Tape Recorder

Madonna campaigned heavily for Obama and against Sarah Palin at her her Sticky & Sweet Tour concerts. Last night she celebrated Obama in San Diego during the request section of her show. See Madonna´s Obama clip below:

Madonna´s Get Stupid video which is featured as an interlude during Sticky & Sweet show, connects Obama and hope of a better future beautifully. I remember how moving it was to see last scenes of the video live in MSG.

Tape Recorder took some time off and spent quality time in NYC attending the first night of Madonna´s Sticky & Sweet concert in Madison Square Garden last Monday.

The show was the queen of pop´s professional playground or her party as she called it. It differed from the last two tours in the focus - this time the focus was clearly Madonna herself. The dancers were in much smaller roles than before and there were quite many occasions when Madonna was alone on stage. She was also much more talkative than before and made one of her now famous Sarah Palin rants (Guess, who´s not invited to my party? Sarah Fuckin’ Palin).

My favourite was Devil Wouldn´t Recognize You. Madonna sang it on top of a piano wearing an amazing gothic cape, surrounded by cylinder shaped light shower. The number started with a strange, beautiful 3D backdrop video and Here Comes the Rain Again, the classic Eurythmics track. Another favorite of mine was She´s Not Me, Madonna on the altar of narcissism where her dancers were dressed like her, wearing classic Madonna outfits. The number was very interesting, you´re not sure if she fights herself or her copycats.

I also enjoyed the rather straightforward choreography (for a Madonna show) especially in Give It 2 Me. And the mash-ups were great, Into the Groove + Toop Toop by Cassius, Like Prayer + Feels Like Home (Meck ft Dino). Overall the concert was an amazing experience, perhaps not her biggest production, but highly entertaining.

Yesterday Madonna took her Sticky & Sweet tour to Germany and Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Tape Recorder sources in Berlin report that the show was a spectacle, a genuine “WOW”. There were a lot of 90s techno sounds and great remixes & mash-ups, and the back drops were once again amazing. The Britney clip and Into The Groove stood out, and Ray of Light was climax like. The German crowd loved You Must Love Me and Tape Recorder sources found Devil Wouldn´t Recognize You surprisingly outstanding. Madonna danced a great deal and took pauses playing guitar (the guitar seems to be a device for her to take breaks from dancing). Sticky & Sweet is definitely worth experiencing, but it´s not as coherent as Confessions.

Check out Madonna performing Into The Groove in Berlin:

(Clip source allaboutmadonna.com)

Check out Madonna performing Candy Shop (she´s a bit nervous!), the opening number and Beat Goes On the second number (fantastic!). This is the gangsta-pimp theme of the show, Madonna is wearing a black leotard-style outfit designed by Givenchy and black, knee-length boots.

(Source allaboutmadonna.com)

Wales Online has the first pictures from Madonna´s Sticky & Sweet show in Cardiff tonight. Check out the 30 image Madonna live gallery here.

Just two days before Madonna´s Sticky & Sweet, the biggest tour of her career, opens in Cardiff. Here´s press release from Icon (source allaboutmadonna.com):

Madonna, currently putting the finishing touches to her fabulous new Sticky & Sweet Show in Cardiff, is readying herself and the 250 travelling personnel for the opening night this Saturday at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

Hot on the diamante shaped heels of her phenomenally successful ‘Hard Candy’ disc, ‘Sticky & Sweet’ promises two pulsating hours of non stop hits in a show that features 16 dancers, a 12 piece band, more than 8 costume changes for the lady herself and £l million of Swarovski crystals.

The audience is taken on a rock driven dancetastic journey that’s broken into four sections:

Pimp
A mashed up homage to 1920’s deco and modern day gangsta pimp. Madonna makes a grand entrance dressed by Givenchy.

Old School
Madonna tips her hat to her early 80’s downtown New York City dance roots with flashes of Keith Haring and the dance culture vibe of the time including the birth of rap.

Gypsy
A VIP trip to La Isla Bonita infused by the spirit of Romanian folk music and dance. A tour de force.

Rave
Far eastern influences emerge all sparkly and sporty.

‘Sticky & Sweet’ kicks off this Saturday August 23rd at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. The tour hits London’s Wembley Stadium September 11th.

Tickets will be on sale starting May 16th.

23-Aug - Cardiff Millennium Stadium - Fri. May 16
26-Aug - Nice Stade Charles Ehrmann - Fri. May 16
28-Aug - Berlin Olympic Stadium - Wed. May 21
02-Sept - Amsterdam Arena - Sat. May 17
04-Sept - Dusseldorf LTU Arena - Wed. May 21
06-Sept - Rome Olympic Stadium - Fri. May 23
09-Sept - Frankfurt Commerzbank Arena - Wed. May 21
11-Sept - London Wembley Stadium - Fri. May 16
20-Sept - Paris Stade de France - Fri. May 16
03-Oct - E. Rutherford Izod Center - Mon. May 19
06-Oct - New York City Madison Square Garden - Mon. May 19
07-Oct - New York City Madison Square Garden - Mon. May 19
15-Oct - Boston TD BankNorth Garden - Sat. May 17
18-Oct - Toronto Air Canada Centre - Sat. May 24
22-Oct - Montreal Bell Centre - Sat. May 24
26-Oct - Chicago United Center - Sat. May 17
30-Oct - Vancouver BC Place Stadium - Sat. May 24
01-Nov - Oakland Oracle Arena - Sun. June 1
04-Nov - San Diego Petco Park - Sun. June 1
06-Nov - Los Angeles Dodger Stadium - Sun. June 1
08-Nov - Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena - Sat. May 31
11-Nov - Denver Pepsi Center - Sat. May 31
16-Nov - Houston Minute Maid Park - Sat. May 31
19-Nov - Philadelphia Wachovia Center - Mon. June 2
22-Nov - Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall - Mon. June 2
24-Nov - Atlanta Philips Arena - Sat. May 31
26-Nov - Miami Dolphin Stadium - Sat. May 31

More details: http://madonna.com/news/