MadonnaTribe readers and members know David Kawena for his amazing Madonna artworks he creates and shares with our site, but this time our friend has more than another of incredible drawings to share.
He's gonna tell us about his very own "Confessions Tour" experience and will show us the images he took when he flew all the way from Israel to see Madonna live in Cardiff.
Now that the European leg of the tour is over, let's take a trip down memory lane and join David Kawena in his adventures in South Wales, where it all begun...

Hello tribers!

This time around I want to share with you more then just a new drawing of mine...
This time I want to share with you all the most greatest thing that ever happened to me!
It was a month ago, in Cardiff, Wales, on July 30, 2006 - Here's my story, No risk no glory. A little up and down and all around ;)


For the very first time...

It is Wednesday, July 26, 2006. The time is 05:00 and I am all tired, and yet, I can't sleep. Why? Cuz in about 18 hours I will be in an airplane on my way to London for the very first time!
And if that's not enough - It will also be the first time I'm going to see MADONNA!!! How could I sleep?!
So I took this time to sit down on my ass and finish out something I wanted to finish a long time ago - A small gift for Madonna herself, just in case I'll get to give it to her (keep on dreaming David... I know)... The "gift" I made was a collection of all new drawings - 2 of them were made during that night - all inspired by the Confessions Tour.
10 hours passed by and I'm at my working place, hoping to get a chance to print out the drawings I did... I had to deal with 3 customers, and then came out my turn. Thank god - cusp I'm already late to the airport. I printed out the drawings in the form of a booklet, and made up 6 copies out of it, said goodbye to my friends at work - and went straight to the airport...
After hours of waiting in the duty-free, I am finally on the plane, listening to Confessions and still can't believe that I'm actually going to see MADONNA!

After spending a few days in London, at the most generous woman I've ever meet who had me as a guest - It was time for me to go to Cardiff, Wales.
I was planning on spending the weekend over there.
So, I set down and started doing some phone calls to see if there are any hotels in Cardiff for me to spend the weekend. Pretty soon I started realizing what its like to have Madonna in town. No hotels AT ALL. Everything was booked full! Actually, one Hotel decided to be original - or they just grew tired of telling people they are booked, - that when I called them the answering machine said "Hello and thank you for calling. Unfortunately we are booked until Madonna leaves the country! Thank you and have a great day".
At this point I knew I'm out of luck when it comes for a place or me to stay in Cardiff. Thanks heaven I found someone at Jewish community through the internet and eventually I staid at the house of Cardiff's Rabbi! Madonna spirit was with me I guess ;)

So, I went on and took the train straight to Cardiff.
After about 3 hours ride full of beautiful landscapes, I arrived at Cardiff train station. No matter where I stood I could see the top of the Millennium Stadium! I was so excited, couldn't believe that I'm actually there, and that in 2 days time I will see live for the first time, the one woman I love more then life itself (except for my mom :) I had to go an take a walk to see the stadium up close! It's huge! We don't get a lot of these massive stadiums in Israel :) I was so wowed by the whole thing. On my way to the Rabbi's family the taxi driver asked me "You're here to Madonna aren't you?!?" and I'm like (yelling) - "YES! OH YES,, YES!!!" (I know what it sounds like, but hey - seeing Madonna is as good as heaving an orgasm!) "Everybody's here to se Madonna" - He said, "We've (taxi drivers) never had so much work in our entire lives! It's good to have her here!". "Year, She's a blessing where ever she's going..."
I replied so pleased with the situation... I arrived at the Rabbis house, had a great weekend and then came Sunday morning!!!


Music makes the people come together...

"Oh shit! My taxi is here and I'm not ready at all! Where's my camera? Where's the booklets I printed? Shit! I'm in my jeans and somehow my underwear are on the floor! What is going on?! - Where's my money?!?! THAANA..." - This is the way my morning of seeing Madonna started.
After 30 minutes ride I'm there at the box-office! A lot of Madonna fans are already there!

