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Review and photos by Andy Argyrakis
If there was a single moment when Madonna asserted her
position in today's pop world during the first of two shows at Chicago's
UnitedCenter,
it was during her smash hit from yesteryear "Express Yourself." Besides
updating the arrangement as a current club banger, she covered a bit of Lady
Gaga's "Born This Way," but rather than celebrating each song's similarity in
sound, her Madgesty defiantly segued out of the mash-up with a few lines from
the ever so appropriate "She's Not Me."
At 54-years-old, Madonna is obviously not Lady Gaga, Nicki
Minaj, Katy Perry or any of the latest crop who may possess varying degrees of
talent in their own right, but won't likely be able to match the longevity this
global icon still possesses. With over 300 million albums sold since the early Ô80s,
she's hands down the best selling female recording artist in history, but 2012
finds her more than merely seeking fun flashback status. Instead she kicked off
the year with a Super Bowl halftime appearance, dropped her 12th studio disc
"MDNA" (yet another chart topper) and found her global tour generally selling out
(though at press time, a handful of tickets remained for her second show in the
Windy City on Thursday, September 20).
Given the new project (which boasts collaborations with Minaj,
plus fellow tastemakers M.I.A. and LMFAO), it wasn't surprising that the set
list featured practically the entire project, which asserts itself as an
unabashed electro-dance collection. Though the pulsating (and sometimes a
little too juvenile) nature of the material might be more appropriate for
someone half her age, the superbly chiseled Madonna had no trouble keeping up
with dance floor dominators like "Girl Gone Wild," "Give Me All Your Luvin'"
and "Turn Up The Radio."
Thankfully though, "The Material Girl" did sprinkle in a few
more radio regulars than usual, from the relatively recent "Hung Up" and
"Celebration," to era-defining gems like "Papa Don't Preach," "Open Your
Heart," "Holiday" and "Vogue." Even more impressive was a completely
rearranged
version of "Like A Virgin," which found Madonna singing along to simply a
sparse piano, changing its focus an anthem of sexual liberation to a dirge mourning
lost innocence. However, a true to form take on "Like A Prayer," augmented by a
glorious gospel choir, truly lit up the night and had no trouble living up to
its reputation as a perfect pop song.
Of course, no Madonna show would be complete without plenty
of pageantry and symbolism, which she certainly supplied on overdrive,
alongside sensual chorography, campaigning for human rights and personal
political opinions. Indeed the two hour extravaganza was just as much textbook
Madonna as it was a statement on her ageless evolution, which unequivocally confirmed
the queen of pop still sits atop the throne.
Madonna returns to the UnitedCenter Thursday, September 20 with
additional dates and ticket information available at www.ticketmaster.com or
www.livenation.com.
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