Untitled - Madonna

02 MADONNA’S LETTER
05 THE VALIDATOR
06 LIZ ASKS, MADONNA ANSWERS
08 MY 2008 TOUR EXPERIENCE
39 FAN PROFUSION
Dear Friends,
I feel like the release of Icon Magazine #50 was just
a few weeks ago... Wait, that was last month! Didn’t I
tell you that we would work hard and get the whole
thing back on track? As you can see, that was not a
false promise!
Now, just stop reading for a minute and check the left
page: Yes, Madonna’s letter is back!! Our girl took some
time out of her hectic schedule to share her thoughts
and discuss some of her upcoming projects! But wait,
there’s even more: the one and only Liz «Validator»
Rosenberg made it big for all of us by bringing her Icon
column back and provided us with a very special extra:
An exclusive interview with Madonna!
If that wasn’t enough, make sure to read all of the
amazing 2008 tour stories submitted by felllow Iconers
who have won our ‘Time To Confess’ contest earlier
this year. The 20 of them are included in this issue,
so get ready for a special trip back to memory lane
while preparing for the 2009 leg of Madonna’s ‘Sticky
& Sweet’ Tour!
Last, but not least, I’m happy to announce that a brand
new ‘Fan Profusion’ profile is also featured in this issue.
Check it out and let Corrinne tell you more about her
passion for the Queen...
Enjoy!
xoxo
Johann
ICON MAGAZINE #51 - Quarterly publication of The Official
Madonna Fan Club - Web: www.madonna.com - Honorary
Madonna - Edited by Johann Delebarre - Assistant Editor
David Marion - Additional contributions by Madonna and
Liz Rosenberg - Art direction, layout & design Johann Delebarre & David Marion - Photo Credits Steven Klein, Frank
Micelotta, Kevin Mazur, Shavawn Rissman and Josh Baisley The usual suspects Madonna, Guy Oseary, Liz Rosenberg, Sara
Zambreno, Arman Austria, Christophe Caron, Magali Devernay, Bibi & Krys, Théo, Lola and all Madonna fans around the
world... - This issue is dedicated to the «Young girl with eyes
like the desert». Thank you for being who you are. Don’t ever
change a thing! Copyright © 2009 Boy Toy, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission is prohibited.
She is back, Iconers. Who? The one and only Validator! We’ve all been
missing her, and no need to say that she’s been missing you all too. Ready for some inside scoops as well as an exclusive Madonna interview?
Here she comes! Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Liz Rosenberg...
Be still my heart and be still your own hearts..your beloved Validator has returned... Seeker of
truth....Guardian of all things Madonna...Protector against sticks, stones and other sharp or dull
objects thrown her Madgesty’s way (henceforth the armour).... Separator of fact from fiction...
Well, I actually haven’t really been away. Just not as in close contact as I’d like to be..Yet, despite that, it’s comforting that I continue to be stopped at airports, Stevie NIcks instores, in the
middle of my root canal and other odd places where total strangers walk up to me and say,
«Aren’t you the Validator?» I’m back and will be reporting to you, the Icon members my up close
observations in the world of our Madonna.. Even better, I got Madonna to sit down and answer
questions that only Iconers get to read about while others can only guess about things like the
kind of toothpaste Lady M uses.
I know that Iconers understand that they can’t believe everything they
read and hear about Madonna although plenty of you seem to know
even before me what restaurant she’s having dinner at tomorrow night..That’s the level of devotion and grateful as I am, I do like to set the
record straight now and then.
On the truth front, by now, you’ve heard that Madonna was recently
challenged by the Mayor of Pacentro, Italy to help out the people
affected by the devastation of the earthquake. Pacentro is the homeland of Madonna’s paternal grandparents before l9l9 when they
moved to America.. Madonna visited there several years ago and has
of course a soft spot in her heart for the people of the region.. Madonna answered the call and made a very generous donation. Once
an Italian, always an Italian. Madonna’s manager guru Guy Oseary
spoke with Pacentro’s Mayor, Fernando Caparso, and was told that
the donation should be made to the Red Cross. Done and Done...
Long time Madonna fans might want to think back to the classic
photo of Madonna from her Papa Don’t Preach video where Madonna’s shirt said, «Italians Do It Better».. This is Madonna’s big bacci to
her ancestors.
Madonna’s is continuing her deep and abiding commitment to the
children of Malawi by providing health care, food and many programs
that have been ongoing for the last few years. The building of a girl’s
academy is well underway and Madonna’s involved on every level. On
the other end of the spectrum, she is going into the studio to record
some new cuts for her greatest hits album scheduled for a Fall release,
editing a dvd of her show, getting ready to start rehearsals to perfect
her already perfect «Sticky and Sweet» Tour Part 2 which kicks off in
London on July 4th. Oh yes, also taking care of her kids, helping them
with homework, vacuuming (well you saw the You Tube video, I’m not
Left & Page 7: Madonna gets ready for her Oscar party in Los Angeles
making this up), enjoying living in New York City again, riding horses,
working out with her trainer, Tracy Anderson, listening to music. eating chocolate layer cake now and then, continuing to study Kabbalah,
hanging out with friends, writing a screenplay about the Dutchess of
Windsor, reading and even twittering now and then. Madonna will be
covering some of these subjects in her letter to you.
As for your Validator, in my spare time fencing with the press about Madonna, I’m also currently representing Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac
(checkout Stevie’s new dvd ‘LIVE IN CHICAGO, her live cd ‘THE SOUNDSTAGE SESSIONS’ and The Mac’s current tour), Chris Isaak (amazing new
cd MR. LUCKY and an upcoming tour), Michael Buble’ (more shameless
plugging - live dvd MICHAEL BUBLE MEETS MADISON SQUARE GARDEN), Renee Olstead (SKYLARK), Katherine Jenkins - big star in the UK
and Charice, the phenomenal young singer that Oprah’s always raving
about - new cd in the fall). I still have my four doggies, chew lots of
bubble gum, love Gossip Girl... and most imporantly remain with each
and every one of you, the biggest Madonna fan in the world.
Special shout out to Icon member John Lee for his encouragement in
bringing you the information you need to know.
Thank you everyone for your continuous devotion to one of the greatest performers in the world who reminds us daily that our dreams can
come true; we are entitled to express ourselves and the world is our
dance floor. She inspires me every day.. Long live our Queen Madonna
Louise Veronica Ciccone.
And now.... drum roll.... The Validator interviews Madonna:
ICON 51 - 5
INTERVIEW
What did u have for breakfast?
Scrambled eggs, hot cereal, strong
coffee and shu uemura eyemask - the
last one I don’t actually eat.
Do you help the kids get ready for
school?
No, they help me get ready for the day.
Thankfully they have all learned to get
dressed themselves. They come into my
room and we say prayers together
When do u usually work out with
your trainer?
In the mornning after i go through the
daily schedule with my staff
Do u work out at gym or home?
Still bikeride? Do pilates? Yoga?
Run?
i have a gym in my home. I train with
Tracy Anderson or one of her highly
trained staff.
Do you wear slippers?
Of course, i am from Michigan. We don’t
like cold feet.
Do u ever have breakfast in bed?
God forbid, i dont want crumbs in my
bed
What kind of toothpaste do you
use?
Cinnamon
Do you floss?
Absolutely
What candy do you currently like?
Jelly beans
No they just speak french and i dont
understand what they are saying
Do you have a uniform (something
you wear all the time)?
My Juicy track suit bottoms and Bodas
t-shirts
What’s your dream dinner meal?
Pan fried steak-medium rare-sliced
thin, extra crispy french fries, salad with
cucumber and avocado and a glass of
delicious Barolo
Do u take bubble baths?
No, soap is too drying on the skin
What books have you read recently
that you like?
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by
Muriel Barbery
How many emails on average do u
send every day?
Too many to count
Seen any fab movies lately?
Yes, «Rocco and his Brothers», an old
Lucino Visconti film, seen it a hundred
times, one of my favourites
Speaking of collaborating, did you
and Steven Meisel love doing the
beautiful Vuitton ad?
Yes, i adore Steven. I always look forward
to working with him.
Speaking of photographers, can
you elaborate on working with Tom
Munro vs. Steven Klein?
No, just love them both, very talented
guys
How many pillows do you sleep on?
One under my head and one to put my
arms around
How often do you practice your
guitar?
Not enough
Are you and Sean Penn friends?
Yes!
How was your Oscar party?
So much fun- my feet hurt from dancing
all night
Did u drink apple martinis or
champagne?
Neither- red wine
Are you still collecting art and
photos?
Yesssssssssss
What painting do you wish was in
your living room?
A John Currin nude
Do you go out dancing with friends?
Sometimes
Use a water pick?
Too bourgeois
Are you excited about getting back
on the road with Sticky + Sweet?
Still recovering from the last leg but yes
excited to see my fans this summer.
What’s the hardest part of the
morning for you?
Getting out of bed
Are u making any changes to the
show?
A few, dont ask, its a secret
Do u sleep better these days?
Yes, thanks to my sound machine
Do u watch American Idol?
No TV
Will u ever marry again?
Yes unfortunately - just kidding
How do you get news on what’s
going on in the world?
I get news via the internet and talk to
my very intelligent and wordly friends
If you could meet anyone, who
would it be?
OBAMA!!!
What comedian makes you laugh?
Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld
Do you like Pres Obama?
I am in love with him
Can u put on false eyelashes by
yourself?
No
Do you follow stories on state of
economy?
Sometimes. Too depressing
Do you pray before you go to sleep?
Yes
Are you more careful as far as
spending money?
Yes
Do you buy your own candy?
No
6 - ICON 51
What does studying Kabbalah do for
you?
Oh dear, thats a novel. A lot
Do the kids speak French with
eachother really fast so you can’t
understand what they’re saying?
Do you care when the press makes
up stories about you?
Yes unfortunately
Do your kids fight with eachother?
Yes unfortunately
Have u ever considered painting or
drawing?
No - I suck at it
How’s your father’s winery?
Very well thanks
Do you drink his wine sometime?
Yes
Last question from Validator: Can I
ask you about your romantic life?
Last response from Madonna: Can I ask
you to shut up and it’s none of your
business?
Name: Iconermadonna
Country: UK
Shows: Cardiff, London, Zurich, Paris Sept 20 & 21
It all started early in 2008... when tickets went on sale for
the Sticky and Sweet tour. Nervous energy, churning stomach and spending hours buying tickets, booking flights
and chatting online with other Iconers to plan our time
ahead.
I bought tickets for Cardiff, London and the two dates in
Paris, but it wasn’t enough! So I created a T-shirt and entered the first Icon contest to win front row tickets and I
was so amazed and happy to win them for Zurich on 30
August.