It was cool to see, and feel the atmosphere - wow!!! People came with TO-shirts, confessions inspired outfits, everybody's into Madonna! How cool is that??? I started to talk to some guys over there, and everybody's so friendly! And everyone is from a different part of the world! Sweden, south Africa, Scotland, Ireland, The Netherlands (<-- I didn't forget bout you guys, E-mails will be sent soon! :) and me from Israel.
It was so great to hear that people actually knew who I was cuz they have seen my drawings here on the Tribe!
After the fiasco of our tickets delay (long story), we got into the office.

OUR TICKETS HAVE ARRIVED! I remember standing at the box-office, and lady goes, "I can't find your order sir." and I'm like "no way!!!" she kept on looking, and it's not there. A familiar phrase came to my head -"I reserved. I have a reservation... (I was saying to the lady --> ) "What do you mean it's not in the computer!?!?!" then I remembered I have ordered the ticket with a different credit card... Jeez, thank heaven she found it.

And she said "here you go Sir" giving me the envelope with the ticket...
My hand are shaking, my back is sweaty, I'm holding the envelope in my hands, I can't feel my legs and I just yelled as hard as I could! HHHHAAAA! And everybody was cheering and clapping their hands...
Oh the feeling, the atmosphere, the emotions!!! I felt like a virgin touched for the very first time - and we're not even at the stadium... I waited out for some of my new friends to get their tickets, then we went on to eat something - and then to the stadium!!! Madonna here we come!!!

I'm gonna tell you about love...

Hours of standing out, sitting down, in a small rain drop, in the hot sun, waiting for Madonna, just waiting for her.
Talking to everybody. Showing off what people have started to refer to as "David's unofficial tour program", got so many great reviews from fans that really touched my heart.
We talked to guards, asking if they've seen Madonna, is she here already...
Then all of a sudden a familiar sound is herd from the stadium - a sound check of Future Lovers! Everybody got up, and since then everyone kept on standing till we got into stadium. It was a very short sound-check, but it got us all upbeat. A small group of people and me started singing out loud every Madonna song possible - And then they have opened the gates! Hhhhaaa! everybody squeezed in, and shouting from joy, then came my turn - a small safety check, hiding up my camera, the guy at the gate is ripping up my ticket and BBAAAMM!

I run as fast as I could. Ever since I knew that there's going to be a golden gate (so thankfully to MadonnaTribe :) I decided that I'm gonna be there no matter what!!! I kinda lost my 2 new Swedish friends while I was running faster then a speeding light. OK, I passed the gate, I passed some hundreds people, I'm in the stadium, like inside!
My eyes can't comprehend all there is to see...
Massive wave of people, enormous scale of the building itself, and then there's the stage! I mean stages! "Haaa, there's the main catwalk - No matter what I'm there!!!". And there was I - after squeezing myself up against hundreds of people who wanted to get into the golden circle - I'm there! I'm fucking there! I can actually get my hand and touch the main catwalk from the front!!! I just couldn't believe it! Why me of all people, I really didn't know - But I thanked god like never before.
And this was only the beginning. I'll try to put it down in words whatever came next - bare with me :)

Bring the heavens and the "Cloud" down to earth for me...

After the first shock of actually being there in the front row of the main catwalk, I started to look around at the place.
To the sides massive disco horses from each side of the stage. Huge screens everywhere, lights technicians, stages... I looked up to ceiling and this is when it hit me - the Disco ball is right above me!!! WWOOOHHAA!!! Then I looked at the catwalk itself, and right in front of I see the most amazingly talented guy, Daniel Cloud Campos! He was just standing there, below the catwalk, with a big video camera taking videos of the crowd!!!
He was there with Steve, Norm and other dancers I didn't recognize (they've performed kick-ass moves during Jump) I yelled at him "Cloud!!! Cloud!!!" - As sweet as he looks so dose his personality ;) Cloud came down to talk to me and other people in the crowd, leaving his filming and everything.
He was so sweet.
I exchanged a few words with him, and I thought "He was so kind coming down here to talk to me, I just have to give him something in return..." It was then that I remembered about the booklets that I have printed out for Madonna, and that I also draw two portraits of Cloud in them.
I took one of them out of my bag and gave it to Cloud. Saying I'm big fan of Madonna, and an artist and that these are my drawings! Cloud was amazed! And you could tell the boy was honest. Then I said to him that I came from Israel, and he was really surprised... "All the way from Israel?" he asked... He was going throw the booklet and then he saw his own picture in the middle - the "confessions poster" I published here on the site a while ago, of him Madonna and Mihran.

