Alright, let’s put it out
there: Madonna is the greatest female entertainer ever. Thursday found Madonna kicking off her MDNA
2012 tour in Tel Aviv. This got me thinking about the number of amazing Madonna
performances, and since top-10 lists are always fun, why not apply such a list
to create my Top 10 Madonna-concert performances. I’ll stick to the ones that
have been filmed for DVD and Blu-ray. (I’ve been blessed to see her live four
times, soon to be five later this year, and there are so many parts of each
show that have allowed me to experience what I would consider, “euphoria,” but
that’s a separate blog series.)
To develop such a list, one
must first create the criteria by which the performances are measured. I’ve
decided that song/arrangement/band; vocal; costume; stage
presentation/theme/choreography; and audience interaction or interaction with
Madonna, would be suitable elements to begin constructing my list. Over the
next several days, performances 10 to 1 and maybe a few honorable mentions will
be featured.
Madonna has always managed
to get people talking, but so much more is needed to get people listening. It’s
been her fearlessness, perseverance, interaction with the right people (DJs; music executives; producers; managers; (fashion) designers; directors; choreographers; dancers,
and more), plus good old fashioned (raw, then refined) talent that have helped solidify Madonna as the Queen of Pop.
#10: Lament from Reinvention 2004
Madonna filmed a documentary
entitled, I’m Going To Tell You A Secret, which chronicled her 2004 Reinvention tour. At the closing to a circus-themed section in
the concert, Madonna is strapped to an electric chair by her executioners. As
the chair ascends on a lift, she sings Lament, which is the death scene from Evita. It’s a relatively short song and Madonna’s vocal on
it here is terrific. She sings it deep down from the diaphragm. At the end, she
subtly tilts her head back and looks up to the light as the lift descends back
down into the stage. Lament is
one of those “pin-drop moments.” BSo
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