Burnt up some energy by going to the fan party on 18
August in London to celebrate the tour and Madonna’s
birthday... the excitement was building.
23 August - Opening night Cardiff! Met up with some
new Icon friends the night before for a quick drink and
then up at the crack of dawn to get in the Hot Ticket
queue. Planned to queue all day on my own but not for
long as I met many fans and I made new friends. With
various queues opening and closing and a bit of luck I
managed to be at the front of the queue for the gate and
with hot tickets we were going to be let in early! Izzie
from Australia filmed Giovi and me for his European tour
video and then we saw Madonna’s car arrive ....Madonna
is in the building. When we were let into a holding area
in the stadium where we had to wait for 30 minutes, we
could not see the stage as doorways were blacked out
but we did hear Madonna sing You Must Love Me for the
soundcheck. We cheered and clapped at the end and
hope that she heard us. A mad, panic rush to get in but
managed to get front row, centre, end of catwalk. Guy
Oseary walked around and we had our picture taken with
him and he said he liked my T-shirt and took a picture of
me. He also said that this was the best spot to see the
show - cooool!
My body was shaking with an overload of adrenaline and
excitement and after a long wait the show began. Wow!
A rush of so much coming towards me, it was non-stop,
awesome. The special times for me were when Madonna
was at the end of the catwalk. It did feel like a personal
concert as she sang to us, smiled and winked. During Human Nature, I sang the wrong verse and made an oops
type expression and she saw me and laughed. I loved
Like a Prayer and Vogue ‘mash ups’. She’s Not Me was was
fun and Devil Wouldn’t Recognise Me worked as we were
close we could see M looking at us through the ‘dome’.
During You Must Love Me she was very emotional and
I could see tears in her eyes. And finally, during Give It
To Me, M did give us the mike... it was a very long reach
as the stage was high but she knelt down and kept leaning and leaning forward, laughing and trying to reach
us. Then it was over, so back to the pub in the rain with
Iconers to chat and share our stories.
30 August - In Zurich, it was very hot and sunny. We met
up with Parakeet from Norway, the other Icon ticket winner. We queued again for many hours and again when the
gates opened I ran, dragging my sister to reach the stage.
NeilC was a bit ahead and we all managed to get centre,
end of catwalk again - yay! We had heard the soundcheck
from outside and once inside a few people were still on
the stage.. I looked up and said Hey That’s Madonna in the
green tracksuit! We were so lucky to be able to watch
the rest of the sound check...and see Madonna in broad
daylight. M was in good spirts and chatted and joked
with us. Again she came to end of catwalk and when
she paused there was no background sound so we knew
she could hear us, shouting out messages to her. I could
hear her quietly saying things like ‘too loud’ while she was
singing for the soundcheck. The show was fantastic again
and Madonna was appeared to be even more relaxed and
enjoying herself. I jumped, screamed and sang along
and in turn M gave me lots of eye contact and smiles. I
will always remember it.. thanks Icon for the tickets.
London was spent dancing at the back of the gold circle
with AndIfeel and loads of other Iconers. Everyone in the
stadium was jumping for Ray of Light, a great crowd and
it reminded me of the Live Earth concert at Wembley. We
requested Gambler by holding up signs but M said that
she couldn’t remember the words of all the old ones. In
Paris, we watched the show from the side of the stage
with Iconers Michelle and Dave. I could see the whole
stage and catwalk really well so a great view of Madonna
and the big dance numbers, especially for Into the
Groove and Music. My last concert in Paris again
was near the end of catwalk a few rows back, a great
show again...but sad it was the last one.
The whole experience of Sticky and Sweet was so
much fun and happy times. When Madonna looks
you in the eye or smiles at you it is a special experience and I was so lucky to be in the front row for
two shows. I have made so many new friends from
all over the world who I am keeping in touch with
and it won’t be long until we meet up again..... Music
and Madonna brings the people together :)
ICON 51 - 11
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
Name: Jerr78
Country: USA
Show: November 27th, 2008, United Center, Chicago
My brother and I have been going to Madonna concerts
since we were kids. First was Blond Ambition, fifth row,
which was actually my brother Patricks first concert. Our
parents took us for my birthday since I seemed to be obsessed with the woman. Anyway, our family was going
through some troubled times, trying to keep it together
and thank God Madonna was there to show us how.
I missed Drowned World Tour and ended up crying myself to sleep at home (I know, pretty pathetic) but the next
time our Queen came around for Reinvention I was there
to see, in the top balcony, practically back row. What a
nightmare those seats were, young daughters with their
mothers, threatening lesbians to guard the mothers and
daughters if we so much broke out in a little dance and
had some fun. The next time around I was not going to
put up with it. Patrick and I decided to shell out the dough for good seats. It was well worth it. Confessions turned
out to be amazing, genius! I was mesmerized. I had a spiritual, cathartic experience.
That brings us to the present, Sticky and Sweet, and I was
preparing myself for another dampering experince in the
nose bleeds but it was my Madonna, so needless to say, I
was still excited. We headed downtown, then did some
shopping and went for sushi. It was now time to head
to the venue to get sticky and sweet. We headed to our
seats, seat 6, row 8, section 314, in a galaxy far, far away!
I knew I shouldn’t be complaining. My brother was kind
enough to get me a ticket as I had some financial troubles
recently. So there we were looking down just wishing
we could be a little closer. Then this girl came up to us
whom was wearing a laminent! She asked us, «do you like
your seats?» and we replied, «um no, are you ca-razy!».
Then she said « well, will you promise to dance and sing,
scream and yell, and get up and do your thing if I give you
better seats? « «Yes!» we said, kind of confused, I have
to admit.
Next thing I knew we were racing to the front row screaming OMG, OMG. I yelled to Pat, « stop running! I can’t
breathe, I am gonna faint!» Well, I didn’t, and we made it.
I still could not believe it. I was shaking and excited. The
lights dimmed, the audience roared and there she came
upon the stage.
It was so surreal. Madonna was giving it her all and so
was I. Singing and dancing our hearts out, I didn’t care
what anyone thought. I was just gonna let it rip. Madonna
12 - ICON 51
sounded amazing and I was in heaven. It was truly ‘like a
prayer’. Then came request time and she slowly made it
over our way and I thought, oh shit here she comes. She
is looking at me. What am I gonna request? Delusional, a
few hours before, I was thinking to myself, what would I
request? As I heard she took a few requests in the past
shows. I thought Angel would be good but now it was
really happening and Angel would not keep with the
time or work and OMG I blurted, «DRESS YOU UP!» She
said «Can you handle that baby?» Then the next thing I
knew the arena and Madonna were singing the whole
song. It was spectacular! A classic Madonna moment,
more powerful then any I had seen. She was really pumped up. She sounded incredible. Then she came back and
asked me, «whats your name?» We shouted, «Jerry!» then
she said, «Jerry this next song you don’t get to sing. I’m
in charge. I am still in charge in case you were wondering but I still need you to sing along. So express yourself
freely, land of the free home of the brave, let’s go!».
Wow! After the show I was famous! Everyone knew who I
was, how weird. I can’t beleive it to this day. I am so grateful to whoever moved us from our section, Thankyou! The
next day I found the whole experience on You Tube and
was able to share it with my friends.
Name: tsimioni
Country: Canada
Show: 22-Oct - Montreal Bell Centre
I’ve been a Madonna fan, for as far back as I can remember. I must have been almost 9 years old when I caught
my first glimpse of her, on American bandstand. I was
mesmerized. Here we are almost 25 years later, and guess
what? Yup, that’s right...i’m still a fan, and i’m still mesmerized by her every time I watch her perform.
I’ve seen Madonna at every concert she’s given in Montreal.
My goal was always to have «better tickets next time». On
her last tour «Confessions», I joined the Madonna fan club
in hopes of having access to pre-sale tickets, but to my
disappointment, I missed the cut off date by a day or two.
Well...this year was going to be different! I renewed my
membership as soon as I knew there were talks of a possible tour. To my excitement, they finally announced the
pre-sale dates for her Montreal show for May 20th, 2008.
OH OH....I was going to be 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant
by this date, meaning there were very good chances of
being in a delivery room at the same time as ticket sales!!!
The panic, what would I do? Who could I trust to be sitting by the computer for me if I was in labour??? I went
so far as to asking an employee of the hospital if I could
have access to the internet from my hospital room. The
response??? THEY LAUGHED IN MY FACE, obviously they
didn’t know what the concert meant to me.
all this excitement wouldn’t send her into pre-mature labour!
So, I began to calculate in my mind...if I deliver on May
18th, they’ll keep me over night, and then possibly one
more night in the hospital...RIGHT?!?! SO IT MEANS I’LL BE
OUT ON TIME???? WROOOONG!!!! My due date came...
and then went, and no sign of baby. So here I was 40
weeks pregnant, tired, fed up with a sore everything, and
wanting this baby OUT! Friends told me that I should
try some «home remedies « to provoke labour. Soooo...I
scrubbed the floors on my hands and knees, ran up and
down the stairs, ate spicy, you name it, but nope, no baby.
Frustrated, I turned to a friend, who explained to me that
many times a woman is late at delivering because subconsciously, there is something holding her back, a worry,
a stress, some sort of unfinished business.... hmmmmm...
I thought about it, what could be stressing me out so
much?
Name: sonyahardy
Country: Canada
Shows: Oct 18, Toronto - Nov 18, Detroit
On the night of May 19th, I began having some weird
sensations in my stomach. I literally felt my baby descend,
and thought I heard something go POP. OH GOD I though, the baby is coming, just my luck...I’ll never get those
tickets now!!! I stayed up all night, waiting for something
to happen. The next morning I WAS EXHAUSTED, but
no contractions. At about 6:00 am, I decided to take a
nap (towards the end of the pregnancy, sleeping was an
impossibility, I was uncomfortable, and had to pee every
hour!). Remembering that it was May 20th, I set my alarm
on my phone. So, I guess you’re saying to yourself...»her
alarm never went off..» Of course it did!!! AND I GOT MY
TICKETS, and they were FABULOUS tickets. I forgot about
all that discomfort, and was ecstatic!!! Ahhhh...I breathed
a sigh of relief!
On Oct/18th we were standing in front of our seats, (who
ever heard of sitting at a Madonna concert) 2nd row with
only 3 seats between us and the cat walk. As the lights
dimmed I felt my heart pounding in my chest and the
very near presence of my Queen. This is all a very familiar
emotion to me as I feel these sensations before every Madonna concert I have ever been to. Tears were streaming
down my face as other fans looked on anticipating her
grand entrance. Finally there she was, the woman of the
hour, I have been waiting for since I purchased my tickets
back in May!! It was like an orgasm, that build up after
all those months was released right there just a few feet
away from my #1 Lady!
