OK, she wins.

Madonna was a pioneer of the big show, with larger than life theatrics, special effects, unparalleled choreography and eye-popping big-screen graphics. Along the way, others have tried to co-opt that crown, be it Janet, Britney, NSYNC or any number of others.

On stage at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday night Madonna drove an antique car across the stage, played guitar in a Slash-like top hat, boxers sparred in a quickly constructed boxing ring, dancers appeared out of the floor, Britney Spears made a cameo via video, break-dancers performed on special rising stages, and Madonna vigorously jumped rope throughout an entire song – and that was just the first 20 minutes. No number of flying Britneys or Backstreet Boys on floating ledges from years past could come close to the spectacle Madonna is making of herself this time around on the Sticky & Sweet Tour.

Think of a Broadway musical combined with a gymnastics exhibit, with Madonna as the lead gymnast. Critics make plenty of cracks about her age and her time spent in the gym, but her feats onstage would have been stunning for a 20-year-old – at an oxygen-thin altitude she hasn’t played before, as this was her first-ever Denver show. She may not have been singing every note – there were some really questionable moments – but the fact that she was able to keep up a high-energy dance routine without so much as panting or a drop of sweat was impressive.

Click here or the Full Article link below for more of this story by By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News.

None of the themes or personas she adopted during the course of the evening made any sense, of course, be it the dominatrix in the automobile or the waif clad in Spanish clothes surrounded by dancing monks. Along the way she also had human models of herself, dressed for the different eras – Erotica, Material Girl, Desperately Seeking Susan and more.

Oh, the music? It was there. She managed to cram in 23 different tunes amid the costume changes and special effects. If hardcore fans had any complaints they didn’t let them show. It does seem odd that someone with so many big hits stayed away from many of her biggest, best songs (though Into the Groove, Borderline, Ray of Light and others did make the cut). Her signature song, Like A Virgin, isn’t on the setlist this time around.

Her set started unnecessarily late, with Madonna taking the stage at 9:30 while parents in the audience fretted about sitters.

These spectacles sometimes feel they’re of a different era, a throwback to the ’90s and early ’00s. With a packed house in a bad economy, Madonna’s keeping them alive.