Ick. Creepy. Just because she can, doesn't mean she should...
Posted on 05/22/2006 6:13:07 AM PDT by Aquinasfan
LOS ANGELES - Madonna launched her first world tour in two years on Sunday, delighting an enthusiastic Los Angeles crowd by hanging herself from a cross, insulting President George W. Bush, and dusting off some of the sexy moves that have sustained her career for more than 20 years.
The "Confessions" tour will keep her on the road for two months in North America, and then resume on July 30 in Wales for a five-week stadium swing through eight European cities. Shows in Japan are also on tap for mid-September.
The 47-year-old dance diva spent two hours churning out most of the tunes from her new album, "Confessions on a Dancefloor," as well as a few old hits such as "Like a Virgin," "Ray of Light" and "Lucky Star."
The audience at the Los Angeles Forum included Madonna's Kabbalah guru Rabbi Yehuda Berg, socialite Nicole Richie, and gay icon Rosie O'Donnell, who upgraded herself to a premium seat on the floor and left her spouse alone in the stands.
The meticulously choreographed Vegas-style routine began 50 minutes late when a giant mirror ball was lowered from the ceiling to the end of a catwalk stretching deep into the floor. Out popped Madonna, in S&M-styled riding gear and whip, singing the new tune "Future Lovers" as four bare-breasted male dancers writhed around with ball gags in their mouths.
MADONNA, HITLER & BUSH
Later on, she donned a crown of thorns and suspended herself from a giant mirrored cross to deliver the ballad "Live to Tell." Video screens showed images of third-world poverty and reeled off grim statistics.
During one of her half-dozen costume changes, another video montage juxtaposed images of Bush, members of his administration and British Prime Minister Tony Blair with footage of Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. Midway through the new song "I Love New York," she deviated from the script and made a crude reference to Bush and oral sex.
Beyond that, she barely spoke to the audience, largely focusing on keeping control of a busy nightclub-style stage that boasted 15 dancers, four musicians and three backing vocalists. For the most part, she joined in the tricky choreography, her voice evidently not affected by the aerobic workout. She did pause for a few songs during which she appeared to play a shiny Gibson Les Paul guitar.
A disco segment near the end, where she dressed in a "Saturday Night Fever"-style white suit to perform "Music" thrilled the crowd, as did the "Like a Virgin" routine, when she climbed aboard a carousel-style black leather saddle.
There was no encore, and the lights came up as soon as she had completed a medley of "Lucky Star" and latest hit single "Hung Up" while sporting an illuminated white cape with "Dancing Queen" embroidered on the back.
Billboard magazine has forecast ticket sales could reach the $200 million range, making it the most successful tour by a female artist. Cher holds the record with $192.5 million from 273 shows on a "farewell" world tour that began in June 2002 and lasted almost three years, according to Billboard.
Madonna, on the other hand, is scheduled to play fewer than 60 dates on this tour. Similarly, her $125 million-grossing Re-Invention tour in 2004 and the $75 million Drowned trek in 2001 were also relatively brief.
What catapults her to the top of the leagues is her ticket price, topping out at $380 (including Ticketmaster fees) in most U.S. venues. However, it did not stop her from adding dates to accommodate demand.
Where in our society is the adulation for Jeff Baxter's guitar solo from Bohhisatva?, I digressively ask.
Well, she was born into a Catholic family. She stopped practicing a long time ago, apparently. She's now into Kaballah, or at least the Hollywood version.
LOL!
A great song BTW.
You mean the same Prince that did "Darling Nikki?"
Yes! Exactly! Like a spoiled child having a tantrum. And her mother would be/is aghast at the negative impact her daughter has had on our culture, and Catholicism, too.
I hate to call 'her' by her name, 'Madonna', anymore, because it is an affront to the Madonna, and others with that name.
Ick. Creepy. Just because she can, doesn't mean she should...
Ball Gags - how sick is that?!
A gag is usually a device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help. This is usually done by blocking the mouth, partially or completely, or attempting to prevent the tongue, lips, or jaw from moving in the normal patterns of speech. They are often much less effective in reality than in crime fiction. They carry a strong risk of killing the victim by suffocation. In fact, the more "effective" a gag appears to be, the more hazardous it is.
Gags are sometimes also used in the context of some consensual BDSM activities: for the use of gags in a BDSM context, see gag (BDSM). All gags are dangerous. Never put one in your mouth or in the mouth of another without consent, also, do not put one in the mouth of someone who has the cold or flu or any kind of respiratory illness. A person who is gagged must never be left alone, and must be monitored for breathing problems.
That is sick. Glad she's writing children's books < barf>
Yeah, same Prince who was forced to adopt a symbol for his name during a copyright dispute with his record label...
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"Hmmm, why didn't I think of that?"
How 1985ish that picture is!!!!
No need to apologize! Far too many people have hid their heads in the sand trying to pretend that everything's just okey-dokey and it'll all go away if they don't pay attention.
People who know the difference between right and wrong, truth and lies, need to speak up and take action. Otherwise, we have only ourselves to blame for the insanity which will continue to get worse.
It was someone really bizarre like Chevy Chase or Steven Seagall or something.
I agree. Nothing Madonna has ever done can come close to something like, say, Hamburger Lady by Throbbing Gristle. But they're so under the radar as to be invisible. Madonna's just a packaged Barbie doll, only instead of being a Veterinarian, or a Bay Watch life guard, or a beautician, she's just "In Your Face" Barbie. Pull her string and listen to the craziness that comes out! She's such a safe, sanitized kind of controversial.
chevy chase. they all went to bard together.
She's such a safe, sanitized kind of controversial.
Bingo!
Here's some "dangerous art" from nearly 40/50 years ago.
http://members.tripod.com/~pinkfreudian/archivebacon.html
Too bad it wasn`t real crucifixion.
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