He made a comment about the pants, but I really can't remember what he said... He did mention that he loves the tattoo! ;) I said thanx, then I tolled him that he can keep the booklet as a gift. Cloud called other dancers to come and see it, and they asked me if I have more... I took out more booklets I've made and gave it to them. I gave another one to Cloud asking him "Please Cloud if you can do me a favour..." - "Sure" he said, - "Please give one of them to Madonna herself... I..." before I finished talking Cloud answered me "Are you kidding?! Of course I'm gonna give her one. She must see this, she's gonna love it. I'm gonna give it to her right now before the show..."

Yep, at this point I could not feel my legs, my hands, my everything!!! I just wanted to jump on Cloud and kiss him - and this time it wasn't cuz of his looks! ;) I could not believe my good luck, and Cloud's generosity.
Cloud kept on talking to this girl next to me - later on as I talked to her I realized this is the lovely Tribe member Sharon A.K.A "wannabe"... - Then a member of the crew came to the dancers and told them they have to come backstage because they need to get ready for the show...
I couldn't see where were the other dancers whom I gave my booklets went to, But I did saw Cloud packing up his camera, then taking my booklet, holding it strongly and going away... Before he left I yelled at him "Don't forget to give on to Madonna! Please..." - Cloud winked at me and disappeared into the darkness...

The night is young, and the show has just begun

To be honest - I don't think I can put down in words all that happened to me during the show itself...
When the disco ball came down from the ceiling, I was about to faint! The bodyguard kept on offering me glasses of water, and I was like "No thank you. I don't need it" - and he answered "Trust me boy, you NEED it!" :) and then the disco ball opened to revel MADONNA! I thought I'm seeing an angel, I thought I'm seeing my mother (she's a Madonna-look-a-like for real! even with the gap in the teeth!) then I started realizing I'm seeing this girl from T.V. - and then I got it, that I'm actually seeing Madonna!
I was screaming, I dropt my camera, and I started to cry like four year old girl... Oh the embarrassment! Seeing Madonna smiling always makes me feel good for some reason, and seeing that LIVE was a-m-a-z-i-n-g, and she smiled a lot!
She was happy, she was ecstatic!
There's so much energy and power in this tiny woman... there was no week moment in the show! I loved it all!

Do you believe that we can change the future?

I was completely amazed by what just happened to me... As of today I can't stop thinking about possibility of Madonna herself holding my drawings in her arms!!! Just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes.
I guess I will be forever grateful to Cloud! Madonna gave me so many wonderful things in this life, comfort, strength, believe, self-acceptance and hope, more then any other person I've known. After experiencing what it is the phenomenon of being in a Madonna concert, seeing the effect she has on people, on me...
The booklet I've made with all the drawings of Madonna is, I guess, my small way to say thank you to Madonna, for everything. The more she keeps on going so do I Seeing how so many people can REALLY get together from all over the world, - and talking to hundreds of fans from different religions, classes, and countries, especially at the time being, coming from a war stroked Israel - I felt so empowered! So full of hope that we can change the future. And so honoured to have lived in this time, to have something so powerful to tell to the kids I hope I'll have on day... I lived to tell what it's like to live in a world that for some 2 hours was rulled by Madonna!

Now it's been a full month from the first time I've seen Madonna, and I still can't get over it. I still have the green golden-circle bracelet from the Millennium Stadium on my hand, and I'm not gonna take away :) But this was just the beginning - As the day after the show in Cardiff, on the train station back to London I met a great guy who convinced me to go and see the Confession Tour again on August 1, at Wembley Arena... Where I took some great pictures, and more great memories to share with you all - and I will in a few days! :)

Love, David Kawena