MADONNA, THE world’s biggest female pop icon today, proved that she still has what it takes to put on a show in Lisbon on Sunday.
Madonna fever had been building steadily in the preceding days with commercial radio stations doing retrospectives of her career to date all weekend.
Bona fide tickets had sold out within days long ago, although ticket touts were still peddling them for enormous sums, as much as 150 euros in some cases, outside the venue.
Those that decided on getting a good pitch had queued outside the turnstiles at Bela Vista Park since the early morning to see the Queen of white trash pop strut her stuff and judging by the 80,000 audience reaction, Madge didn’t disappoint.
The stage was designed in a t-shaped runway-cum-catwalk to enable her fans to better see the ageing but still-looking-fabulous icon, although the vast majority of the crowd had to make do with massive screens in front of and around the stage flanked by two enormous red letter ‘Ms’.
One thing no-one can deny is that Madge is a performer, the consummate artist who puts on a show.
No one seriously suggests she can sing of course, but her ability to foresee trends and constantly invent herself has kept her at the top for nearly 30 years.
And what a show – 16 dancers, 12 anthems, and dazzling costume displays from some of the best designers in the world.
Madge served up a selection from her latest album ‘Candy Shop’ dressed in a black leather basque with knee-high boots, slumped imperiously and provocatively on a gold throne as if to say here I am and I’m still Queen.
Then came My Sugar is Raw as she sensually stroked her black boots like a dominatrix in a show that was divided in four distinct parts: Pimp, Old School, Gipsy and Rave.
Vogue and Like a Prayer followed before a cream-coloured vintage car rolled onto stage to steal the show with white top-hatted Madge surrounded by dancers firmly in the driving seat, taking the audience on a sweet journey to delirious delight.
Other hits served up included Human Nature with Britney Spears in a lift visible in a video on the large screens, Die Another Day, Into the Groove, Borderline, La Isla Bonita and Like a Prayer.
The atmosphere was upbeat but not out of control, the crowd respectful and reverent, middle-aged, married, with kids, just to remind us that Madge, despite her various incarnations over the years, firmly belongs in the 1980s and early 1990s.
