The singer celebrates diversity in a performance that justifies her pop royalty in front of 1.6 million people
Madonna Obviously it was delayed, but it wasn’t a surprise to a lot of people. There was some anticipation around this show, as it was a special close of the The celebration tourbroadcast on TV Globo, it was supposed to start at 9.45pm.
The North American resorted to her royal (pop) blood, for which time flows at its own pace, and took all the time she wanted to reach the gigantic stage set up in Copacabana, erected 2.4 meters from the floor.
Dressed in black, from neck to floor, and with a halo around her head, the Madonna finally appears 10.47pm, 62 minutes late. Elegant, with his chin held high, he begins the performance Nothing really matterssong from the classic album Ray of light (1998), Grammy winner. “Nothing really matters, love is all we need,” Madonna sings.
The audience, of 1.6 million people (according to Riotur), obviously sang, shouted, struck by the grandeur of the show.
Worldwide it comes then, as a reminder of a Madonna from the past, from 1983, when she debuted with the album that bore her name. Energetic, with intense rhythms and a chorus that invites you to dance, the music raises the temperature of Copacabana. “Okay, Rio de Janeiro!”, Madonn shouted, before amending himself In the caves.
“We finally made it! We’re here! Thanks for waiting for me. I’m so happy to be here, I don’t know if you understand.”
In a long conversation with the audience, Madonna jokes about not speaking Portuguese, revisits her arrival in New York with dreams of becoming a dancer and explains that she did what she needed to do to climb the music ladder pop.
“These are personal stories, things that people don’t know,” he says. “In this life you have to be a little crazy.”
“Without a dream, you don’t make the possible possible,” he says, like some sort of coach. “Remember the past, the present of what is yet to come. Hold on to all of this, okay?”
After this sequence, Madonna edited the electrifying Burning up AND Open your heart., the first great chorus sung by the thousands of people of Copacabana.
Nothing seen in Copacabana compared to the celebration and high dose of energy of Vacationand the emotional moment of Live to tellwhen the screens begin to show images of victims of the HIV virus, such as Freddie Mercury, Cazuza and Renato Russo.
Challenger of the church, morality and good customs
The transformation actually happens when the second act of the show (out of seven in total) begins. The Madonna challenges the iconography of the Church and celebrates love Like a prayerone of the fundamental anthems of pop music.
The whole scenario is transformed, while people are still wiping their tears from the execution Live to telland people hooded from head to toe with church symbols. Another act begins immediately after (the third, don’t lose count), with Eroticism.
A The celebration tour gives new meaning to the famous bed performance Eroticismbecause now Madonna is not alone, she is not lying in a nightgown, but rather a masked dancer presented by the artist as a representation of herself, of each of her phases.
It’s as if Madonna glossed over her past, reconnecting with her history, her key moments, even the most important ones for pop music as we know it.
After all, is it reproduction or not?
The much talked about playback is revealed live, especially because when she speaks into the microphone, Madonna’s voice appears different from what is heard during the songs.
It’s not necessarily bad or problematic. Madonna has never made a point of boasting a powerful voice. She herself said, in Copacabana, that she would have liked to be a dancer. Her life brought her to the stage and her inadequacy at traditional singing is one of the factors behind Madonna’s transformation into such a versatile and visionary artist.
This is a pure, crystalline pop show. Each of these songs was built on complex electronic foundations to be played live. In reality, even the absence of a band is justifiable. And it’s definitely not necessary.
Of note is the presence of a samba school, with young and adolescent musicians called to connect Isla Bonita AND Music.
Participations by Anitta and Pablo
Anitta’s presence was expected, especially because she revealed, during the week, that she had rejected an invitation to attend the Met Gala, a famous party in New York, to be in Brazil at Madonna’s show.
There was some small expectation for a duet, as the two have a song together, with the suggestive title of It makes it delicious, but luckily they avoided music, which isn’t that kind of thing. Anitta then took to the stage soon after Rowing to judge the models who paraded on one of the three catwalks built on the sand of Rio.
Pabllo appeared on stage, in turns, during Music, when the presentation was now more than halfway done. Wearing a Brazilian soccer team T-shirt and shorts, Pabllo danced with Madonna on the floor, but they did not share the microphone.
The future is now
The truth is that Madonna has an enviable catalog of hits. When the time comes Ray of lightperhaps the most anticipated moment, as it was part of Madonna’s success as an artist in the late ’90s, the entire aesthetic of the show is in the future.
Does this make sense. Madonna never lived in the same time as us. She was, like a time traveler, between past and future, ahead of trends.
“We’re going to do this for the last time. Let’s go!”, says Madonna, right before “Bitch I’m Madonna”. It really has an end-of-party atmosphere.
Madonna, also happy, dances one last time, in front of her 1.5 million viewers. She displays the Brazilian flag, while she disappears, under the stage. “Good evening, Rio”
Opening with ‘Macetando’, funk and electronics
DJ Diplo’s performance, which took place at 8.15pm, divided opinions.
The North American artist, an old acquaintance of Brazilian music, has prepared a sequence of songs designed to satisfy the tastes of the audience already packed in front of the stage set up in Copacabana.
Diplo mainly opted for electronic music themes interspersed with popular Brazilian hits Macedingby Ivete Sangalo with Ludmilla, the biggest hit of the 2024 carnival, and other funk, with names like Renan da Penha from Rio.
The biggest complaint about the set, which ended at 9.20pm, was the alternating volume, especially during the chorus, so the audience could sing along – in a way there were those who preferred to listen to the original version, not the person next to them.
MC in the style of Marie Antoinette
As usual, before Madonna’s arrival, Bob, The Drag Queen appeared, who worked as a kind of master of ceremonies, preparing the audience before the queen’s appearance. She dressed as Marie Antoinette, queen consort of France and wife of Louis XVI, with a tall wig adorned with a huge white feather and a pink dress.
Who plays Bob is Christopher Delmar Caldwell, actor, musician, comedian and winner of the eighth season of the reality show RuPauls’s Drag Race.
“This is a celebration,” he shouted excitedly.
The end of the Celebration Tour
Madonna’s idea was to take the tour celebrating four decades of her career – and will it be the last? – as a message: as if to reiterate her importance, as one of the most significant artists to understand what pop is known for.
This is the biggest show of Madonna’s career (and one of the biggest in history). Madonna is unlikely to repeat Rod Stewart’s feat, in front of more than 4 million people, due to the different structure of the shows.
However, everything is superlative. The assembled stage structure measures 821 m², with three walkways. The celebration tour it spanned 14 countries in 80 performances. The show, lasting 120 minutes, is divided into seven acts, with changes of clothes, guests and scenography (the production has in fact separated 45 trunks with clothes for the changes of clothes between the Queen of Pop and the dancers).
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
-rkzmjat24gmq.png "Luana Piovani compares Virginia Fonseca in Suzane von Richthofen: understand the dispute")
