*SPOILERS* My opening night pics and review ...

Wannabe

I don't normally do this cos I'm dyslexic and I hate writing but I had some time. I apologise for the spelling and sentence structure. Maybe Tonybecks can translate, he speaks wannabe! LOL

Anyways here goes and I'll add pics later:

Back from Cardiff and after a great nights sleep, I’m going to try and muster up a review. I’ll start by saying a fabulous weekend with my amazing friends. Without offending anyone & the city of Cardiff, I’m glad I’m home. I will however miss the company of my friends and the many people I met on this opening night journey.

Merchandise … The T shirts I’m not sure I like any of them. The tour jacket is nice but they have printed over the zip so the first time you undo it half that falls off. The tour book is lovely but it’s a shame it’s the same shoot the whole way through. The Guy Oseary book was there, so me, Tony and James had a thumb through it. Its £40 (you can get it for £19 on UK amazon) its OK, I was expecting some more behind the scenes, rehearsal and fan pics. He was talking pics before the show last night, (maybe during but didn’t see him). The ‘Hard Candy’ cd was £20!

Well despite it raining on us before we entered the stadium we were all in good spirits. We got in to see these huge M’s either side of the stage, which believe me however pretty they look in the pictures are as tacky as shit, they do change colour with the lights ohhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I wouldn’t like to say how many people are in the gold circle, its bigger than CT but probably still not as big as I thought it would be. I was just glad I was in there and standing with my friends. As you looked around you pretty much knew everyone that was in the GC, it was lovely feeling.

So the show song by song (in my opinion) with my marks out of ten …

Intro/Candy Shop – 6/10
The song is growing on me but I think purely cos its mockable “Sooty & Sweep” and the number of things you put in the place of ‘sugar’ in ‘my sugar is raw’ before following it with ‘sticky and sweet’. Aside from her coming out of an ‘M’ cube and a Willy Wonka style candy opening, the same as the promo tour (yawn) on a throne. Still it looks good but not the same as the big openings of RIT or CT.

Beat Goes On – 8/10
To be fair I remember it bringing a tear to my eye when the car came along the catwalk and Madonna looking so beautiful and smiley and happy but I can’t remember much else. The backdrop was colourful and it all worked well, for an album track it went down a storm.

Human Nature – 7/10
Considering I thought this might be a toilet break for me (flashes back to DWT) I really enjoyed it. The video of Britney (don’t judge her! LOL) was great and worked really well with the song. Madonna sung it well but of course she had the guitar she was pretending to play strapped round her, which we all love *cough*.

Vogue – 10/10
She can bloody well sing it live and really brilliantly. The guitar is gone and she’s back to what she does best, dancing her arse off semi-naked! Thrusting her groin at us (that’s the Madonna we know and love), the dance routine is amazing, I need to see it from the end of the catwalk but it look great from a side view. The musical arrangement was good the backdrop great. With the 4 minutes start the crowd roared but when they realised it was Vogue they nearly blew off the roof. Oh and I was bawling my eyes out and wailing like a banshee. My camera went away and I was dancing like a crazy person.

Die Another Day (video interlude) – 7/10
The song has been sped up and I’m not sure about the music. A boxing ring appears at the end of the catwalk and the video backdrop is of Madonna as a boxer. You almost forget about the music as there is so much to watch and Madonna looks stunning in the video.

Into The Groove – 11/10
I nearly pee’d my pants, although I may have an aneurysm each time she does that skipping. So fun so colourful. She looks like a little girl really enjoying herself on stage. Really energetic performance and whoever thought to use the Keith Herring backdrop can get 10 gold stars from teach, make that 11. The music again is fabulous and the sample of Jump works really well.

Heartbeat – 7/10
Again I can’t remember much of this other than for an album track it was good and went down well with the crowd. I remember a white beating heart on the screen and that she starts lying on the floor pulsating like a heart. I think I was still blown away by ‘Into the Groove’, she could have done ‘This used to be my playground’ and I wouldn’t have noticed! Actually I take that back if she ever does that it will be the first time I have truly had a toilet break during her concerts.

Borderline – 8/10
Felt like Karaoke almost. Everyone was having a good sing-a-long. I really love this version but I know some fans are not so sure about it. I think we were all very pleased to hear it live that she could’ve done a jungle version of it while playing bassoon and we’d be happy. I can’t wait to hear it again. Just step away from the guitar Madonna. We all know Monte’s playing it and yours is turned down or off!

She's Not Me – 8/10
Fantastic for the fun factor. Montage video always good, we like them. I was surprised she didn’t have more looks, 2 virgin era, 1 open your heart and 1 vogue.
Could’ve had a Dita and Cow Girl or something. I guess its always something she could change along the way. I love this sing as an album track so I enjoyed hearing it live and I love the heart glasses look.

Music – 9/10
Although a carbon copy of the promo tour, its fantastic version both musically and visually. Can you go wrong with Music?! I love the dance routines that seem to take elements of previous performances in her career. The whole stadium was singing along.

Here Comes The Rain Again (video interlude) – 1/10
Supposedly mixed with rain, show me where?! I didn’t come to a Eurythmics concert! Boring old backdrop. Some dodgy looking Alien thing running around like a nymph on heat! Gets 1/10 purely cos I wasn’t sitting in the dark waiting for her to come on. Maybe if the music can be turned down for future dates we can all have a chat about the first half that was great until this rubbish. One of my friends said it reminded him of a ‘Steps’ backdrop, that has to be the best insult ever.

