Is this Leeds?
MadonnaTribe community member Jobbie is celebrating on our forum the first time he saw Madonna live in Leeds in 1987. Here’s what he has to say about it:
“Ow do all! (thats ‘Hello everyone’ in northeast england)
The best thing about being an ‘oldie’ here on Tribe is that I can share my memories with you young’uns, (god, I feel like I should have a pipe and slippers!)
I’ve been able, (because of my advanced years) to follow Madonna‘s career from pretty much the begining. I’ve been lucky enough to expierence all of her ups and downs, such as album and single releases as they happened, I still remember Madonna having 3 top 10 singles at the same time. Going to see her latest movie releases at the cinema and the cream of the crop.. Madonna’s world tours, (VT not included) Being able to see her in person is a great expierence, as most of you know.
This August marks mine and My_name_is_dita’s (Karen), 20th anniversary of seeing Madonna’s Who’s That Girl Wolrd Tour. Time doesn’t go by so slowly at all…
Picture it…(aka Sophia from Golden Girls) Roundhay Park, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, August 15th, 1987…
An American singer is riding her biggest wave of popularity to date, the soon to be ‘Queen of pop’ opens the UK leg of her first world tour to the awaiting press of europe and to the amazement of her British fans, two of those fans in the crowd that day were myself and Karen. At 13 years old we thought we were the “bees knees” going to our first ever concert, (well, with Karens dad in tow) This was way before the internet, so we had no idea of what to expect…
The tour, movie, single and lp & casstte all had the same name ‘Who’s That Girl‘ (she was good at marketing back then too) but they were all brand new, we hardly knew anything about them, not even the words to the 3 new songs she sang at that warm, summer evening.
Karen and I didn’t know we were even going until the day before, (a suprise from our parents) We just had time to grab our Madonna T-shirts, Karen with her ‘Susan’ shades and her Madonna scarf.
Stepping off the bus in Roundhay Park we snapped up the ‘official’ tour programmes a ‘tout’ was selling from a bag. After the first page or so we relised it was just photo-copied articles of Madonna from Smash Hits. lol.
The atmosphere all around the park was electric, passing all the wannabes dressed in the Boy Toy gear and with 70 thousand fans all doing the mexican wave was so exciting. Karen, her dad and I were up on ‘the hill’. A great view we had, the crowd went mad for her support act, Hue&Cry (a one hit wonder of the time) well for the first song anyway. lol.
It was time… I could see her silloette on stage for ‘Open your heart‘, then he lady herself…magic. Before I knew it ‘Papa Dont Preach‘ was over and an image of the Pope projected on the stage, one of my best memories was of ‘Where’s the Party‘ the ‘say cheese!’ moment lighting up the entire park.
And listening to the ‘Look of Love‘ for the first time, wonderfull. Karen and I danced and sung all night long, (it was the also the night my voice broke) I remember the ‘WHOOOOSSS THAT GURRRLLLL‘ it seemed to last forever, she was on top form. ‘Does anyone have a comb?‘ Holiday – a classic even then, I did have one on me, but could never have reached the stage, even if it was attached to a rocket. lol. I should of tried really, because I dont need a comb now. lol.
Time flew that night, but I still have great memories, ‘IS THIS LEEDS?‘ Madonna asked, how unreal it was, that she would be in Yorkshire of all places. The cheeky Leeds lads shouting at her to “get her tits out for the lads” and Madonna finally twigging what they meant, so funny!!!
Sharing those memories with Karen means alot to me, we have since seen all of Madonna’s UK tours together, and seperately, Live8 (myself) & LiveEarth (Karen). Thanks Karen.”
Jobbie
