Sticky & Sweet; Hit or a Miss?

Like many a Vancouverite (about 50,000 to be exact), I too joined the throngs of lace-clad Madonna fans for her Sticky & Sweet spectacle last night. Given my adoration for this woman tips the scale to extreme proportions, I’m going to try to offer a subjective review.

Having seen Madge in concert twice before - Reinvention in Toronto and Confessions in Vegas - I would say Sticky & Sweet was the most digital show she’s done. Less theatrics, more video and computer animation...almost video-game-like in sections. However, the amount of energy exuded by this pint-sized pop star blew me over. The past two tours have been heavy on the yoga, yet this show was just heavy...as in metal.

Since learning guitar for her Music album, Madge continues to play live in all of her shows but she definitely kicked it up a notch with rock out with your cock out versions of ‘Like a Prayer’ and ‘Borderline’ (yes, you heard that right). I’m sorry Madge, AC/DC called, they want their stage antics back. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was a cool variation but I’m not convinced the crowd agreed.

Video appearances by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams were no surprise and reminiscent of an afternoon watching Much Music. However, the appearance of good ol’ Brit Brit during ‘Human Nature’ was bang on, with footage of the recently recovered train wreck having a break down while locked in an elevator. Yessss, this is the stuff of a great rock show, oops, I mean pop show.

Half way through the show, Madge and a crew of talented musicians and dancers alike rolled through a montage of all her Spanish influenced ditties, topping it off with ‘You Must Love Me’ from Evita. This song, above all others, might best demonstrate Madge’s capabilities as a singer. She’s not just a crotch-grabbing entertainer possums. Loved it.

You could certainly sense the tension around Madge’s recent divorce, especially when she belted out ‘Miles Away’ and ‘She’s Not Me’. Ummmm...is it me, or is this entire album a compilation of Guy Ritchie breakup songs? One must wonder. Nevertheless, it fuels her performance and quite frankly, I like it when she’s mean.

As always, Madge couldn’t resist some politics, comparing John McCain to the likes of Hitler and Robert Mugabe while comparing Barrack Obama to the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa. A tad extreme? Perhaps, yet the Americans sitting beside me were eating it up.

My overall sense while observing the crowd, which seemed to span three generations, was that it was an even mix of moms having a night out, gal pals in their thirties and gay men. I got the impression that some of the older crowd expected Madge to run through all of her 80’s hits as many of these folks fell silent during songs from Hard Candy, but isn’t this the point? You tour when you have new material to perform, no? Further, the reason Madge has stayed so relevant for so long is her capability to change and evolve and grow as an artist.

Despite this said growth, she still has a foul mouth, fingers the crowd and grabs her coochie repeatedly. In that respect, Madonna definitely did not disappoint.

The Urban Cowgirl would like to wish all her possums a very safe and happy Halloween!