The next morning, I woke up with little contractions. I
figured it would be another scare like the night before,
so I went on with my day like every other day. That night
they got worse, and so off to the hospital I went. After 18
hours of labour, my daughter was born.
Afterwards, I thought to myself about my friends words
about something holding me back from going into labour. I guess that subconsciously, I really wanted those
tickets, and didn’t let anything get in the way, not even
childbirth!
The concert was on October 22nd, exactly 5 months after
my daughter was born. After having found my awesome
seats (thank you fan club!), I looked over and saw a girl
who was VERY pregnant. I just HAD to walk over and tell
her my story! She laughed, and said that she hoped that
Madonna gave it to «us» in such an amazing way, we will
always cherish the memories! The first show I went to was
in Toronto, Canada on Oct/18th. The 2nd show was in her
hometown of Detroit on Nov/18th. Both shows so incredible I could watch them over and over again.
This tour was extra special too because I was able to share
my Madonna experience with my 9yr old daughter who
was in awww the whole time. We were very fortunate
to have awesome seats to both shows and able to feel
the power of Madonna’s stare burn into the depths of our
eyes!!
My daughter had her own moment where Madonna
croutched down and sang a few lines to her pointing
right at her and looking into her eyes! It was from the
song «Into the Groove.» After we looked at each other like
....»Did that just happen!!!!» I loved watching my daughter
sing and dance to everyone of Madonna’s songs, with so
much energy. I watched as she too herself got lost in the
music and went into a sort of trance.
There was a few powerful moments that my eyes locked
with Madonna’s and words can not describe the rush it
gave me. This was such a beautiful experience that I will
carry the memories a life time.
For the Detroit show on Nov/18th we had front row from
stage. We arrived early enough to catch one of Madonna’s
dancers chillin in the audience and her manager hanging
out.
ICON 51 - 15
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
The absolute moment that made this show complete for
us was when Madonna’s security guard came up to my
daughter and gave her the guitar pic Madonna played
with! My daughter told me she was shocked and surprised to receive such a wonderful token to remember
her Madonna experience by. We will always keep this magical pic as a token and a fond memory of the great mother daughter bonding time we shared with the Queen!
Madonna you never fail to amaze me! You will forever inspire me to be all I can be!
Name: Noreuh
Country: France
Shows: Sept 4, Dusseldorf, Germany - Sept 14, Lisbon,
Portugal
This time I was lucky enough (thanks to Icon presales) I
attended two shows on this tour. I went to Dusseldorf,
Germany and Lisbon, Portugal. I loved both shows of
course, but I will focus on the second show in Portugal. I
managed to get the special package which enabled me
to get into the gold circle. I still can’t believe I managed
to be that close, I was front row for the first time!! I remember that when we were queuing up, we could hear
the rehearsals and people just sang along and clapped at
the end of each song Madonna would rehearse. Then the
doors finally opened. And I also remember that before
the show, every time there was a plane flying over our
heads, people would scream and applaud. The excitation
was growing up. Time goes by so slowly for those who
wait…
Then when the letters H-A-R-D C-A-N-D-Y appeared on
the screens, I started to have goose pumps because it
meant that Madonna was about to appear on stage. Even
though it was not the first time I saw her on stage, it was
the first I was that close to her. She has such an incredible
magnetism and such a great stage presence. There’s no
wonder she’s a superstar. I didn’t have the feeling that the
shows lasted for two hours. I would say that Time goes
by so quickly when it comes to a Madonna concert! I
jumped, danced, sung, sweat for two hours and on top
of that, Madonna looked at me and smiled at me. It was
like I was touched for the very first time. I can’t describe
with words what it feels like having an ‘eye contact’ with
Madonna. This is pure magic. I could feel tears coming up
and yet I do not cry easily, but with Madonna, this is different. I respect her so much as an artist and as a person.
Time has stopped for me. I was telling myself that’s her,
she’s right here, I’m not watching a DVD, this is real life.
The choice of songs, a mix of oldies and new songs from
16 - ICON 51
her latest album, Madonna being on top form delivering
such great moves, such a great choreography, the wonderful crowd, the people I met in the gold circle, and the
fact of being close up made it a night to remember. What
images could I remember from this dazzling show? The
moment when she enters the stage on her throne? The
beautiful and numerous costumes? Her performance on
Vogue, one of my favorite songs? The brilliant twists she
gave to Like a Prayer and Borderline? The emotion everybody felt during You must love me? Of course Madonna,
we all love you.
What a night to remember. What a great show, full of
emotions. Thank you Madonna.
Name: Enzidott
Country: Canada
Show: Oct 19, Toronto , Air Canada Centre
I have a tale to tell and oh what a tale it is and not because it happened to me but because other Iconers can
appreciate the story and realize too that dreams do come
true indeed!. So here goes to best describe the events
that occurred on Sunday October 19 2008 at the at Air
Canada Centre.
So through a series of unfortunate events that fateful day,
that resulted in me leaving my home rather late,I found
myself speeding down one of Toronto»s busiest Highway... The 401 to get to the Sticky and Sweet show on
Time. Show Time was 8pm. My friend’s who are also going
to the show are trying to calm me down by telling me
«Don’t worry the show probably won’t begin until 9pm
you know how concerts are. « It’s 845 as we arrive into
the Air Canada Centre. Still a little frazzled, I quickly give
my ticket to the person at the front door who proceeds
to scan my ticket. Well, all of a sudden my ticket beeps
and I think «what now» «Do I have a fake Ticket! « The
lady who scanned my ticket tells me to proceed to Fan
services.
When I arrive at fan services (confused and more frazzled
as ever) a gentleman proceeds to explain to me that my
seat is in an obstructed view and that my ticket has been
upgraded. When does The Air Canada Centre ever give
people upgraded tickets I thought So he then gives me
another ticket , almost a regal looking ticket in black and
gold. I stare at a it for a few moments and don’t know
what to say.
I then blurt out ‘»Well what about my friend’s they are sitting next to me, do they also get an upgraded ticket as
well?» . He quickly says «No, the upgrade is just for you».
I think to myself «oh well» and proceed to walk into the
auditorium. As I approach the auditorium I hear «Human
Nature being sung, and I think» CRAP!!!». I’ m actually late
for the concert.» But my shock of missing two songs suddenly disappears as I realize`where my upgraded ticket
actually is. It’s in the 4 row seat 31 right by the catwalk. I’m
thinking to myself ‘Is this for real» No It cant be, I’m right
by the stage. Of course I was totally elated at this point.
But wait the story gets better!. So Madonna is singing Into
the groove and I notice`she is coming towards me as she
singing . She suddenly stops in front of me, looks right at
me and say’s «Ok I’m going to dance and you are going to
sing and suddenly the microphone is handed to me and
I’m singing Into the groove while Madonna is dancing.
At that moment I’m so excited that I scream «I love you
Madonna!!!» and as I say that I look up to see a huge smile
on her face. Boy did that make up for missing the first two
songs of the show.
After the show I was approached by several people, including people who I had known and not seen for years
who had witnessed my performance on the big screens
at the show.
What a thrill I tell you, and to top it off there were several
Iconers who had taken pictures of the actual event and
one person who caught the entire thing on her cell phone and uploaded it on «You tube» That of course made
my day that I was able to show my friends and family
what transpired that evening.
So you know what’s really strange about this experience?.
Well remember my friends that I went to the concert with.
They both told me after the show that my original seat
was not obstructed and someone was sitting in it. Hmm I
guess it was meant to be. I was meant to be right up front
by the catwalk and it was meant to be that Madonna
choose me to sing with her. So that’s why I say to my
fellow Iconers that «Dreams due Come True and perhaps
one of You will have that same opportunity to sing to and
with Madonna.
Name: lorena dupuy
Country: Argentina
Show: Dec 4, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Here´s my story which is quite unbeliavable but has definetely taught me a lesson for life.
As soon as Madonna´s visit to Argentina was confirmed I
searched in every paper for info about the tickets.I firstly
read about a preregistration process.At the exact time this
was to start I was ready to go.I was able to register two
hours later due to the huge demand.That was at 2 a.m
but I was glad I could charge all my info.However,things
would be really hard.First,I did not have access to presale
tickets because I had enrolled like in June ,then I did not
have the credit card whose clients had exclusive access
to the first tickets.The day the tickets went on sale for the
Dec 6th. show was really crazy.I was ready on my computer at the set time but I failed again and again to enter the
site.It was completely congested.When I went to work in
a state of grief I spent the whole day ringing.But the line
was always busy.By midday I was in total desperation to
hear the first show was sold out.
December 7th. was soon added.I called my husband who
works two blocks from the ticket office to go and buy them
personally.He did, but there was a five block queue.I got
to contact Ticketek by five and they only had tickets but in
the furthest places from the stage.I felt the need,I felt I had
to be close to her.At least once in my life.I had been her
fan for 22 years and I felt I deserved to see her close.I longed for a ticket in the vip sector,next to the stage.I spent
the whole week after that very low,disappointed,with very
little hope of attending the show.I had seen her in 2003
but I had to be there again.The sale for the third show
was announced.My husband who definetely loves me a
lot started queuing up 18 hours before they started.I was
in high spirits again but the things on that day were not
any better.In spite of queing up for so long by the time he
got to the ticket window there were very few tickets and
quite far but still he bought us 2.Added to this I had been
able to contact them by phone but in the middle of the
conversation I had no more credit and it was interrupted.I
went in shock.Tears started rolling down my cheeks and I
told my workmates:»I guess Maonna doesn´t want me in
her shows»
When I learnt Leandro had the tickets I somewhat felt
relieved.I tried to contempt myself with at least being in
the stadium because in spite of my efforts and his help
I still couldn´t get better tickets.By that that time the resale for vip tickets was about $3000.Things changed a
little bit the day the 4th. show was announced,for it was
really unexpected to all of us.The phone sale started at
9 but I was at work and told my students I had to make
an important call.They understood and by 8:55 I started
pushing the cell button on and on.By 9:15 I got through
but big was my disappointment when the operator told
me there were no more vip tickets (how could it be?).Still
I bought two tickets in the official box.I was much happier and hang up after asking for the authorization number and other details.Two weeks later I phoned again to
confirm when to pick up the tickets and I will never forget
the horror and desperation I felt when the operator told
ICON 51 - 17
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
me:»Sorry but you cancelled the operation and the tickets
were sold to someone else»I did not understand a thing.
