Madonna’s “Celebration Tour” in D.C. (Review): Queen Mother
Madonna celebrates four decades of hits and rebellion with the high-energy, heartfelt “The Celebration Tour.”
One is such a lonely number, Madonna sang. So she’s birthed legions — of hits, fans, and children, actual and figurative, from her own talented twins, teens, and twentysomethings, to generations of queer kids, like me once, who lost themselves and found themselves in the freedom of her music and performances.
The Queen of Pop has also borne countless iterations of herself throughout her singular career, and she references just about every one of them within the eras-spanning set of “The Celebration Tour.”
The hits-loaded show caused a commotion over two nights at D.C.’s Capital One Center, attracting diehards and virgins alike. While newbies on night one played the game of wondering when M might go on, real ones, like my neighbor in section 112, attending his 26th Madonna concert, knew damn well the diva would arrive when she was ready.
Until then, we were in the steady hands of DJ Mary Mac 5 Star, spinning her house-heavy, disco-friendly mix. Mary Mac hyped the crowd, and threw in a taste of the headliner’s funky Pharrell collab “Give It 2 Me,” before one of Madonna’s 9-year-old twins, Estere, took over the decks for a lively beat.
“These kids are gonna take my job,” joked the DJ, who probably wasn’t 100% joking. Still, Mary Mac had me up on my feet and in the mood for the dance party that was to come.
Shortly after she bowed off, a spotlight found the show’s special guest star, Bob the Drag Queen, strolling the floor of the arena, regally turnt in Madonna-as-Marie-Antoinette finery. “This won’t be the most debauched thing that happened this week in D.C.,” Bob announced, prancing to the stage, and we all knew which messy queen was the butt of that joke.
But Bob, oh-so-poised emcee, was here to introduce a real queen. “This is not just a show! This is not just a concert! This is not just a party!” Yes, Bob, it’s “The Celebration Tour.” However, Madonna, who opened singing “Nothing Really Matters,” quickly corrected herself, acknowledging that really this concert tour — her 12th — is, as she firmly enunciated, “a retrospective.”
So, back she took us to 1978, when she first arrived in New York City with just $35 in her pocket, and world-sized ambition. If she slept with anybody, it was because she liked them, she pointed out. Bopping through early hits like “Everybody” and a punk-styled “Into the Groove,” the industry survivor advised, “Life is not an easy road for anybody. Get into it, and get over it.”
Madonna promised she didn’t plan to talk too much during the show, but it was refreshing to hear the artist speak her piece plainly and openly when she did. Though, really she let the well-produced show speak for itself. With a pared-down take on “Burning Up,” she vividly recalled her youth in downtown punk clubs, before taking us to the dance floor at Paradise Garage.
But the ’80s dance party came crashing down for many of the performer’s gay friends, just like the show’s giant disco ball that descended through the floor. Not a subtle image, but the moment induced genuine pathos, as Madonna devoted the evening’s most moving section to those she — and we — lost to HIV/AIDS.
Tenderly seguéing from Erotica’s elegiac “In This Life” to mega-hit ballad “Live to Tell,” she found new meaning in the latter song’s familiar lyrics, as a gallery of friends and loved ones, including Keith Haring, Herb Ritts, Alvin Ailey, and Robert Mapplethorpe multiplied from a few photos, to hundreds, to countless photos of bright lights no longer with us.
In the face of tremendous loss, there also was resistance, and, eventually, a renewed sense of self and sexuality. Flanked by muscular idols, Madonna ushered in a return of sex, performing on a revolving altar, and adding a tribute to her brother-in-provocation, Prince, before swinging through “Erotica” inside a laser-light boxing ring.
A steamy sequence led by “Justify My Love,” gave way to “Bad Girl,” accompanied by teenage daughter Mercy James on piano. Madonna’s girls each slayed onstage, with twin Stella earning her 10s during the “Vogue” ball her mom judged with surprise guest Kevin Aviance. In the midst of her early ’00s hits — with “Don’t Tell Me,” a clear crowd favorite — Madonna also surprise strummed a quick acoustic cover of “I Will Survive.”
The show returned to the club with a rave-ready “Ray of Light” that saw our Lady soaring above the audience. Not only aloft, but somewhat aloof in that moment, Madonna came back down to earth for “Rain,” delivering a powerful vocal in a night where her lungs and body worked prodigiously. The woman’s energy and work ethic are legendary, yet she doesn’t rest on legendary status.
The entire performance was executed with straightforward technical prowess, keeping the staging and effects low-key to focus on Madonna, her story, and her chameleonic cast of lithe, versatile dancers. They all found a moment to make an impact through choreo, but it would have been nice to get to know more of the distinct presence each brings to the stage.
Often, they were guised as some famous version of their leader. We saw the Music-era pimp queen, the MTV Virgin bride, Material Girl, Deeper & Deeper disco diva (a personal fave), This Is My Playground Madonna, and more hit the runway for the finale, “Bitch I’m Madonna,” a solid summation of her many badass selves.
Madonna summed up the spirit of the evening best while dedicating the show to her mom, who died when she was five, and sharing that her uncle had died only a night ago. She entreated the crowd to appreciate life. “It’s about consciousness,” declared the pop icon. And not just surviving, but dancing through it all.
“Madonna: The Celebration Tour” (★★★★★) gets into the groove thru April 2024 in Boston (1/8-9), Toronto (1/11-12), Detroit (1/15), NYC (1/22—23 & 1/29), Philly (1/25), Chicago (2/1-2), Houston (3/28-29), Atlanta (4/1), Miami (4/6-7), and dozens of cities across North America, wrapping with five dates in Mexico City (four of which are sold out). For info, visit www.madonna.com/tour.
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