this is more fun.
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.
Yes, I think so?
I guess she is still technically middle-aged. Just think--in a couple of years she will be eligible to join AARP! :-)
That implies that she had talent at one point.
That implies that she had talent at one point.
Not her talent, the talent of other people. She's the black hole of the creative force.
Her talent, such as it is, isn't in music, it's in business.
So was Michael Jackson.
CITW IS an early Elton song. 1973.
You said it! And what about people who would actually pay money to see this fiasco?
They don't actually give money, they break into song and ask the ignorant public to contribute to the "cause". They assign an inflated value to their performance and claim it as a charity deduction on their tax return. It always works out for them doncha know.
I'll take a ska band over a pseudo-iconoclastic politically correct Las Vegas production any day!
...pseudo-iconoclastic politically correct Las Vegas production any day!
Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.
I actually have nothing against ska, in theory. I wouldn't go to a ska show, but I wouldn't turn it off or complain if someone was playing it at a party.
What is interesting to me is that there are still guys out there playing good music. They don't get signed to record deals or tour major stadiums/arenas, but they keep plugging along. And, they exist in every musical category, from country/western to speed metal. Basically they're just guys who love playing music. You just have to hunt them out.
I gave up on 90% of commercial popular music around 1972. I love good oldies, but you can only hear them so many times. There is a rich motherlode in the blues genre, though, and I listen to it all the time and feel, thankfully, I'll never unearth all the great stuff there.
I enjoy browsing through the Real Rhapsody service and, as you say, have found that there are cool things in all genres. I even like a few Madonna songs.
One of the best guitarists I've heard in the last five years was in a hole in the wall club here in NYC. The guy had a real Dire Straits thing going on. But all original music, etc.
I started talking to him after the show and the talk turned to economics and the guy knew his stuff. I said, 'You're not a full time musician?' And the guy said, "Used to be, but I'm a lawyer with ______" and he mentions a MAJOR international law firm.
It's possible to find these guys. Some of them are full time musicians, some are lawyers or chefs or work in bookstores, or do graphic arts etc. and they're making great music.
Or maybe he did.
Surah 9:5But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem; but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."
Surah 5:51
"O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people."
Surah 8:60
""Against them (unbelievers) make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly."
Surah 9:29
""Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."
Sura 8:12
" Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them."
you are right but you missed a point,all of this is not applicable unless they fights the muslims first,what would you do if your country is under attack because of what you believe,islam didn't prevail the middle east because of the sword or terrorism.
What constitutes "fighting the Muslims first"? Does resistance to Muslim aggression constitute fighting first? Today, 90% of armed conflicts around the world are along the perimeter of the Muslim world. Are Hindus, Christians, Jews and Buddhists attacking Muslims, or vice versa?
what would you do if your country is under attack because of what you believe, islam didn't prevail the middle east because of the sword or terrorism.
The Muslims drove the Christians out of north Africa at the point of a sword.
this is more fun.
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