Me?cancelled a ticket to a Madonna show?That was impossible.Not me.I had a crisis on that night.I couldn´t be
so unlucky.After all I had been through to get the tickets
and now this.A huge lie.On the next Monday I e-mailed
a complaint letter with all the data I had.Obviously the
had made a mistake and finally five days later offered me
tickets in the same sector but in the opposite row.I immediately agreed and picked up the tickets the same afternoon just in case anything else was to happen to me.
Name: TracyCarl3
Country: USA
Shows: Oct 4, East Rutherford, Oct 11&12, NY, Nov 22,
Atlantic City
After that I took part in two contest but I did not win in
one and in the other which was carried out by the cell
company I had I did not qualify for not having a new
phone. At this point I had lost all hope for being close to
her,once.I spent a whole weekend designing and making
a t-shirt for your contest.You were my last chance but after my experience in the past months I felt I didn´t have
much hope.Still,I did my best and sent the picture of it.On
Tuesday December 2nd.I received one of the most awarding and gratifying mails of my life.I had won the contest.I
WAS going to be close to her.The day of the concert was
out of this world.I couldn´t believe I was there.When I
stood one meter from the stage I couldn´t stop crying.
All the effort,the bad moments,the disappointment had
paid off.I was there thanks to you.I´m very short and the
boys in front were too tall and people kept pushing but
God it was one of the happiest moments of my life.I jumped up and down the whole time.I lost my voice because
we all sang along with her.I was quite close and she´s soo
beautiful just like we see her on a screen or in a mag.
I’ve been a fan since I was 8 years old (1983), a Like a Fan
Club member and ICONER since day one. I’ve had amazing concert experiences before – my first concert on
June 20, 1990 in East Rutherford, on July 3, 2006 when
it felt like the MSG building was shaking and October 11,
2008 with Pharell and Kelly Ripa – but my first row experience on October 12, 2008, the final night in New York,
would top them all.
She was so warm.I felt she looked at each one of us.When
she sang Don´t cry for me Argentina,the stadium seemed
to fall down.We were all in ecstasy and I touched heaven
with my hands.I don´t think there was a happier person
and more cheerful in the crowd than me.She gave us all
and I gave her all I had.She was there,she was real.She´s
so human.I got to be close to the person I had amired
and supported for so long.I´m much prouder of being her
fan.The show was first quality and all the comments were
more than positive.She deserves it.It was clear she had
worked too hard.
I will never be able to express my grattitude to you Icon
for helping me make my dream come true.I owe it you.
And if there was a lesson to learn after all was to follow
your dreams however hard they may look.Never give up
hope and fight till the very last for what you want.I´ve
learnt this for life.Thank you all Icon (also Jack Hunter) and
Madonna but helping me BELIEVE I can.
20 - ICON 51
My 22nd Madonna concert was the most memorable to
date thanks to Madonna and ICON. I was one of the lucky
winners of the 2008 Tickets Giveaway T-shirt Contest. My
simple, but to the point shirt – an I LOVE NEW YORK shirt
with a big lollipop glued over the heart – won me the
coveted prize.
Just before heading to the show Sunday evening, I decided I wanted to make signs for the request section and
to show my love and appreciation for Monte. I created
some very simple signs stating – I LOVE NEW YORK and I
HEART MONTE. I never thought my signs would be seen.
The seats were absolutely unbelievable. My virgin first
row experience. Meeting my fellow ICONER and winner,
Eurogirl_sk, and sharing the night with her was fantastic.
Her energy was inspiring.
Down come the lights and up comes the Sweet Machine
opening, then the Queen appears on her throne. I could
not believe how close I was to her. She made eye contact
with me an uncountable amount of times. We sang together. We danced together. I rocked with Monte. In my
twenty-five years of being a fan, I never felt so connected
with M.
And then to top it all off, the request section came. I held
my sign as high as I could. M walked to the one side of
the stage and rejected their requests, then she walked to
our side, looked around and saw my sign and gave me a
nod. She picked my song – I Love New York. The perfect
song for the final night in New York – and it came from
me!
The rest of the evening was a blur. I was on cloud-nine for
the next week. I continue to treasure memories from that
night and relive it through others lenses via You Tube.
Madonna and ICON – you have my sincerest gratitude for
lifelong memory you have made – thank you!
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
Name: MelanieMadonna
Country: USA
Shows: Oct 11 & 12, NY - Nov 8 & 9, Las Vegas
I will always remember 2008 as the year of Madonna’s
‘Sticky and Sweet’ Tour. I was fortunate enough to see this
tour four times, twice in NYC and twice in Las Vegas. After
seeing the October 11th and 12th shows in NYC, I didn’t
think my experiences could get any better; NYC was amazing! However, I was proven wrong in Vegas. The ‘Sticky
and Sweet’ Tour was the third Madonna tour I have seen
in Vegas and knew I was in for a great time.
On November 8th, I was patiently waiting for the show to
begin. Then, to my surprise, Madonna’s drummer approached me. I had no idea what to think, so I just let him do
all the talking! Long story short, he asked if I would switch
seats with his girlfriend, who was in the 2nd row, so she
would be able to see him on the stage better. Of course,
I took his offer and moved up to the 2nd row. I got to
enjoy the show up close and personal…there’s nothing
like seeing Madonna right in front of your face! I was so
excited to be there that I danced and jumped around for
the entire concert. Knowing that Madonna saw me and
recognized my enthusiasm made my experience so totally amazing!
At this point, I couldn’t believe my luck…in Vegas no less!
Needless to say, I was hoping my luck would continue for
the concert on the 9th as well. Unfortunately, I was beginning to lose hope when I could not get a good ticket
for the show. I usually wait till the day of the show in order
to score a great seat, but this time I was having no luck. I
hounded the box office every half hour and was turned
away empty handed each time. Shortly before 4:00 in the
afternoon, I decided to try my luck one last time. Finally!!!
A ticket on the outside aisle of the 18th row popped up.
I’m convinced it was meant for me to have this ticket, especially after coming up empty handed so many times
prior to that moment.
Once I made my way into the arena, I was very happy with
the view from my seat. The vantage point from this location was great; I was able to have a full view of both the
end stage and the main stage. The concert finally started
and M made her grand entrance. I knew this was my last
time seeing this tour and I wanted to make every moment last forever. Then, during the “She’s Not Me” performance, something occurred that would only happen
in my dreams……I CAUGHT MADONNA’S SUNGLASSES!!!
She literally threw them right in my direction…it really
was meant for me to get that ticket! Of course, nothing is
ever easy and I had to wrestle someone a few seats away
22 - ICON 51
who wanted the glasses as much as me…well, maybe
not as much me since I’m the one who came out victorious! I was in a serious state of shock and didn’t get back
to reality for quite a bit after that moment. It’s incredible
to think that I own something that was on Madonna’s
face.
So, while I didn’t win any money during my weekend in
Vegas, I certainly won the Madonna jackpot and, unlike
money, the memories from this tour will last me a lifetime.
This experience was literally a dream come true and I will
never forget it. Thanks, Madonna, for the best tour experience ever!!!
Name: kevinpatosky
Country: USA
Show:: Nov 22, Atlantic City
My Sticky and Sweet tour experience was once again
shared with my wonderful wife, Jen. We took a road trip
from Pittsburgh, PA to Atlantic City to see our Queen of
the dance floor once again. Our prior travels to see Madonna started in 2001 where we saw the DWT in Oakland,
CA. Our second experience was the RIT in Ft. Lauderdale,
FL where we our dream came true and won pit passes.
Our third experience was in Atlantic City for CT and once
again for Sticky and Sweet.
Our road trip was generally uneventful except for some
snow on the way through the mountains. It certainly helped that we listened to Madonna the whole way there
(KUNT....all Madonna, all the time!) We got to Atlantic City
the day before the show and had some fun gambling.
The day of the show, we met up for dinner with one of
our fellow Madonna friends, Will. We met will during a
pre-show party for the CT show and have kept in touch
ever since. We also met up with another Madonna friend
from the CT tour, Stacey. Plus we met some new Madonna friends at a bar called Game On. One thing I can
say about Madonna fans....they sure are a good group of
people. We have yet to come across a true Madonna fan
who isn’t nice. I still keep in touch with other Madonna
friends I met from prior tours.
Getting to the Boardwalk Hall started the butterflies in my
stomach. OMG! We are finally here! After waiting nearly
6 months from ticket purchase to day of the show, it was
a great feeling. Congregating with other Madonna fans
and talking about Madonna constantly makes the time
before the show fun, fun, fun! It is great to be able to
freely speak about Madonna without getting the usual
looks, stares, and unapproving body language one can
get from others who just don’t understand.
Then it came time to go to our seats. We knew we would
be at the end of the cat walk, but didn’t know exactly
how many rows back we would be. Then we got there......5 rows back! WOW! Thank you ICON presale for
these primo seats! Our friend Will is right behind us and
we are surrounded by fellow ICONERS. We definitely do it
better!!! My wife and I are wearing our «losing» tee shirts
from the font row contests proudly. (Maybe Madonna will
recognize them during the show???) We meet and greet
those who are around us. We also met fellow ICONER kenyon and his partner Ernie. Thank you guys for letting us
move over a seat towards the middle! It was a wonderful
gesture (and you were able to sit/stand together for the
show.)
Then the lights went down! Aaaahhhhhh! It’s her! There
she is! Yes, I am glad I came to the Candy Shop today!
Awesome show. Her voice sounded great. Loved the
screens. The car coming down the cat walk. The end
stage elevating Madonna throughout the show. Such a
marvel of blending technology, dance, music together.
The production of her shows set the bar high for other
performers.
Then the ultimate moment came during Ray of Light.
Thankfully I am tall (6’ 3») which helps me stand out of
the crowd....literally! About the middle of the song.....
Madonna looked right at me and made eye contact.....3
different times!!!!!! Oh, I am melting just thinking about it!
Plus I wonder if she recognized the tee shirt??? Oh well!
We locked eyes and for those moments....nothing really
mattered to me except to live in that moment!
The rest of the show continued to dazzle and entertain.
NO! Give it to Me is starting! It can’t be the last song! But
I made sure I jumped and sang and threw my right arm
up in the air along with Madonna and her dancers. Game
over.
Then our little group of Madonna friends hung out and
talked even more about our Queen: our experiences of
getting close to Madonna, favorite songs/movies/videos/
albums/etc. Again, you can’t complain about hanging
out with people who have the same love of Madonna!!!
What an exhilarating experience and worth every cent
we spent for the weekend, hotel, tickets, etc. We can relive the experience via you tube, since our friend Will put
his video’s of some of the songs he took on the site. I
can see me and my wife at times and it is great to see
the same view we had. Thanks Will! Now we just have
to wait for the tour DVD and we can live in that moment
once again.
