Madonna reigns supreme...

Well, what can I say about Madonna's Sticky and Sweet show last night at the Air Canada Centre? It was amazing. And it was even BETTER than I could have imagined.

I don't know what it is about a Madonna show that just unleashes the inner gay boy in me, but I just lose myself at her shows. It's like time stops. I don't think about my personal problems, about work, about my debts or whatever is on my mind. It's literally two hours of pure euphoria. Last night, whenever Madonna would plant her microphone in some guy's face to sing along to her lyrics, he would break away from the lyrics and shriek, "I love you, Madonna!" That happened several times last night, and I understand why - you just become so giddy at a Madonna show.

I'm not quite sure what sets Madonna apart from the other shows I've seen in the last year or so - she's not the best singer or best dancer (let's not even pursue the whole guitar thing). But what Madonna possesses is what most performers wish they had - and I suspect why several celebrities resent her: she's a complete force of nature herself. She has so much charisma and stage presence that, despite the moving sets, top-notch lighting, and a hard-working troupe of dancers, the main spectacle remains Madonna herself. As much as I loved seeing the Spice Girls earlier this year, the four of them cannot even muster the same degree of stage presence (heck, stage power) Madonna can.

What I loved about the Sticky and Sweet show was that, despite the spectacle, it was quite intimate. Yes, the staging and lighting were stellar, but they were not as grand or overwhelming as Re-invention or Confessions, and S&S allowed Madonna to take center stage. Her voice was in surprisingly great shape. And for two hours, Madonna danced, vogued, jumped rope, boogied and shimmied her way across the stage as if she was a 20-year-old girl, not a 50-year-old woman.

The show was basically built around tracks from her new album, Hard Candy, with a few classics thrown in for good measure. Hard Candy is not one of Madonna's more popular albums (although I quite enjoy it). But most of the HC tracks translated well to the stage, particularly the show opener "Candy Shop" followed by the "Beat Goes On". One of the show's highlights was "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", featuring Madonna singing atop a piano in a dark cloak, followed by a surprisingly good performance of "Spanish Lesson" (one of the most hated Madonna tracks ever, with posters on Madonna fan sites calling it "Spanish Torture"), and an exuberant sing-along version of "Miles Away". The show closer "Give It 2 Me" was the perfect song to end the show, with the ACC turning into a massive dance club. I couldn't have asked for a better audience - completely enthusiastic throughout. You could feel the electricity throughout the ACC, particularly during "Like A Prayer". Even my sister, who is five months pregnant, rarely sat down because she was having such a blast. Afterwards, we all felt the $400 tickets were justified in price.

The only drawbacks were too much of Madge on guitar (the rock version of Borderline was great, but Human Nature and Hung Up didn't fare as well), and some of the interludes were a bit dull, although the Get Stupid video was impressive.


But overall, a fantastic show!

The Queen reigns supreme...