The most shocking thing about Madonna's "Rebel Heart" tour, which
opened at Montreal's Bell Centre Wednesday, had nothing to do with sex.
(How could it at this late date?)
And it had nothing to do with religion (though she did offer such token
Madonna-esque stunts as nuns on stripper poles and dancers gyrating on
holy crosses).
Instead the surprise of the show came in smiles.
Throughout nearly the entire two hour event, Madonna could barely stop
grinning. For anyone who has followed Madonna tours from the start, the
sight of it couldn't help but startle. Never a warm live performer,
Madonna tends to grimace through her concerts, stressing athleticism and
discipline over all. This time, she seemed to having a blast. It made
for an infectious night that brought the Canadian crowd to a series of
spontaneous, and escalating, standing ovations. It didn't hurt that she
sang "La Vie En Rose," both in French and in bold voice.
The bright tone of the show made for a striking contrast to the star's
last tour, "MDNA," a dark and violent affair that often ended up
puzzling to boot. "Rebel Heart" had no such pretense. In fact, it may be
Madonna's lightest roadshow to date.
That's not at all to say it's unsubstantial. On the contrary, the
triumph of the "Rebel Heart" tour is how it finds Madonna taking
ownership of her legacy with an unprecedented maturity
The bright tone of the show made for a striking contrast to the star's
last tour, "MDNA," a dark and violent affair that often ended up
puzzling to boot. "Rebel Heart" had no such pretense. In fact, it may be
Madonna's lightest roadshow to date.
That's not at all to say it's unsubstantial. On the contrary, the
triumph of the "Rebel Heart" tour is how it finds Madonna taking
ownership of her legacy with an unprecedented maturity.
She began that approach on her like-named album, which found her in a newly self-referential mode.
Madonna mirrored that here by featuring no fewer than nine of its
tracks, including the show's opener, "Iconic." For this initial section
of the show, Madonna drew on her time-honored mingle of the erotic and
the reverent. Her twenty dancers, dolled up as medieval warriors, bore
cross-topped weapons. In a more slow and graceful take on "Vogue"
Renaissance images of religious figures replaced movie stars while
Madonna and her dancers posed at The Last Supper table.
While the star used to position such displays as pointed social
commentary, here they seemed to have more to do with simply reasserting
her own long history with them.
Madonna delved deeper into her personal story in the second act, which
found her on the hood of a '60s Chevy in an auto repair shop, a clear
reference to her Detroit roots. She emphasized a rare sincerity here by
singing the unashamedly romantic "True Blue," while accompanying herself
on, of all things, a ukulele.
Madonna came the closest she's ever going to get to a "greatest hits"
display in the third act, where she offered touchstones from "Lucky
Star" to "Everybody." The latter she hasn't performed live since the
early '90s.
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Even so, none of the older songs sounded anything like they had on
album. To suit the matador-theme'd theatrical accompanyment, Madonna
reimagined them as Spanish-tinged ballads.
Even so, none of the older songs sounded anything like they had on
album. To suit the matador-theme'd theatrical accompanyment, Madonna
reimagined them as Spanish-tinged ballads.
Madonna included in her run of oldies "Who's That Girl," which she
delivered as a solo acoustic ballad. After singing it, she admitted that
it took her a hell of a long time to answer just who this particular
girl may be. Then, she went into "Rebel Heart," a song about the joy of
self-discovery. That theme allowed Madonna to run through a wide range
of characters in the show - including a '20 French cabaret star - while
maintaining a solid through-line.
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