Name: Drowned_boi
Country: Canada
Show: Oct 18, Toronto
Sticky & Sweet was my fourth Madonna tour and my favourite to date. Don’t get me wrong I have loved every
concert experience. Drowned World was a present from
my best friend and my first M concert, Re-Invention was
the first tour I saw with my partner, Confessions was my
first trip to NYC and what better place to hear “I Love New
York”, but Sticky & Sweet had something different to offer, Madonna seemed to be the happiest I have ever seen
her in concert! My partner and I went to Toronto for this
concert, although we knew M would and has never disappointed, we were worried as the concert was just days
after the divorce was announced.
We had been looking forward to this concert since I got
the tickets through ICON’s pre-sale (thanks ICON for the
amazing seats). This was concert was already set to be
memorable, it was our first time on the floor, and we were
3rd row no less. Madonna was on her game that night,
it was like a huge weight was lifted from her and she was
free to sing, dance and give it her all! The entire concert
just felt like a huge party and all eyes were on her. I have
never danced so much and sang along, loudly I might add
(although I can’t sing) to every song. To say that there was
one special moment is difficult, there were so many, from
the moment she came out owning her well deserved
throne and the stage in Candy Shop, to riding down the
catwalk in the back of car, to Vogue (those moves were
unbelievable), to Heartbeat, Borderline, Into The Groove
(a 20 year old would have a hard time keeping up!), Like A
Prayer (please release that version J Hot! Hot! Hot!), to the
finale with Give It 2 Me.
Her voice was incredible, I have never heard her sing
so well live before, and You Must Love Me and Devil
Wouldn’t Recognize You were absolutely brilliant. I know
there were some people complaining online prior to
the start of the concert about the set list, but the set list
could not have been more perfect, it was M at her best.
Always better with age and experience (and defying age
in every way, WOW!!!). I can’t wait for the next tour! 2
hours never feels like enough, time does not go by slowly
at her concerts! To top off the night I was able to take
some of the highest quality photos I have ever seen in
concert using a new camera that we bought just for that
concert (I tried to be discrete and didn’t use the flash so
that I did not distract M). The CEO of the company I work
for went to the concert the following night (her first M
concert, and from what I hear will not be her last, she had
a blast and loves Madonna even more now!). And to this
ICON 51 - 23
day when she passes by my office she breaks out and
starts singing “Give It 2 Me, Yeah, Nothin’s Gonna Stop Me,
Now!”. With that I have a constant reminder, and of course
the plethora of HQ photos of this incredible night, one I
will definitely not forget. I think some will become wall
art in my house, especially the one where she laid down
on the stage in her heart shaped glasses and was looking
right at us. Thank you Madonna!
Name: Queeny
Country: Canada
Show: Oct 19, Toronto
The weekend of October 19, 2008 turned out to be one
hell of a weekend! My boyfriend David surprised me with
a trip to Toronto back in August. This was the weekend
the Sticky & Sweet tour was to stop there so at first I thought something might be up with this surprise trip. We’ve
been together 7 years now and have been talking about
married.
The girls at work said the first clue if he’s up to something
will be if he doesn’t end up in the same security check-in
line at the airport, then he must have the ring on him. So
off to the airport we went that Friday morning and sure
enough, we ended up in separate lines. I gave him a puzzled look and he returned it with a mischievous grin. Of
course I was too busy with the officer who insisted I take
my belt off, I didn’t even notice what David was doing.
There I was, desperate to keep my pants from falling
down while David quickly moved through his line. So we
made it through and now onto Toronto. The show I was
attending was on Sunday so we had a couple of days to
kill before show time. We enjoyed a beautiful tour of the
CN Tower that Friday night. That’s when the running joke
started - «Is there anything you wanted to do before we
leave here?» and of course the answer was no. We spent
Saturday shopping, exploring the city and visiting family.
On Sunday, we walked around downtown Toronto and
ended up at the Harbour Front. It was a very peaceful setting so again I asked - «Is there anything you wanted to
do before we leave here?» His reply was again no. So I
thought, maybe he would do it before the show at the
ACC?
So we headed to the arena and I waited with him before
show time as he was not actually attending the show with
me. So before I went in I said again, «Are you sure, is there
anything you wanted to do before I go in?» and again his
reply was no. So I took my seat, convinced myself this was
not the weekend he was going to propose and focused
my attention on the brilliance that is Madonna. The show
was non-stop excitement! My favourite part was the Gyp-
sy section. Seeing and hearing the revised version of La
Isla Bonita was amazing, truly something to experience! I
was row 16, left floor, close to the end of the small stage
and the seat was perfect! It was great to see the entire
show as this was something not to be missed.
At the end of the night, I met up with some awesome
fellow ICONERs and then returned to find David waiting
for me outside the ACC. We waited a bit, watching the
crowds pour out and again I asked that never ending
question and again the answer was no. We left the ACC,
me full of excitement, I couldn’t stop talking about the
show, how amazing it was, how beautiful she looked, the
costumes, the performers, everything. We ended up back
at the hotel where I showed him all the photos I took.
I was so excited I couldn’t sit still. Then only to realize
Monday would be our last day in Toronto so again I asked just one more time... «Is there anything you wanted
to do before we leave here tomorrow?» But this time, his
answer was different, he asked ME if there was something
I wanted him to do before we left... and before I knew it,
he stood up, took the ring out of his pocket, got down on
one knee... at this point I was screaming in excitement as
soon as I saw the ring!! I thought at fist he was joking until
I saw the ring so the rest is a bit of a blur lol. I remember
he teared up slightly, he told me he loved me very much
and then asked me to marry him. The answer was a very
excited yes!!
It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening in a perfect
weekend. I couldn’t have asked for anything more that night. It was truly a night I will never forget!
Name: Pit92
Country: Italy
Show: Sept 6, Rome
It’s strange when you wait for something, looking forward
to it with such anticipation it almost hurts. It’s strange because when that moment finally arrives, you can barely
believe it’s really happening. For sure, that’s what happened to me, waiting to see my first Madonna concert,
last 6th September, in Rome. I’d spent the whole summer
thinking about it, all my thoughts focused towards that
day, that moment when I would see Madonna live.
The difference between waiting for just “something” and
waiting for a Madge concert is that when the moment of
such eager anticipation finally comes, it dissolves and disappears, leaving you with a nostalgic memory to cherish.
In fact, when the day of the Madonna concert finally comes, you experience a roller-coaster of emotions, a buzz
like never before, emotions that Madge gives us all every
ICON 51 - 25
time, like the first and best time. And when the concert
is over, you’re not left with just a memory, but with great
feelings that you can relive whenever you want to.
Rome, 6th September, 2008
It was a hot, sticky and magical day; the day one of my
greatest dreams came true. I didn’t know what to think or
how to feel, whether to feel on top of the world because
the moment I’d been waiting for had come at long last
or whether to feel kind of strange, because it was finally
time, after months of waiting, and I couldn’t believe it.
The stadium was packed, I don’t I think I’ve never seen
so many people in one place united by the same excitement, the same passion, we were moved by love, and
that was one of the best feelings of my life.
The moment the lights dimmed, I felt something strange
and beautiful inside, the adrenaline started rushing through my veins, I couldn’t believe it was truly happening. The
concert was awesome, Madonna was sensational and
poured out all the love that we give her every day, listening to her music, believing in what she does, loving her.
Every time I think about the concert, I relive the incredible
buzz, I picture Madonna and hear the music that rocked
us again and again. That night she left me something important, something I’ll always carry with me, something
that can’t be conveyed through words, but which I’d describe as «love».
Because love is what we have to trust in, love is what we
need, love is what makes the world go round.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop thanking Madonna for all she
does, for giving me wonderful moments that I’ll treasure
for the rest of my life.
Name: nobreciccone1
Country: Brazil
Show: Dec 14, Rio De Janeiro
The revolution started when the official announcement
was made: Madonna was finnaly coming back to Brazil
after 15 years. Soon the TV was full of specials, videos, past
interviews, fans interviews and more. All the country was
talking about the Queen.
After the hard time buying the tickets for the most awaited show of all times in Brazil, I could calm down and
fell happy for fulfilling my dream... but not for long. TV
programs were showing fans camping one week before
the show. When I saw this on the news I started to get
desperate thinking I would not manage to be in the very
front line of VIP area, as my plane would arrive in Rio just
the day before the show. So I contacted some friends
26 - ICON 51
in Rio who were forming a group of 13 people to start
camping in the queue. We developed a shift schedule in
which little groups of 3 changed turns, so that we would
all be full of energy when the show starts. We faced sun
and rain, hungry and fatigue, just for the sake of seeing
the Queen the closest as possible ! Madonna arrived in
Rio at december 12th, 5:40AM. By 6:40AM she arrived on
Copacabana Palace Hotel receiving flowers. Her $17000
per night suite was decorated with the finest arts, exotic
carpets and french-made furniture, and the view was the
best in town: Copacabana beach. Just by the end of the
afternoon Madonna, Lourdes, Rocco and David would
take a look outside the window, a beautiful image that
can be easily found on youtube.
Soon I was on the plane, it was december 12th... I was
leaving my hometown, Fortaleza, to go to Rio de Janeiro,
1750 miles away. My fligh had a connection and stayed all
night in Salvador’s airport, I couldn’t sleep, even though
I’ve tried. I just couldn’t think of anything else besides the
show. In the morning of december 13th I arrived in Rio de
Janeiro, went to the hotel, took a fast shower, put on my
Brazilian Madonna T-Shirt and went to Maracana !! It was
my turn on the shift schedule. As I arrived there on the
queue, I could see far more than 10 fan tents already there,
each one sheltering about 5-10 fans !!! Oh, my !! How can
this woman create such a revolution in people’s hearts?
Yes, be sure she can ! People were missing jobs, leaving
children at home, forgetting all about «administration,
bills and loans» (as our very Queen said in the opening of
last tour) just to see her live. The brazilian press and
the TV news were broadcasting all of this, and every
day we had exclusive news on tv, interviews with
fans, images from Maracana and so much more ! All
the country had their eyes focused on Madonna.
The night of December 13th was long, my friends would
stay all night awake singing and dancing. No one could
sleep at all. But soon the 14th came, and then the crowd
was absurd !! We could see people in Like a Virgin, Blond
Ambition and She’s Not Me outfits performing their particular show on the sidewalks, along with our claps and
screams. Everything was so exciting! I have already gone
to some shows in Europe, for the Re-Invention Tour back
in 2004 and for this tour particularly, but neither had such
energy like Brazil, I felt like it was the very first time I would
watch a Madonna concert. Madonna arrived at Maracana
at around 3:30PM.Seemed like all butterflies of the world
were in my belly ! We could hear some sound coming
from inside... our Queen was closest to us than we could
imagine !! But this time, she didn’t allow us to see the rehearsal, like she did 15 years ago during The Girlie Show
in Rio.
