M-Tribe Community member Strawbs is just back from the Sticky & Sweet show in Helsinki. He had tickets from the part of West Harbour more distant from the stage – the C section of venue – and as he says in our forum, “with 80,000 people in front of you Madonna was the size of peanut on stage. It’s the first Madonna show I’ve ever gone too where I’ve had to use binaculars.”

“Great show! I haven’t seen the Sticky & Sweet Tour before so comparing it to Confessions she seemed to enjoy herself much more. I’m not a mad fan of the setlist. I know she is promoting Hard Candy but with an audience of 90,000 people who have never seen you before and who are mainly 30+ women it might have been nice to have a different setlist. But Madonna doesn’t change setlists for singular cocnerts so this is what we got.”

“I had a blast even though I didn’t see much. I danced through it all and was singing happily along so that some guys turned to look at me. Everything at the venue went perfectly and there were no troubles. But it’s funny to pay 100 euros to go stand outside to watch Madonna on a screen… Luckily it didn’t rain.”

“Jätkäsaari is located at the old harbour area. My parents have their summer house on an island about 6 km from the venue (over the sea) and my mom told me that she was sitting out in the garden listening to the show and could hear the music perfectly and Madonna singing words (and not just messy music if you get my point).”

“My favourite part was “Like a Prayer“. I love that mix! Absolutely amazing. What just eats me up is that the entire audience was jumping like crazy during the song and then the atmosphere just died when the really terrible mix of “Frozen” begun!
Why oh why couldn’t they have done another kick ass track instead?
And I love “Frozen” and just hated that mix.”

“I also wish Madonna would have played some Confessions tracks as the album was a massive success in Finland and “Hung Up” would have really fired up the audience. I wish she would be a little more versitile and do changes in her setlists more according to the audience (Kylie has begun to do this and it really is great. Seeing 4-5 shows in a row and each feels different and personal).”

“Madonna was good with the audience – much better than during the Confessions shows that I saw – but she is still a little distant. A big venue like this with a massive audience like this would have needed a little more encouragement like “All the people in the back jump, jump!” or “You all look great/Fantastic/amazing”. What ever really would have done it.”

“Generally I’m happy. I have never seen this little of the actual artist as I saw of Madge today. But the sound was good, the music was great and the feeling amazing. I had fun and danced my ass off. So it was aaaallll gooooood!”

Thanks to Strawbs.