Here’s another Triber ready to share a tour experience from last night.

“July 11th show: I just saw the opening show last night. What a great experience! She was on top of all things but she most impressed me with the strong, soulful and most importantly live vocals. Great voice and sound. The music arrangements were very interesting: updated musically but not too electronic.

My favorite songs were: Like a Prayer, Burning Up, Material Girl, Express Yourself, Papa Don?t Preach and American Life. I also enjoyed the jazzy Deeper and Deeper and the acoustic version of Mother and Father.

Some details of the show:

– She wore the “Italians do it Better” T-shirt and threw it to the audience at the end
– “Don’t Tell Me” included the sample of “Bittersweet Symphony”
– she talked quite a bit: some of the bits:
– she said, “The Midwestern people got soul”
– At the end of “Dont Tell Me” she said something like, “I am too from Midwest”
– Before “Crazy For You” she delivered the regular “for the fans who stuck by me for 20 years” speech
– Before “Imagine” she said that the song was written 35 years ago but it still sounds like yesterday
– after “Papa Don’t Preach” she said, “Do you know what Italians do better? Do you? Sing, that’s what we do better.”

Overall I noticed people were not as crazy as they were 3 years ago with DWT. But again the reason may lie in difference of the cities – I saw DWT in Detroit (not Chicago): very few women and men in drag dressed like her this time and there were few signs and banners (compared to DWT in Detroit). I did see one sign that said, “QUEEN ESTHER“.

One place where people went nuts was the tables with the merchandise. People were buying everything and anything, the more the better. It was insane. She must make loads of $$$ on that.

Overall it was a great show. And one personal bonus for me was that it was my birthday weekend (I turned 30 on Fri) so what a better way to celebrate the big 3-0 at an even bigger event of the year. Perfect timing, Madonna!

Slawek”