Madonna at Yankee Stadium: Concert Review

Cory Schwartz/Getty Images

Madonna at Yankee Stadium

The Bottom Line

Her Madgestys knack for mesmerizing theatrics trumps her shows bumpy narrative.

Venue

Yankee Stadium, New York City (Saturday, Sept. 8)

Since Madonna kicked off her world tour in June, her flair for drama has drawn the ire of Scotland (for using stage guns), Turkey (for flashing her breast), France (for superimposing a swastika on a picture and playing a too-short set) and the Russian government (for supporting gay rights and championing the imprisoned Pussy Riot bandmembers).

VIDEO: Pussy Riot Members Thank Madonna, Burn Photo of Vladimir Putin

And yet, when it comes to the politics of provocation, Her Madgesty rules. Her perseverance in pushing buttons already has made the MDNA tour one of the years biggest: Thus far, it has grossed $115.7 million in Europe and $111 million in ticket sales alone in North America.

So Madonnas dual New York City dates came with a knowing swagger. Im a New Yorker, too, she bellowed on Night 2 -- a rainy evening that lent shimmer and soul to her performance. The theatrics were finally welcome in this city that boasts a fertile history of enticement and iniquity.

VIDEO: Madonna Strips to Reveal Obama Endorsement

Of course, one New Yorker remains a holdout. Lady Gaga has likened her de facto spirit animals persistent stunt of live-mashing Born This Way into Express Yourself in concert to bullying. Madonnas finely toned ass, howev! er, was covered by persistent onstage talk of tolerance supplemented with a moving interstitial montage remembering bullied gay men who recently committed suicide. You dont mess with a pioneering OG gay-rights supporter, you see.

For the most part, the show has remained the same: at once bafflingly and intriguingly all over the place and seemingly influenced by everything from Kill Bill to Mad Max to Xanadu. The locked-in set was too heavy on the new material, but in fairness, this type of hubris seems to afflict many almost-legacy artists from Madonna to Metallica.

And in an effort to embrace transformation, a handful of the old material was curiously restructured. Sure, its interesting to hear Like a Virgin crooned Marianne Faithfull-style as an almost-dirge, but it isnt fun. The true crowd-pleasers were purist renditions of Like a Prayer and Vogue that elicited as many squeals as they did goosebumps.

STORY: Madonna Explains Her MDNA Tour's Risque Elements as Battle Between Good and Evil

The visuals were thick on metaphors. Madonna came out blazin with machine guns and then pistols, blood-soaked Rorschach images on the screens behind her, as she negotiated the middle ground between religion and violence. She threw on a beret Patty Hearst-style and morphed into what looked like an audition for a Tarantino film.

That led to a dark, apocalyptic Papa Dont Preach, followed by rubber S&M escapade during Hung Up, then full-on majorette glee with Express Yourself. From there, crowds witnessed tribal drumming, dubstep, sexed-up writhing and even tai chi (Is it the new yoga? Discuss!).

Madonna has referred to her show as part spectacle and sometimes intimate performance art, but really its mostly spectacle. The 54-year-olds moves may be visibly slower than in previous to! urs, but theres no denying her indefatigable charisma

CONCERT REVIEW: Madonna in Tel Aviv

Aside from swapping out French right-winger Marine Le Pens swastika-laden big-screen image with her own, Madonna hasnt changed much of her show. Any placating came through sometimes rambling feel-good us-against-them monologues on the importance of togetherness and tolerance. (Were in this shit together. Were family!) There was a patriotic bent to these declarations -- like, how lucky we are to live in America -- which roused her liberal crowd during this election time.

And why not? As a hardworking upstart from the Motor City who became the first woman to headline Yankee Stadium, Madonna truly embodies the American Dream. At the moment, hers remains a dizzying reverie of twisted fantasy and, yes, blonde ambition.

VIDEO: Madonna Turns 54: Her Top 5 Video Hits

Set List:
Girl Gone Wild
Revolver
Gang Bang
Papa Dont Preach
Hung Up
I Dont Give A
Express Yourself
Give Me All Your Luvin
Turn Up the Radio
Open Your Heart
Sagara Jo
Masterpiece
Vogue
The Erotic Candy Shop
Human Nature
Like a Virgin Waltz
Im Addicted
Im a Sinner
Like a Prayer
Celebration