Devil Wouldn't Recognize You – 8/10
Beautifully sung. Very dark and mysterious, as you imagine it to be. Only thing that bothered me is she is behind a screen for the entire performance. She could be revealed for the last few bars or something. Saying that its lovely but I wonder what people thought that had come along to see ‘Madonna’, where was she?! LOL I think the fans were impressed, the average Cardiff Joe, not so much.

Spanish Lesson – 3/10
I love you Monte but this is a pile of shit! “Qué una canción de mierda” means “What a crap song” – (well it does if the free translator has got it right! LOL). The dancings OK but nothing we haven’t see before. The hooded clones are scary along with the weird witch looking figure in the videos. I’m off to the toilet. See ya!

Miles Away – 7/10
Purely I love it and it makes me cry. Possibly believable that she’s actually strumming that guitar but its back! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The backdrop has changed from the tour but the performance is woodernly the same.
I bloody love this song though.

La Isla Bonita/Lela Pala Tute – 6/10
I love La Isla Bonita but why again and why almost the Live Earth version and lets face it I think Stuart Price deserves some credit and cash for the musical arrangement.
Very colourful and I did love it at Live Earth and it was still a crowd pleaser. I can just about bare it for this tour.

Doli Doli (Live interlude - Romanian folk song) – 5/10
Entertaining? I suppose so. Guys influence? Definitely. She’s on the stage having a clap and getting pissed. Doesn’t really rock my world.

You Must Love Me – 9/10
I’m not a slow song person, I barely listen to the Evita soundtrack unless its for me to do my best singing voice to ‘Rainbow High’ but this is magical. The tears came flooding out again. She looks and sounds beautiful. Madonna and Monte were all smiles at the end because she knew she had nailed that performance. The crowd roared at the end. I love it even with her sitting down and playing the guitar. STUNING

Get Stupid (video Interlude) – 7/10
When I heard about this video I thought – self righteous trash about saving the planet she doesn’t need to tell me what to do!
Er, It’s great. The imagery is fabulous, she looks fantastic. Its short sweet and to the point.

4 Minutes – 7/10
Its 4 minutes, it went down well with the crowd. I’m a bit bored of it now. It’s the promo tour version in a disco version of American football shoulderpadding! The video is very slightly different. Same musically. It works.

Like A Prayer – 9 half / 10
Would be ten but she needs her vocals turned up, (it might have been the sound in the Cardiff stadium, most songs were way to basey & you couldn’t hear her vocals). Great mix with Meck ft Dino track ‘feels like home’. The crowd went mad. Everyone was up and dancing when you looked around the stadium. I can’t wait to hear this again, best part of this last section.

Ray Of Light – 5/10
It’s a crowd pleaser, I love this song but barely a change from the CT version both musically and that F’ing guitar and the video backdrop. She doesn’t even get us jumping, we almost automatically do it because of the CT! Lazy.

Hung Up – 2/10
Yuk! Why? Why? Why? Rock version rubbish! The only reason it gets 2 is cos we got a few lines of ‘Express Yourself’* at the start. Words fail me on this one. Does anyone like this version?! Really? People in the stadium got so excited when they finally realised what it was, then sat back down. DREADFUL. Everyone get your last train home. At least we didn’t get the ‘Satisfaction’ strumming at the start and the “This is what my brain sounds like…” speech. My brain has melted after that version.

* I hope she does something different every night, preferably ‘Gambler’ and ‘Nothing Really Matters’.

Give It 2 Me (Finale) – 4/10
I LOVE this song. I can’t believe the UK public only got it to number 7 it should have been number 1 but this carbon copy performance of the promo tour to a dodgy (chav going by with to much base in their car) remix was an awful closer. If it had been mid show I may have given it a 6 or 7/10 but to close the show, awful. The album version extended or one of the good remixes would’ve been better. The freestyling dance mess at the end of the catwalk, YUK! The Hung Up styley mike along the catwalk “I can’t here you sing ‘Give it 2 Me’” because the ‘song has finished but I have to end this some how’ ending. No confetti, No balloons, not even any pyrotechnics or a puff of smoke, (or feathers! LOL – a funny rumour we heard). I looked around and a lot of people looked a little disheartened. I thought we might get some sweet shapped multicoloured candy wrapping. The video backdrop has changed and at the start it looks great. I’m not sure about the “GAME OVER” either, its no “ReInvent Yourself” or “Have you Confessed?”, gives you the feeling of that’s it now f*ck off home. Shame cos it all started so well, made me think ‘did I like that show?’

Pics ...
Hard Rock cafe Cardiff ...

The show FIRST SECTION...

SECOND SECTION ...

THIRD SECTION ...

FOURTH SECTION ...

us after the show ...

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NaChU · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 91 Location: in the clouds

ohhh cool sharon! congratulations!
i love the photos Cool

mmm...i miss to see Cloud in the show Crying or Very sad

thank you very much for sharing your images with us!

love you!

kiss!

bawbag · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Glasgow

very well done sharron - with someone with dyslexia your grammer and punctuation are top notch - unlike mine as im far too lazy (bad me Sad

lol)

well done you for taken the time to share your experience of the show - i stand by my inital oppinion that it is not nearly as exciting looking as confessions - maybe shes decided to take heed of her own carbon footprint responsibilitys hence its nothing like the previous - who knows Rolling Eyes

anyway - thanks again and keep up the grand job Wink

Wild_Rose · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 118 Location: Greece

thanks for the review and the great photos Sharon!!!
can't wait for Athens in 2 weeks!!! Very Happy

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Sticky & Sweet Tour ATHENS, September 27th 2008!