Here’s the Altanta tour experience from our dear forum member Lyrical Josh.

“Simply an amazing experience. The weekend, Atlanta, and most of all, Madonna.

This summer has been nothing like the ones I’ve had before. It’s been an
experience. A Madonna experience. I’ve never been one of those fans that
worshipped and became almost obsessive about Madonna. You know, the kind that
lives and breathes on her every move. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve followed her
closely throughout the years and never once missed a beat. But this summer it
has been different. The Tour. The “new” Madonna. The set list for the show.
It’s been a rush of excitement and anticipation that I’ve never had before. And
for the first time, I have felt borderline obsessive at times simply because of
the frenzy she has given us on this tour. I have been looking forward to July
25th for over three and a half months. Even before I won the tickets to see her
in the pit in New York back in June, I had only counted on the Atlanta show.
The anticipation was consuming all of my free time. Listening to every live CD,
watching the DVD’s, logging into MadonnaTribe daily for hours at a time, and
consistently making sure the tickets were in safe place, etc. Finally, the time
arrived. The day was close. The experience began…”

To read the full review by Lyrical Josh click on the Full Article option below.

My sister and I decided to go together. She was a Madonna fan first back in ’83
and I jumped on later that year at seven years old. To understand our history I
need to take you back to that time. Picture this. On any given day my sister
could be found in long fishnet stockings, 40 rubber bracelets and a rag in her
hair. Oh, and probably about five pounds of make up. Yea, she was a wannabe for
sure. I was usually on the porch trying to sell tickets to the neighborhood
kids for a quarter to fifty cents. My was so convincing as Madonna! A lot of
the kids believed me when I told them she was Madonna. Didn’t matter to me as
long as I made enough money to buy the new magazine with Madonna on the cover.
But aside from this back story, my point is, we both were huge fans before the
world knew how big she would actually become. As the years passed, my sister
eventually grew out of the fanatic state but I stayed consistently following
Madonna year after year. But now you see what I’m saying. There was no doubt;
we had to attend the concert this time around! We owed it to ourselves to make
it happen.

We flew to Atlanta from Kansas Friday night and checked into the Omni. Saturday
night we made it to the pre-party in the second level lobby. It was so great to
meet so many people that I had only spoken to online through the forums. I have
to be honest, I was a little nervous about meeting so many strangers but for
some reason nobody seemed unknown to me. I felt like we had all been friends
forever. It was nothing short of liberating. Freddie (one of those I have met
through from the forums) summed it up best when he leaned over the table and
said. “Look around, Josh. Madonna really does bring the people together. Look
at the comradeship we are all sharing. And it’s all because of our common
interest, Madonna.” I felt like he summed up the entire weekend with that one
comment.

My sister watched in amazement. She was really loving the scene. At one point
she even said, “I wish that I had something I felt so passionate about. I don’t
quite understand how all of you connect but it is inspiring to watch.”
Remember that line. It will mean so much more later.

So Sunday night came and finally it was our time to walk into Phillips Arena.
My sister and I sat and had a couple drinks to relax and anticipate the show.
As we were in our seats, at 8:45pm sharp, the lights went out. Two seconds
later, an image popped up on the huge screen above the stage. Then it happened.
The music played and the concert began. The Beast Within is a captivating
opening number. It was a touch of disturbing but in an artful way. It is
something you want to study and watch over and over because it effects you
differently each time. It is Madonna’s creation, and she leaves you yearning to
understand.

Then she arrived.

The hole in the stage brought Madonna from the floor. The music kicked in, the
spotlight shined and the crowd went crazy. I decided to look over at my sister
to catch her reaction. She was in complete shock as Madonna executed her yoga
poses during the opening of the show. She was instantly pulled back into
Madonna’s aura. The same way she had been back in ’83. Throughout the concert
my sister consistently yelled, jumped up and down, and even found her way to
the isle to dance! She clapped with choir during Nothing Fails, felt religious
during Like A Prayer and swayed back and fourth to Crazy for You. I remember
asking her what she thought of the show several times during the concert but
she would only answer me with, “You can’t talk to me right now! I can’t believe
what I’m seeing!” Later on, she told me that twice during the night she cried.
Not out of desperation or sadness, but because that is what you do when you are
touched. It was a culmination of years of both adoration and admiration summed
into one defining moment. She didn’t have to explain. I already knew. I’ve been
there. Madonna does that to you. There are no words to describe it. Even after
the show my sister told me to give her a few moments to gather her thoughts
because Madonna had left her in complete awe of the force she is.

At the Omni after party (again in the lobby) we stood around and talked to more
Madonna fans. Then I realized what my sister had said earlier. I reminded her
of it. And her reply? “I get it now. I understand.” The night before, my sister
had said that she didn’t quite understand the connection that Madonna fans
share but that she wished that she had something she felt so passionate about.
Now she knows. She’s one of us. Even if for that night.

I guess I was supposed to write about the concert and give my review of the
show, but this time around I wanted to share the experience. Because honestly,
half of the show is the experience. Madonna live is an experience. And as my
sister put it, it is “almost a religious experience.” The anticipation. The
wait. And the performance. It’s all a part of the bigger picture that you will
never forget. And after meeting so many awesome Madonna fans at the Omni, I
know there are several others out there this summer that know exactly what I’m
talking about. Los Angeles knows it. New York knows it. Chicago knows it. And
now, Atlanta knows it. It’s a Madonna summer, ladies and gentleman! And I got
to share it with the one person that introduced Madonna to me over twenty years
ago. And yea, she knows it….again.

I’m going to send in some pictures tomorrow of the entire pre-party, concert
and some cool people I met outside of the venue. This was one of those weekends
that just deserve a good visual. Thanks for hearing my posts, Tribers! And if
you haven’t gone to see the show yet, soak in all of the anticipation. Because
it’s all….part of the experience.

Special thanks to our friend Lyrical Josh for sharing his memories with us.