I went to the Madame X concert yesterday in NYC. While I've never been a huge Madonna fan, I have dutifully accompanied my husband to many of her concerts.
Sadly to say, this is likely her worst--not only because she's aging (and it shows), but the culture has passed her by. She's no longer edgy and interesting like she was when she was able to play with sex, sexuality, and race. She just recycles the same talking points from 20 years ago.
She started at 11 pm , when the tickets say the audience must get there by 8:30, put their phones in a locked baggie, and the show would start at 9:30. Starting at 11 is just disrespectful to the audience, particularly on a weeknight. There was no opening act. So we're just sitting there for 2.5 hours. I got home at 2:30 AM and had to get up for work today at 6 AM. Maybe she wants to continue to line her pockets by encouraging more alcohol use. (Her first show of the run also started at 11, but she apologized, as if that were a one time thing. Apparently, it's the regular start time)
The first song was hilariously bad. Her outfit and makeup made her look like an elderly hag in a overly-large coat and hat trying to dance (I immediately thought of Robyn Byrd). She seemed sort of porky too.
She kept throwing out words like fuck and pussy, as if those shock anyone anymore. The show got interesting with Portuguese-tinted material and singers from Costa Verde, but Madonna singing among them in black tights, leotard, and a jet-black wig made no sense whatsoever.
She trotted out her African kids--rather young to be dancing with their mom at 12:30 am....
The show is loaded with spectacular videos, but they just emphasize how empty much of her music is without the surrounding circus. The "Frozen" number with the video of her daughter Lourdes dancing around her, really was stunning, however.
The show ended with a over-the-top celebration of LGBT, and by this point, it just felt like another prop she relied on to gain easy applause.
The whole Madame X persona makes no sense--she just jumps around wearing an eye patch. She quotes James Baldwin throughout and mentions how he's the greatest writer for her...yet this is the first time she's ever mentioned him, despite decades of tours and interviews. She's also terrible communicating with the audience verbally. She has periods of stupid repartee--she's just bad at it.
Interestingly, my hubby, the huge Madonna fan, was just as offput as I was!
Oddly, I kind of want to view it again--maybe when it shows up on video (I'm not paying another $400 to see her in this run, although there were plenty of seats available when I last checked). My opinion definitely was tainted by the late start time . I'm too old to have to deal with that and so was most of the audience.
