-Madonna -
Madame X Tour London Palladium
2nd & 5th February 2020
From the beginning of this Tour, Madonna's performance record hit uncertainty after it emerged she had a knee injury in late summer last year whilst kicking off the tour in USA
she cancelled a string of dates last minute and was getting a reputation not even postponements but just cancelled.
In Lisbon things got gradually worse her injuries did too as she was then also rumoured to of pulled a ligament , forcing M' to finally make a statement at 61 some fans obviously believed she was not able to do an extensive tour the main problem was that dates were back to back which forced her to struggle to get better for the next show.
So when the tour finally came around to London Palladium fans here had everything crossed she'd battle through, with opening night axed it seemed this tour was plagued with bad luck and many fans were upset.
A further 2 Cancellations of 2 later shows at least days in advance this time and fans were jittery as the tour rolled on.
Sunday 2nd February my show night looms and all signs are good so far for the show it's lucky because I'm already checked in to my hotel and me and my friend are excited but nervous these are not certain times being a Madonna fan we are prepared for anything well almost.
As we arrive in the plush theatre we are greeted very politely by door staff making sure that our phones are switched to silent and locked away in a Yondr case , its a strict no photo policy, No distractions, No Smart Watches or Fit Bits either, we are then given our special ticket to go to our seats as we walk in a Dj is spinning the discs with a Disco ball rotating ,a visit to the bar is short with Alcohol at £6.00 a Coke was £3.50 so split that a bought a bag of Munchies at £3.50 2 for the price of an alcoholic drink.
As we go to our seats the view is AMAZING its an intimate low stage which is welcoming I'm overwhelmed, as Madame X's Band is on stage performing a string and brass section of Madonna Hits instrumental of course but atmosphere is on point we're 5 rows away from the Queen !!!
The show begins a little late I was so excited I didn't care, one fan observed oh it's not the full show but I was too excited to care as Madame X's voice welcomed us to the show...
Madame X is A Secret Agent.. Madame X Is A Spy In The House Of Love and explained the in house rules finishing with the words.... None of what you see here is real !!!
The curtain dropped back and screen went up to reveal her dancers dressed as her in Blonde wigs and trench coat creeping up and down flights of stairs count them... 10 steps each side as 'Vogue' begins they move around the stage posing, one of which is the real Madame X who comes down the stairs to the stage and shes there in front of us 'Strike A Pose' trademark eyepatch looking like a glamourous dancehall beauty queen.
You can see by the set why she's struggled she still dosent do things by halves as she is lifted and coerced into various dance sequences in fast paced fashion, if as the papers say she's struggling there is absolutely no sign on her face as she smiles the most happy smiles and the most relaxed I've seen early on in a show as 'I Dont Search I Find' takes her round the stairs and back again .
The crowd ROAR "So London How could I let you down" ? as she explains "Madame X Is injured, but I'm wearing flats and working out 6 hours a day", She walks accross and looks out at the faces in the crowd "So How's Brexit going for you guys? I dont know what it is why cant we we just get along !!"
She requests a chair and picks up a polaroid camera she sits and poses taking a selfie "Lets see how this develops in my oven" flirts with crowd putting photo between her thighs and shaking it , walking towards the crowd she says "Anyways I need someone who wants to buy this Polaroid for cash, Real Cash Baby so who wants to buy it how much have you got London?? the one who got the most gets it !!
A Woman Offers £1,700 dollars and animated she shouts "Lay It on The Floor for me Baby, I'll get my manager to check, he knows where you are sitting if you short change me you'll be punished" (Whip Sounds), she takes whole wad of cash and hands her the photo "Its For Charity Thank you".
She laughs steps back from the chair to be handed an acoustic guitar for 'American Life' to the left of the stage a lot of shirts and clothes thrown down, and Madame X begins the 2003 track last performed on her Reinvention Tour in 2004, she performs the whole rap and the crowd join in, she does her trademark one finger salute as she sits down as she dissapears into a door under the stairs, and the moveable stair partition opens as the screen goes down on Act 1 (Well Act 2 really).