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
At around 5:40 PM the gates were open, we were all running like crazies pass the gates to our sanctuary. Unfortunately, the sky was gray and there was a sign of rain to
come. We were all praying it woudn’t rain... a helicopter
was shooting Maracana from up above, broadcasting live.
At round 8:30 PM, after Paul Oakenfold’s performance, the
rain started. Even so, it didn’t make the crowd less excited,
but yet even more ! Some crew people were getting on
stage to dry the place, and I was praying «please, let nothing happen to Madonna or her dancers!»
At 8:40PM the big «M» appeared on the screens ! The show
had started ! 70 thousand people were screaming so hard
that we almost could not hear the music. No one felt the
rain. No one felt tired, despite all the days camping... Everybody felt so alive and happy and turned on !! She gave
us fever !! During «Candy Shop» she was wearing a tail
coat, different from other presentations. As soon as The
Beat Goes On starts, she goes «All right, Rio de Janeiro»
and the public was delirious ! Crew people would still dry
the far end of the catwalk, and Human Nature was sung
under an umbrella ! She seemed to have started the show
a little tense, but as the third song went by she just gave
it up and started to smile and seemed more happy than
ever with the wild audience. The show goes by despite
the hard rain, and during She’s Not Me, Madonna took
a spill and fell down flat on her ass ! She raised without
anybody’s help and continued to her french kiss on Like a
Virgin bride. The crowd cheered ! During Music, she changed the «never gonna stop» part for «FUCKING STOP»,
looking at the sky.
During Spanish Lesson she said «All right Brazil, hablas
espanol ?» She was also wearing different long boots
this time !! Singing Miles Away under an umbrella, Madonna asks «away, away, just go away». During Doli Doli
the Queen herself used a floorcloth to dry the place. She
was very outgoing, giving kisses and showing her tongue,
smiling a lot and even making gestures telling the people
to look at the dancer instead of looking at her !! She was
like our childhood friend... And she felt like she’d just gotten home !! :)
But the most exciting and emotional part of the show
was yet to come. Just before You Must Love Me, Madonna
took a time to talk to the crowd, saying it was great to
come back after 15 years, and saying she was sorry for
taking such a long time !! She was smiling truly and her
eyes were sparkling. The audience screams «Madonna,
Madonna...» In the end of this song, she sings «You must...
love... …» and she asks «who? who?» All the crowd shout
«YOU !! YOU !!» and then she ended with different lyrics,
making her own declaration: «I MUST LOVE...... YOUUUU
28 - ICON 51
!!!» All the 70 thousand people in the audience screamed
at one time. The ground was shaking.
As the next section begins, the Get Stupid video reminds
me of the tragedy which occurred a few days ago in the
south part of Brazil, in which the rain and flood made
many victims and left many people homeless. It also made
me wonder about the hunger and poverty that devastates my state, Ceara, in the northeast. Yes, the show has
also a moment to open our minds to what’s happening
in the world !!! Madonna is a little late and the first line of
4 minutes is sung in backstage. No problem at all ! All was
perfect for us. Just after Hung Up, Madonna creates a little
song and asks us to sing along with her: «Fuck the rain / it
has to go». «But if it won’t go / then I’ll have to stay». She
engaged in much conversation with her fans... and then
asked somebody to choose a song. The fan suggested
«Everybody», but she declined... she asked another fan
and then sang «Express Yourself».
The show was almost ending... but not the emotion !!
During Give it To Me, the rain ironically stops. The Queen
gets down the stage to walk closer to the fans, just by the
right side of the catwalk. «C’mon Brazil, this is your last
chance» !! Two dancers get a brazilian flag that people on
the audience were holding and start to dance with it ! Madonna finishes the perfect night saying «Thank you, Rio»
as the Game Over sign is shown... Madonna, you truly left
an emotional and powerful memory for us Brazilians. And
I know you were also touched by our warmth and our
excitement. Aren’t we the best audience? Don’t you think
we deserve a DVD Live in Brazil, maybe next tour? I’m sure
deep down in your heart, you do. WE LOVE YOU !
I send you, Madonna, and all the ICONERS and Icon Staff,
my best wishes. A big and friendly hug to all !! May 2009
and all upcoming years be revealing and blessed to all
humans. Peace and love !
Name: maddyannodam
Country: Canada
Shows: Oct 18 & 19, Toronto
My partner and I ran out to purchase tickets 4 hours before ticketmaster openend only to find by the time they
opened they were not on a first come first serve basis.
They gave us all numbers and drew the first number after
that we all went in order. So we ended up to be eighth
in line. By the time we got to the counter there were no
floor seats available so we ended up getting four tickets
the best were offered at the time. As we were paying for
them, OUR LADY, announced another show so right after
we puchased the origional four, we told her to give us 2
more of the best seats available for the second show. We
ended up with centre floor row 21.
So we went to the first show on October 18th and took
both our kids with us. We were pretty far away but it was
well worth the money. We all had a blast. The following
night, Guy and I got ready to go oursselves. We went to
a restaraunt near the venue and of course there was all
Madonna songs being played and it just pumped us up.
It was so great. So when we get to the venue, I purchased
a program and decided to go to our seats.
Remember we have row 21. I have had row 23 at Madonna’s Re-Invention Tour...(which was totally awsome) but it
was a distance away still. But anyway, when we walked
out to our floor seats, I instantly noticed there was a catwalk coming out from the main stage and as we were
walking toward our seat I was more and more in disbeleif
because it turned out that row 21 centre floor was fourth
row centre to the catwalk and seeing the concert the night before, I knew she did most of her concert there.
I went weak in the knees, and I was like nautious. My partner was like....whats wrong? These are awsome seats!!! I
am like I know, I know. He said why are you going to be
sick? I was like OH MY GOD OH MY GOD she is going to be
able to make eye contact with me.!!!!! I was soooooo nervous. Keep in mind I am one of the biggest MADONNA
fans in the world. I have a tattoo of her on my back, from
the video BORDERLINE, which was a great treat that she
sang that song. Both my dogs are Maddy, and Annodam,
which is Madonna backwards. So just to give you an idea
how much of a fan I really am.
So for the hour before she came out I was in great disbeleif that I was actually going to see Madonna very very
close up and that she was going to see me as well. She
finally came out, the show was awsome. We made eye
contact alot.....she smiled at us a few times, but here is the
KICKER.........at one point she was looking at me and I blew
her a kiss, she gave me a BIG smile and winked at me.
How special was that????? After the concert, i turned to
my partner and I said...........» I can die now» HAHAHAHA.
Dream come true. Thank You Madonna :)
Name: fdo_tellez
Country: Mexico
Shows: Nov 29 & 30, Mexico City
Where to begin? Should I star telling when I first got my
2nd row ticket? Or Should I star were she changed my
life? It’s not about the place were I was seating, It’s not
about the euphoria that I felt when she first appeared on
stage, It’s not even about what I felt when she made eye
contact with me, or when I blew her kisses every time she
was right in front of me… It’s all about how much Madonna shines on me!
It all started on June 17th, When trough the ICON pre sale,
I got my ticket, OMG It was second row! And all the rush
began. Now, if you ask anybody who knows me, they surely can tell, how much I talked about being so close to
her. I hoped she would see me, or touch me, or sweat on
me (that was too much to ask for!) I kept on telling them,
and they even got exited about it. You’re gonna die, they
said, others said I was crazy, but Madonna was in every
interaction I had with my friends, they were exited about
it too. I couldn’t avoid not seeing the concert footage since the August 23rd; I even learned some of the choreography, and as the time passed I got even more exited. I
planned my Madonna weekend in Mexico City, I got hotel
reservations, and everything was ready, but, was I? At that
point I believed I was. I knew since then that the concert
was going to be amazing, but I didn’t know how amazing
it could be.
Saturday night, awful traffic, radio stations played Madonna all the time, everybody seemed to know everything
about Madonna, and everybody was talking about her,
even the taxi driver. I felt so proud of it, finally she is in my
country, and I wasn’t the only one exited about it. Finally,
the Foro sol, the stage, my seat!! OMG, I was so close to
the stage, I was so close to her. For a strange reason, everything seemed so familiar to me, the dancers, people I
have seen in the DVD’s; I was calm, trying not to loose
control. Suddenly everything went dark, my heart was
pounding so fast, and two big M’s appeared in the cube
in the center of the stage, tick-tack, tick-tack, and I lost
control. I started screaming and jumping like there’s no
tomorrow, C-A-N-D-Y and there’s she is, Madonna shining,
smiling, in my country, right in front of me.
I didn’t see the backdrop videos, nor the dancers, nor the
band, just Madonna, and her amazing presence. I said to
myself, Dam! She is so beautiful, so pretty, and such amazing eyes! I was hysterical, just staring at her, watching those familiar movements, recognizing her smile; my whole
world was just her. I didn’t care about anything else. All
was right in time, synchronized. And I felt so grateful, and
lucky to be there, because I have waited my whole life
to be there in that exact place in that exact time. It was
meant to be like that. And I enjoyed every single second
of it, until I saw her disappearing into that cube.
Thank you Madonna, Everybody started crying her name,
as Mexicans we are used to encores, but we had it all,
more than I could have ever expected. And I left the Foro
ICON 51 - 29
Sol in the night of November 29th dancing and singing
to holiday. I still close my eyes, and I see her looking at me
for a moment, and that thrill comes back to me, and I pray
to have the opportunity to see her again. I will keep that
moment in my heart forever. What I have left, and what
I will always have, is what I have learned from Madonna,
and all the happiness she brings into my life. She shines
on me, and I shine even more. She has brought light in
my life. That is all about, all about her, all about me. The
only request that I have for my next life, is a Madonna in
my life!
Name: Jacklyn55
Country: Canada
Shows: Oct 18, Toronto
I am going to «Confess» about my night on October 18th
2008. This was the night I saw Madonna’s «Sticky & Sweet»
tour in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto Ontario Canada.
On October 15th I turned 30 years old. To celebrate the
event I was treating myself for the first time to top price
tickets to a Madonna show. I have seen her twice in the
past (DWT and RIT) and always had the cheap seats. This
time I was going all out and getting the best I could. 2
of my oldest friends decided to make the trip here from
Edmonton Alberta to celebrate my birthday and see the
Queen with me.
