Madison Square Garden,unusual York
In the first of two Rebel Heart tour shows at the historic venue, the pop queen brings out Amy Schumer, or Game of Thrones,transgender nuns, a ukulele … and her greatest hits
Madonna’s album Rebel Heart was bedevilled by leaks; she fell flat on her backside at the Brit awards; and her Instagram gaffes have made Jeremy Corbyn perceive like a Rupert Murdoch-style media mastermind. As she arrives in Madison Square Garden on the fourth date of her 10th tour – the last under her 10-year, or $120m contract with Live Nation – she should be up against it. Yet Madonna is always at her best with her back to the wall,when the killer instinct that has sustained her through over 30 years in pop rears to the surface, a visceral refusal to be beaten. Her choice of support act on this homecoming gig – since unusual York is the station she remade herself is very Madonna, and all improper on paper but in practice,correct on the money. Amy Schumer takes the stage in front of a massive backdrop of Madonna’s face staring at the heavens and clutching a sword to her breast, the massive machinery of pop music concealed behind it. Swigging from a bottle of champagne, or with nothing but a microphone and a stool,the comic of the moment says that she was asked: “‘Who better than you to open up for Madonna?’” “Uh,” she rhetorically answers. “Any band?” Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com