A Coffin is walked onto the stage with maps on the screens behind two sailor girls fighting and later embracing in peace a poignient powerful peice of theatre, next a cacophony of sound and its getting closer its the 'Batuka' ladies dancing down the aisles right past us, wearing unique colourful traditional dress, instruments in hand, lining up on stage 'Madonna's backing singers joining in as 'Batuka' plays 'Madame X' starts singing in perfect harmony now , shes wearing a Blue sparkly outfit and trademark fishnets her trim figure and shes now wearing a cropped brown wig .
During this section we are told about a lady she met in Lisbon called 'Isobel De Oliviera' she tells the tale of moving over to a place where she didnt know anyone and meeting this lady who sadly passed away she sings her song 'Fado Pechincha', and then invites us into her 'Fado Club' the set is like a bar in Portugal, with male and female dancers walking up and down the stage set, and another musician sat by the piano as 'Madame X' sings 'The Killers Are Partying' and then my fav song 'Crazy' I love this song it's a sweet energetic number where she dance's with boyfriend 'Ahlamalik' and bursts into a chorus of 'La Isla Bonita' her dancers dancing down the aisles.
She ends up on the piano and she says as she reclines on it "Ok so I have to get off this piano now, you have to help me, theres only one way to do it .. 1, 2, Cha Cha Cha, C'mon" Audience Roars again 1, 2 , Cha Cha Cha as the piano tips and she lands upright for the beginning of 'Medellin', the dancers step down on the left of the stage and dance down the aisle with 'Madame X' following its a surreal moment my heart jumps she gets back onto the stage with her dancers and then moves over to our steps down to the right in front of me dancing past my aisle twirling past us .
I mean the show is the best shes ever done, then she passes us again smiling as she goes this has never happened before the height of the catwalk keeps eye contact to a minimum but this was just off the scale for me it was enthralling.
She Cha Cha's back up on to stage to climb the steps where a video image of 'Maluma' appears in the window of the outside the Fado Club, she stands looking radiant and carefree, we are all left gasping, then 'Madame X' says she is going to come and have drink of warm salty beer "Wheres my Beer Bitch" she says stepping down towards me again and actually not far from our aisle 2 rows in front in next block, pointing at us and telling us to sit down, so we do as she requests.
I can't believe how close she is, we all sit as an example where she is located it's the equivelant of her getting on my bus accross from me, she has her back turned away from me I'm fascinated how real this all is she takes the bottle of beer from the French Fan (Actor) and gargles it and goes back up the stage to sing 'Extreme Occident'.
Act 3 or is that Act 4 begins with 'Madame X's Voicing the lyrics of 'Rescue Me' , male and female dancers kneeling on the floor expressing a Contempory Dance sequence all are wearing white shirts which are ripped open to express the right of freedom and equality with one man and one woman bare chested another statement about sexual freedom.
As they roll off the stage both sides the screen comes down and onto this huge projected screen is Lola dancing her hair wild and free in B/W and lit up behind this is 'Madonna' sat at a piano whilst she sings 'Frozen' its a special moment in its simplicty and its pureness.
Dancers fill the stage in colourful clothes 'Madame X' wearing head scarf and colourful traditional outfit, she is bare foot as she begins 'Come Alive' another fav of mine this is my fav bit of the first show, the stage lit with vibrant colour, its a sight to behold a glorious celebration that we all are part of tonight as we all sing in Unison the crowd on their feet dancing.
Then it's over to the piano for 'Future' and curtain down in temporary silence nothing but the crowd chanting More More More !! when the lights go back down again and the screen goes up she is standing on the top of the stairs in a Black Robe with crosses on it and hood up, it can only be 'Like A Prayer' and 'Madonna' fans are in heaven right now!! Choir on the stairs ready ,crowd ready, chorus begins full pelt the whole room singing along.
Curtain down again and then the Pride Flag raised behind up on the screens her dancers join her for 'I Rise' some waving flags, and once and she stuns us she comes down past our aisle singing fist raised, I notice this time how tiny she is I treasured every moment of this show but it was nearly over as she walks out of the theatre and goes before the music stops my god she is still The #Queen .
Show 2
After the excitement of Sunday's show I'm hoping that maybe we will get the full show I've a good feeling about this she's rested up for 2 full days, I don't expect it though its 9.05pm the in house staff are awaiting the arrival of an important guest in the middle rows owner 'Andrew Lloyd Webber' is present show ready to begin at last, we are seated over to the left one row in front of last times position 4 rows back from the front.