I stayed home the day of the Icon presale from work and
anxiously awaited 10am to come, so I could get my tickets. I was so nervous as I knew what I wanted but had no
idea what kind of seats Icon would provide, not to mention the pressure of buying for 2 other people that were
counting on me to get good seats. Once 10am hit, the
race was on and I took the 1st set of three that popped
up not knowing anything about stage set up, catwalks
etc. I took Right Floor row 22 seats and just prayed Icon
would come through in their promise of the best seats
for the fans. That night took forever to come. We headed
downtown with the Immaculate Collection on in the car.
I knew I was in trouble when «Cherish» came on in the
restaurant we ate at and I burst into tears. It all just hit
me at that moment. I finally had floor seats to an M show,
something I waited 20 years for and dreamed about while
growing up in Alberta.
We got to the arena at about 7pm and immediately went
and bought our souvieniers. This was also a huge deal
for me. Over the past year I have lost over 100 lbs and
to do that I worked out to Madonna music everyday. The
day had finally come that I could buy a Madonna tshirt! I
was so excited and got the black and rainbow tour shirt
and... the track jacket! When I zipped up that jacket a tear
came to my eye. It was thrilling. So needless to say the
night was off to a good start! We immediatly headed to
the seats. The girls were not near as anxious as I was. I had
been on the boards for weeks trying to figure out where
my seats were and how many rows from the catwalk they
were. I was sure I had figured out that I was about 5 rows
from the end of the walk and most likely the isle near the
boards of the rink far from the stage. I was ok with that as
she would still be close but not as excited as some of the
other iconers.
We got to the floor and had to be walked to our seats by
an usher as I did not realize you need to show your ticket
again to get to where we were. I was following behind
them all taking it all in and not paying attention. When
the usher swung a left at the break in the floor instead
of heading straight I caught my breath. He then stopped
and showed the girls our seats. 3 rows from the catwalk
end, inside isle seat for me. It took me a second to realize I was about 10 feet from the stage and being on the
isle, I would be right in her eyeline. Now if anyone knows
me they know I do not like to be the centre of attention
or noticed at all really, well that night I did not care and
began to jump, scream and shake making all around me
stare lol. It was almost too much to take in. The usher loved my reaction and he asked if I was ok. I said I will be
and asked if she was in the building. He said she had been
for soundcheck but was not there yet for the show. I proceeded to probe him for info on the soundcheck and if he
saw it. He said to get comfortable as well as she would be
more than an hour late.
DJ Enferno came out and spun some tracks which was
awesome. I sat and just people watched, I noticed a familiar face walk by to talk to someone in 1st row many times. Turns out it was Guy Oseary, I freaked and my friends
thought I was crazy. I said a small hi and got a smile. Turns
out he was talking to Nelly Furtado and her husband who
were sitting only 2 rows in front of us... very cool!! 9:20
came and the lights finally went down. I truly thought I
would pass out. When she came out I knew that she did
not come down the catwalk until the 2nd song so I just
tried to keep calm. There were a lot of exec types around
us and not super fans but I did not care that night, I danced and screamed and jumped like there was no tomorrow.
When she made her way down that cat walk and I saw
her up close for the 1st time it was so cool. She was there,
Madonna! An icon, someone you never really think will be
right in front of you, it was surreal. She did all the songs
I love most, Like a Prayer was always my favorite and the
new version was awesome. Devil Wouldn’t recognize you
ICON 51 - 31
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
was so beautifal as well! What made this night the best of
my life to date was in the 2nd half. She was not making
much eye contact with anyone around us and I was ok
with that. I mentioned before losing a large amount of
weight this year. I spent my whole life being fat and this
year I finally changed that and Madonna’s dedication to
her health was a big inspiration to me. I was singing and
dancing at a concert that a year ago I would have just
stood and tried to hide. My family lives with my blaring
music everynight coming out of the basement while I
work out so they all know «Hard Candy» by heart and the
Live Earth version of «La Isla Bonita» that I dance to over
and over.
What no one knew was that my personal anthem was
Ray of Light, I would listen to that song everyday to keep
going. During the show I was thrilled that she was performing it at the end of the catwalk. I was so excited to
hear it and be up close for it that I danced and jumped
my butt off, and she noticed because low and behold I
got a look from her and a big smile right eye to eye!!!!
Any other song and I would have been thrilled, but for it
to have been during ROL it was surreal. It was a moment
that meant so much just because I have been a fan for 20
years and that this was the end of a big year of my life and
the begining of a new me in my thrities. It was perfect,
she has no idea how much that meant to me, and how
much it inspired me to keep going!
We got home that night too pumped to sleep and looked at the amazing pictures I took over and over. I wear
my tshirt and jacket out as much as I can and love when
people ask about the show so I can tell the story about
the best night of my life!
Name: Stutay
Country: Canada
Show: Oct 30, Vancouver
Well, where do I begin? Forgive me ICON for I have sinned, I have only been an ICON member since November of 2008 and that was after I saw Madge in concert
in Vancouver, BC on October 30th. I have been a fan of
Madonna for quite a while, starting back in the 80’s when
I was a teenager. I’ve always liked her music and her changing styles, and I always thought I would love to see her
in concert if she ever came my way to Western Canada.
In 2001, I decided that I had to fly somewhere to see her
live for the 1st time, and I did so with the Drowned World
Tour in Las Vegas during the Labor Day weekend. I got
hooked and went to see her Re-Invention Tour in Los Angeles in 2004 with my sister and her best friend. I was mad
at myself in 2006 when she did her Confessions Tour and
32 - ICON 51
I couldn’t get the time off work in a new job to see her
concert.
In the past, I had never paid more than $150 for a ticket
and after seeing her Re-Invention Tour, I knew the next
time I saw her I had to pay full price so that I could be as
close as possible to Madonna. Imagine my surprise earlier
this year when I found out she would be in Vancouver on
October 30th, which is a 90 minute plane ride from where
I live. I knew when the tickets were released, that I would
get one for myself since most of my other friends would
think I was crazy spending so much money on one ticket.
When the tickets were released to the general public on
May 24th(remember non ICON at the time), I was at my
computer an hour beforehand to make sure my ticketmaster account was logged into, my contact information
was up to date and that I was on the ticket page ready
to go. What happened next is something that I wouldn’t
wish on anyone but I know some of you have had it happen to you. I kept re-freshing my internet explorer page
about 2 minutes before 10am to make sure I got in as
soon as the «Find Tickets» icon became active.
To my horror, as soon as 10am rolled around, my account
was locked out because I had hit the refresh key too many
times. I started to panic and stress out like you wouldn’t
believe. I immediately went and deleted my cookies and
internet history and by the time that happened, it was
already 10:10am. As soon as I was able to get back on the
ticket page, I put in my request for one ticket and immediately bought the 1st $350 ticket that came up, which
was an aisle seat(closer to the $165 A1 section) in Section
A2, Row 14. About 2 weeks before the concert I decided
to go on the internet to see what kind of seats were being
offered and luckily I found one being sold for cost in Section A4, Row 21 from an ICON member whose friend had
dropped out at the last minute. I knew I was in for a good
seat when I got the ticket and it had the code «FAN» in
the upper right hand corner vs. the «ADULT» that was on
my initial ticket.
I had heard rumors about the catwalk stage and how far
it came out from the main stage, but this had only been
reports from people who had seen Madonna in a smaller
arena, vs. the 60,000 person capacity BC Place stadium.
I flew to Vancouver on the afternoon of October 30th
and at least 1/2 the passengers on the plane were going
to the concert, and I checked into my hotel. I was only
about 10 blocks away from BC Place so I decided to walk
as there were many people doing the same thing. You
could feel the electricity in the air walking up to BC Place.
People were lining up to get in, bars around the stadium
were blasting out Madonna’s music and they had even
MY TOUR EXPERIENCE
setup outdoor screens that were playing her videos. Once
through the doors, I knew before I went to my seat, I had
to buy my concert merchandise. You would have thought
with the crowds of people and everyone pushing their
way to the front of the line, that Madonna herself was selling the merchandise. After 20 minutes of trying to fight
off the crowds, I finally got my t-shirt and headed to my
seat. The stadium staff were very disorganized and I had
3 of them telling me something different of how I was
supposed to get down to the floor section. After about
15 minutes of passing by the same exit to go downstairs, I
was finally on the floor walking out to my seat.
By this time, the DJ on the stage was just finishing his set
but a lot of people weren’t really paying attention to him.
I finally got to my Section (A4) and felt weak at the knees
when I saw the stage and where Row 21 was. I almost
started to cry when I realized that this row was the front
row of the catwalk and I was 8 seats away from the center
of the stage. There were 2 girls already sitting beside me
and one of them happened to be the ICONER who sold
me the seat. There were so many words that I wanted to
say to her but I think the look on my face said it all and
she said, «I know exactly how you feel». I was able to meet
with the other people around me who were also ICON
members and couldn’t believe what great seats they
had.
By this time, it was about 7:40pm and people were still
walking around, taking pictures, etc. and not too much
was happening. By 8:30pm, the majority of people were
in their seats and the crowd excitement was at a fever
pitch. Being that close to the stage we could see the floor
managers walking around, cameramen taking their position and the anticipation was killing me. I think I counted
about 3 times that the group around us stood up from
our seats because we thought we saw something that
meant the concert was going to start but it was always a
false alarm. You could hear the stadium getting impatient
as well, cheering, calling out Madonna’s name and then
finally it happened.
At approximately 9:25pm, the lights went down and the
volume went up. It had finally happened, the concert was
starting and we all leapt to our seats as the stage turned
around and there was Madonna, draped over the throne
to the 1st couple of beats of Candy Shop. I won’t bore you
with every song she sung because if you were at any of
her concerts, you know what she did.
What I will say is that at the times when she was at the
front of the catwalk, I had to stop dancing because I was
just in awe of how close I was to the stage, how close she
was to me and how beautiful she looked with my own
34 - ICON 51
eyes vs. binoculars (which I’ve had to use in past concerts
because I was so far away from the stage). She was definitely having a fun night because she was smiling all over
the place and the audience gave her all they had. It felt
like she was on stage for 30 minutes because everything
was moving so quickly and I just couldn’t believe it was
all over when she was singing «Give It To Me» and then
she left the stage and the words «Game Over» came on
the screen. I think this was the 1st concert where I didn’t
sit down once for the entire 2 hours and I think there was
so much adrenaline pumping through my body that my
legs didn’t feel sore until I got back to my hotel room. It
took a while to walk from one end of the stadium on the
floor to get back outside and by the time I got back to
my hotel room, it was close to midnight. As you can imagine, I didn’t sleep much that night and I had to get to the
airport for an 9am flight home the next morning.
