Live Review: Madonna

“Bitch, I’m Madonna” reads the sea of official merchandise visible on entering the Entertainment Centre tonight. Not many could pull off such a sentiment, but she is the Queen of Pop and tonight she seems willing to see just how far she can push this majesty.

The pre-show email reads that stage time could be “anytime from 9pm”, while the old lady checking tickets at the door suggests 10.30pm in quite a bewildered manner. But here we are, at 11pm, while DJ Mary Mac drops Down Under into an already mundane, extended set, bored and fidgety.

Finally, around 11.20pm, the lights drop and Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ booms from the PA. Suddenly, it’s a party and all frustrations are erased by what’s to come next.

In the dramatic fashion you’d expect, robed dancers emerge waving crosses while a cage descends from the ceiling. It’s Madonna or, at least, the shell of her. The initial stage setup is the remarkable ‘Joan of Arc/Samurai’, taking a religious lean with recent songs like Holy Water, Devil Pray and a brief nod to Vogue, and the early highlight of Burning Up that sees the icon strap on a flying V.

For the next setup — ‘Rockabilly Meets Tokyo’ — the cracks begin to show slightly, the feeling of “is she intoxicated?” is confirmed by the lady herself and one feels like we’re watching something akin to a Courtney Love show, and not the strong, powerful femme fatale expected. The set rips out Like A Virgin and Deeper & Deeper, while a chilled, ukulele-driven True Blue might just steal the show.

One should never criticise the set-list of a legend, yet it’s bizarre, given Madonna hasn’t visited the country in 23 years, to only include one song (Music) from this time. Ballad Crazy For You appears where Like A Prayer typically sits while Material Girl, La Isla Bonita and the very shaky Like A Virgin are all lapped up by the people in the $500 seats upfront. Enthusiasm seems to be lacking from the rest of the audience, perhaps because by the time the bouncy Holiday rolls around, it’s past 1am, a lot have left and Madonna seems to be treading water.

Still, it’s wonderful to be in her presence and see a show that, overall, is astonishingly good and thankfully propped up by a lengthy and remarkable performance. All is not lost; a living legend is still clearly visible under the hazy cloak of whatever tonight unravelled, while promises to come back really soon are made throughout the evening. Hopefully, it’s not another 23-year wait.