Lights go down but wait... it's different 'Ahlamalik' walks out behind the curtain as the typewriter from 'God Control' fires words up at the screen he's wearing a suit, his hand gestures in time with the fast typing to the sound of gunshots he mimes in robotic breakdance motion oh my god she is doing the Full show !!
Screens goes up to show 'Madame X' dressed like a bloodied 'Napoleon' with hat atop the stairs looking confident smiling and dancing with the dancers being controlled by riot police with sheilds the message is clear Wake Up America!! guns need regulations, then its over to the piano which is over the left corner for 'Dark Ballet' her dancers in the gasmasks that were used for 'Eurovision' last year, everyone in tune the acoustics were amazing and clear.
But then even more mind blowing is what happens next she walks over to the cut out circle amongst the stairs and places her body with her legs and arms into it to begin the next song what originally had to be cut out due to pressure on her knees .
'Human Nature' starts up and she's doing the handstand upside down like in 'Reinvention Tour' when she performed Vogue, My heart is in my mouth 'Please Be Ok'.. can she do it? because it caused the injuries, she does it flawlessly and shows no sign of pain and looked like she is enjoying performing it tonight for us .
After which she brought onto the stage Her Children, Mercy James, Ester ,Estelle and sang 'Express Yourself' Accapella, I had to pinch myself there she was my icon with her family in front of me inches away. his show was going to be special, as they left the stage with M' and the dancers in trench coats and blonde wigs holding fans standing beside her, they got her a seat and put a make up screen in front .
We Cannot see anything but both legs out either side as they get her ready an orchestral instrumental of 'Papa Dont Preach' is playing, shes cracking jokes with us "What do you call a man with small penis" everyone shouts 'Peirs Morgan' no she says, "Dont you know" ? some one yells 'Donald Trump' "Yes Thats right" we still cant see her as shes changing its a funny part of the show.
When Madonna sits on the steps instead of doing the Beer Bitch sketch she sings the full accapella of 'Dont Cry For Me Argentina' we all join her singing along that was special, the show got better and better, as she chatted with us candidly between songs "This is what I'm talking about there's been barriers between us with your cameras and phones, I can see your faces, its much better" .
Everything was going perfect until after 'Like A Prayer' the curtain came down and lights came on and curtain stopped and she was still behind it with the microphone in hand "No Motherfxxkers No ,1 more song I have 1 more song this is censorship, its censorship!!!! oh she was hopping mad behind those curtains I could hear her stamping her feet in anger, The lights came on crowd went mad ,we all supported her chanting '1 More Song ,1 More Song ' even though the lights went back on Ahlamalik walked through the curtain along with the dancers omg it was like 'Glasgow' part 2 when they shut down 'Holiday' .
'Madame X' begins to sing defiantly 'I Rise' with no power , I decided I need to move quick accross to the right side of the venue for this so I leave my seat knowing it may be my only chance to fist bump the Queen and before she carried on and stepped down off the stage I was shuffling forward inhouse staff did not think she would do the whole song with no power but I knew she would, they hastily got staff to stand along to prevent anyone grabbing her as she past with her dancers.
She came up to where I was waiting on the end of the aisle, I noticed the top of her head and her smiling the determination on her face, I went to fist bump her but security pushed my arm away but the small girl on security on my side left a gap I've never broken the code but it was special moment of defiance ,I reached out and gently touched the top of her wrist so she knew I was there, a way to say I'm with you I'm here, I support her all the way, I did not grab or pull I have respected this woman for 30 years or more.
After she left I was completely in bits and she took my energy out the door with her and and I almost collapsed, it was fxxking spiritual , I have never been fortunate to have an encounter with her like some fans but this time it was my turn.
What had we witnessed tonight, it was epic defiant and a further example of people power a protest gig like that of a Bob Dylan, a moment in time that I can look back on and say I was there, how many people can say they were there for that moment where she defied the curfew and and venue staff and how proud I was of her .
The Day after she thanked fans for staying for not moving out of the venue and letting her finish the song and criticised the venue for nearly dropping the iron fire curtain on her and her dancers when they were actually within the curfew of 11.15pm but shut her off at 11.05pm anyway for a 4 minute song !!! Yes they did I'm a witness , the next night she was so pissed off she mentioned it .
No One Fxxks With The Queen
