The Queen of Pop hit Israel this week, and, whatever you might think of her, she totally blew the Holy Land away with two killer concerts in Tel Aviv. I’ve never been a huge fan of Madonna, but these two gigs, which wrapped up her year-long Sticky and Sweet tour, prove this lady can perform!
To be honest, I went expecting a good show, especially after the rave reviews she got from the first concert in Tel Aviv, and catching some clips on YouTube. But I wasn’t experiencing anything close to the buzz and anticipation I had for the Depeche Mode concert back in May, where I was prepared to wrestle with the masses for a good spot near the stage.
But when Madonna finally left the stage (admittedly a little too quickly, without an encore, but hey, she is the Queen of Pop…) after two solid hours of pure entertainment, to be frank, Madonna had outshone Depeche Mode by more than just a Ray of Light.
Just a quick aside to the person in front of me at the queue for picking up tickets outside the concert gates: No, there is no break during the show, the concert is approximately two hours long, and hell no, there’s no popcorn.
Those of you thinking that this fifty-something blond should contemplate settling into middle-age quietly should think again: these two shows highlighted some of pop’s finest moments from the last 20-odd years, but mixed with Madonna’s sheer talent and exuberance, they made for an exquisite end to a long world tour. And I take my hat off to anyone who can rock for 2 hours on high heels!
Madonna had the Tel Aviv crowd eating out of her hands with a non-stop barrage of hits, props and a huge cast of supporting dancers and musicians. I seriously doubt whether Tel Aviv will ever see anything like this again. From the opening beats, to the open top car, to the tribute to Michael Jackson, to the guitar riff nicked from the Sex Pistols, to the lesbian snogs with her wannabee alter-egos, to the closing moments with an Israeli flag wrapped around Madonna and her daughter as they made their exit, this was as close to the perfect concert you’re ever going to get…
No doubt about it, Madonna is a phenomenal performer and if you get the chance, go and see her. Another world tour might not happen for another couple of years, but she’ll be worth the wait. And Israel looks like it won’t be waiting another 16 years for her next gig (she was last here in 1993) as Madonna seems to have bonded with Israel beyond the normal “Hey, we love Israel, we’ll see you soon!” kind of comments made by many performers…
Madonna also let her two big kids get up on stage (Rocco and Lourdes) for the first time ever (I believe), perhaps the evidence that the bond with Israel is just that extra bit special (while also paving an inevitable future career path?).
Of course, there are some great clips out there of the two concerts in Tel Aviv, including these:
Top picture courtesy of Scott, who was in the front row at the first concert. Thanks mate!