a bit disjointed and her current point of view might be jarring for those expecting to hear the likes of 'Holiday' or 'Lucky Star' all night long ('Holiday' actually was performed as a special treat midway through the show), it's hard to process anything when seeing a Madonna show other than the single most obvious attraction of all - the lady herself. We continue to shell out cash for the exorbitant cost of holding court with Madonna because watching her live and in person, doing what she was born to do, right in front of you, is the real joy. It's not the message, or the controversy, or whether you care more or less for her music - it's her. The reason we love Madonna is exactly why she can be equal parts confounding and liberating all at once: she doesn't live by anyone's rules but her own, and she never has. Madonna does what she wants when she wants to, artistically speaking, and she will continue to do so until the end, whenever that may be (hopefully, never). Her rebellious refusal to stagnate or fade away is the most poignant reminder of just why we fell in love with her in the first place. She won't give you an easy show, but she will take you on one hell of a ride.

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