Madonna’s first show ever in Portugal was a big event. Not just because she had never performed live in the country.
When Madonna and company swung through Lisbon on September 13th and 14th, it would be the Re-Invention Tour’s last, great gasp, the final two performances of an incredible, sold-out summer gig.

Needless to say, anticipation was high and the excitement in Lisbon itself was palpable. When my boyfriend and I arrived at the seaside Atlantic Pavilion to pick up our tickets at 11:00 AM, we noticed lines of fans on either side of the arena.

“Now, wait,” we thought, “We have V.I.P. tickets. Do we have to line up all day?” A quick scan of the signs labeling each line told us that, yes, to get close to the stage, we’d have to queue up and forfeit a day of sight-seeing.

We took turns relieving each other on the line, to go eat, walk around, and head back to the hotel to change (I had specially brought an “I Love NY” t-shirt written in Hebrew as a nod to Esther’s roots).

Fans speaking in many dialects peacefully waited, some with giant banners, many with themed attire, and all with the same mix of thrill and anxiety.

The lines got longer, the crowd a little louder, and, as the sun began to set, every car that passed by was mistaken as Madonna’s coach to the event, eliciting cheers and waves, followed by embarrassed giggles.

A muted sound check several hours before showtime got everyone on their feet, poised to enter the building.

The energy inside the Atlantic Pavilion could have powered Lisbon for days.

Flags from nearly every nation were unfurled throughout the crowd, and little by little, the fans trickled in, filling seats in what felt like an eternity.

Our section buzzed as heads periodically glanced up at a certain skybox.

Who was up there? Was it Sting, as rumored? We were told by a pleasant British fellow in front of us, a five-time Re-Invention veteran, that it was actually no less than the Portugese Prime Minister.

The experience of the start of Re-Invention is no less than visceral. It’s near impossible to not get chills when the lights go down and The Beast Within strikes up.

And even though I was a stranger in a strange land, I might as well have been back in New York seeing the show at Madison Square Garden again.

But something was different about this crowd in Lisbon: the roar of the crowd was deafening, and it almost didn’t let up.
The ecstasy of the Portugal debut appearance by the world’s foremost diva was contagious, and it swept over the crowd infectiously and never let up for nearly two hours.

My personal recollection of the night is admittedly sketchy.
Being so close to Madonna has this bizarre out-of-body effect on me, and I won’t try to describe it like some other fans have eloquently done in the past.

Now I know what those teenage girls fawning over The Beatles felt like!

I was reduced to shrieks and waves and white-boy dancing for a large majority of the night, and my only true memento is a picture of me (and Madonna) during Nothing Fails.

Unless, of course, the DVD crew decides to edit me and my boyfriend into the mix. You see, the DVD will also reportedly capture Madonna’s Lisbon performances.

That’s why I can easily say that this particular show was the best I had seen. She was virtually flawless, right down to the pitch-perfect shout-out to Portugal and a nod to the end of her grueling tour.

No, contrary to reports, there weren’t any surprise guests or added songs, but who needed those when we had Madonna in her groove, so to speak.

An amalgam of the crowd’s energy, the cameras, and impending end of touring produced a seamless show.

With the mechanics down pat, the performance was solid and professional.

Madonna hit every mark of Nobody Knows Me and Die Another Day, nailed the intro to Imagine, and hit every note of Frozen and Crazy For You, which sent my section into a frenzy.

For those keeping score, she wore the “Kabbalists Do It Better” t-shirt, did not drop the stick during Into the Groove, and never audibly forgot a lyric.

For anyone of any age to perform for hundreds of thousands of people over four months and look and sound as good as she did is beyond remarkable; it’s awe-inducing.
Pictures and video will not do her justice.

After the show ended and the energized crowd mingled, DVD cameramen swooping in to catch crowd reaction - including that of a lovely young woman in the V.I.P. sobbing hysterically, I stood and glanced around at the beaming faces. This truly was a performance that transcended nationality and language.

As the last bit of random confetti fluttered down, I turned to my boyfriend and asked, “Is it wrong to consider this one of the top ten nights of my life?”
And he, not a huge Madonna fan but a sweetheart of a companion and enabler of my obsession, answered, “Not at all. Well worth missing a day of Lisbon. Lisbon’s not going anywhere.”

“And you…?” I asked.
“Easily one of the best nights of MY life, too.”