I feel very fortunate to have been so close to Madonna
as I know not many people get an opportunity like this.
I hope that she will continue performing and touring
because it doesn’t matter how old she is, her shows are
always a visual spectacle and she puts 110% effort into
her performances. Lastly, I would have to say a big thank
you to my fellow ICONERS for being so nice and fun at
the concert. Because of the experience I had, I am now a
proud member of ICON since November 1st, 2008.
Name: shanejeff
Country: Canada
Show: Oct 30, Vancouver
Seeing Madonna in Vancouver was one of the most magical experiences of my life. It was great to see her in my
own country, I live in Calgary AB, but flew out to Vancouver with my boyfriend for the event. This was the 4th time
I have seen Madonna live, I was fortunate to be able to
see one show on each of the last 4 tours. Each concert experience is special to me for different reasons. For Sticky
& Sweet, never before were so many of my friends able
to get tickets and share the experience with me. Sticky &
Sweet was also special because of the great seats I obtained through the ICON pre-sales. I was with my boyfriend
and 2 friends, on the floor, in section B2 so close to the
stage!
The city was alive with excitement over Madonna’s visit, it
was her first visit to the city of Vancouver. As we walked
to the venue, the streets were filled with people on their
way to the show. My friend Charles dressed up in full Like
A Virgin drag, later we saw footage of him on the evening
news. As we made our way through the doors into the
venue, I teared up, I was overwhelmed with a happiness
and joy that only Madonna can stir up in me. We headed
to the merchandise booth. The selection of souvenirs for
this show was so fun, I really enjoyed the candy theme.
There were special t-shirts for this show that read: Madonna Gives It 2 Vancouver, of course I had to have one. It’s
my favorite shirt now and I wear it with pride.
We made our way to our seats, and again I teared up a
little, I could not believe how close I was to the stage. We
got water and settled into our spots, then began talking
to all the people around us. Everyone wanted to take
Charles picture, and he of course was loving that. Guy
Oseary walked right by us, I was frozen for a second, he
was only 5 feet from me! I took a quick snapshot and then
he was gone. There was an energy in the air, an electricity of excitement, and I felt it running through my body.
When the lights went off and the show began the arena
erupted in cheers. I was screaming and cheering, eyes
glued to the stage. Then she was there! She was on her
throne, looking and sounding amazing.
I love the Hard Candy album, and was so excited to see
the songs being performed. The dancing was so fresh
and fun. The cheekiness of Candy Shop was a thrill. When
Madonna started into Human Nature, rocking out on her
guitar I was in heaven! It’s a great song, and she is just so
punk rock. When Madonna is on stage, my eyes are on her.
I cannot look away, she is so beautiful. I think Madonna
is at her best on stage, and seeing her do what she does
best is like nothing else on this earth. She can command
her audience like no other performer. She had us singing
along, jumping up and down, dancing and cheering. She
owned us for those 2 hours, she was our queen, we were
her loyal subjects and we loved it.
The song selection for this show was impeccable, the mix
of classic songs with the new were perfect. I felt like each
section worked so well, each one was so different, it was
like seeing several shows in one. Madonna took us to her
candy shop, to old school new york, to a gypsy village
and to a rave. For the request section of the show Madonna asked us what we wanted to sing. Everyone was
shouting something. I shouted Dress You Up! She heard
Like A Virgin from a girl at the front and was into that. So
she sang the first line and we sang the next. I got goosebumps hearing 50 thousand people singing along. We
were singing with Madonna! Even though I was amongst
the crowd, it felt like such an intimate moment. Only Madonna can do that. I was up on my feet the whole time,
when Give It 2 Me started I was wet with sweat. That song
gets me pumped up every time. It was so great live, becoming an anthem for all of us. Madonna was giving it
to us and we were giving it right back to her. Energy was
being transferred from the stage to the audience and vice
versa. It was a room filled with light and love. When it
was all over my voice was hoarse and my body was wet
with sweat, I was satisfied. Madonna gave another thrilling show and I had been a part of it. Nothing can take
that away from me. It will be a cherished memory for the
rest of my life. Thank you Madonna!
Name: froste
Country: Denmark
Shows: Aug 23, Cardiff - Sept 11, London - Sept 20 & 21,
Paris
Madonna sings ‘time goes by so slowly for those who
wait’ (in not 1, but 2 songs!), but never has the opposite of
that phrase been so true also! The Sticky & Sweet Tour has
whizzed by so quickly for me, both from actually attending 4 European shows, and also following the Tour via
ICON and the web. I can’t believe it is nearly over, because
in my mind, it has only just begun, and my own personal
experiences feel like only yesterday!
My experiences on the Sticky & Sweet Tour have far
outweighed my memories of previous Madonna Tours (I
have seen all since The Girlie Show). Why? Well this summer’s Tour has been a rich tapestry of life-changing experiences and it is thanks to Madonna, her creative team,
Live Nation & ICON that this has been the case. That is not
to belittle previous tours, hell no! I was fortunate to get
‘Hot Ticket’ passes to the opening night in Cardiff and the
Wembley show. The excitement building up to the opening night was over-whelming. I felt like a kid waiting for
Santa Claus coming.....and sharing my mutual excitement
with people from far and wide on ICON not only made
the anticipation for this show more electric, but finally I
was relating with like-minded followers of Madonna’s
music. These are people who appreciate Madonna’s creativity, her vision and her sheer talent as much as I do.
The night before Cardiff many ICONers met up, and we
had a blast...exchanging stories over drinks, discussing
rumours of what was going to happen in the show...and
how much we were going to spend on merchandise!!
That night, it was like countdown (tick-tock-tick-tock) to
the big event. A 34 year old man lying in bed, unable
to sleep.....waiting...anticipating.....and I could not wait
forever! And then THE DAY ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!! I threw back
the covers with excitement, could barely shave without
cutting myself, and raced to the ticket offices to get my
Hot Ticket passes. There in the queue several hundred
fans from far & wide waited....I came from Denmark, but
there were Australians, Italians, Hispanics, Americans..........
indeed, every nation had come together! The excitement
ICON 51 - 35
was frenetic and we could not believe the opening night
was here....and we were going to witness it. The first in
the world to do so...what a privilege!
time to songs that feel more familiar than my own self?
This was the ‘sweet’ part....the fans were being treated to a
celebratory journey through Madonna’s career.
That entire day brought out so many experiences - the
excitement of getting the merchandise before the show
(and boy, did I buy merchandise!), the set-list on the Programme letting us know what ‘treats’ were in store in
Madonna’s musical Candy Store, meeting many ICONers
who I only knew through cyberspace (and making true
friendships in those hours of waiting) Finally shortly after 4pm, it was time for the Hot Ticket attendees were let
in. YAYYYYYYYYYYY.....as we made our way in we were
stopped.....Madonna was rehearsing Ray Of Light. We
went willlllllllllllllldddd!! Singing along, listening intently
and dying to see through those black curtains, but no,
we had to wait....as all good children must! The she sang
You Must Love Me.....not many dry eyes around me. Was
it hearing such a poignant song from the emotive climax
of Evita? Was it the fact we knew we were close to Madonna? Who can say...it meant different things for different people....but the one common denominator was.....a
lot of love was there, and we were united because of that
exquisite voice.
Yet there it was...each song – devastatingly forceful, intricate and the roars of the fellow fans around me showed
without question that the person performing in front of
us had truly earned her right to be on that stage and to
be the most famous face on the planet. I could wax lyrical
about the show all day....and I do with my friends. But
hearing Like A Prayer in all its might and force, I think it
was one of those most perfect musical moments ever. It
felt pure and compelling. The urgent messages on the
screens, the intense dancing......it just locked me.
Then after what seemed like an eternity, we were let
in! OMG.....the excitement of racing towards the front....
of being at the front...of knowing in a matter of hours I
was going to be close to Madonna! Before the show Guy
O’Seary walked by and we got chatting. I told him I was
attending 4 shows and he thanked me for my support.
He seemed genuinely appreciative o my loyalty, my love
of the new Confessions book......I felt as if this alone has
made the day worthwhile!!!!!!!!!!!. Then the show...........it
passed by like a ray of light, but yet every minute seems
slowed down. Paradox, yet it makes such sense to me.
There Madonna was on stage....magnificent, luminous...
and in control. I couldn’t believe I was there in front of
my idol....the closest I had ever been. And as Candy Shop
kicked in, I felt a wave of anxious release come over me.
All those months of countdown finally here.....and I could
relax and enjoy myself. My journey from Copenhagen to
Cardiff - to the front row....a trek, a sabbatical, a religious
experience. It was all those things for me and more.
I felt a shiver on my back and water in my eyes. I was
home. So much has been said about the show already,
and I don’t want to appraise each and every song more
than what has already been said. The creative structure of
show just smacked me in the face.....a song representing
each era of Madonna’s musical career, such innovative
and fresh musical arrangements – how can Madonna and
her team keep re-creating something more fresh each
The ‘Game Over’, I stood there.....did I just see what I saw?
Was Like A Prayer really that amazing? Did Get Stupid
really affect me the way it did? And who the hell was so
creative to take lyrics from a fun album and turn them
into a hard-hitting political message??!! I suddenly ‘got’
the meaning of Hard Candy....it did kick me in the ass. It
took me days to come down from my euphoria and what
made it more special was that I was able to share my experiences with my fellow ICONers. Moreover, I had the
excitement of London (where again I got to meet more
ICONers and got a front row place) and laughed with Madonna as she forgot words to songs and then reacted to
a fan request for Gambler saying ‘’honey I can’t remember
the words to that one....hell I can’t even remember the
lyrics to my songs tonight!’’. Hilarious, and she showed
such great humour. In Paris, in the Pelouse Or I never saw
Madonna look so happy to be on stage. By the end of
my 4th show I was feeling deflated...my sugar rush was
over for another Tour, and I had this lingering feeling that
the best of the Sticky & Sweet Tour had not even been
realised. How I yearned for more!
The overall experience for me was so much more sweet
than sticky. Not only have I witnessed my musical ICON at
her creative prime, but I have made so many great friends
travelling down this road with whom I can look back on
this Tour and share my memories. It is thanks to ICON
I have virtually been to every show, and I have smiled
with relish as I shared with other fans their experiences
at shows, of Madonna speaking to them, of audiences
showing their love. What magic.
Thank you Madonna, and thank you ICONers for making
this Tour the sweetest yet!
ICON 51 - 37
FAN PROFUSION
How long have you been in love with Madonna?
What is your favourite Madonna memory?
Favourite items in your collection?
How important is Madonna in your alldays life?
would they be?
If Madonna would grant you 3 wishes, which ones
Time for you to leave Madonna a personal message: