Making Adams High School Proud

Last night I went to the Madonna concert at the United Center, and while I didn't know the majority of songs off of her "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album (which was the focus of the tour), I still thought it was incredible. It was not a concert - it was an event, on par with shows in Vegas.

The good things included:
- No air conditioning.
You may be wondering, "Why is that a good thing?", especially since most people hated being all hot and sweaty on the over 90-degree Chicago day, but I am one of those people who is ALWAYS COLD, so I was in heaven. Her explanation during the show was that she "didn't want to contribute to global warming," but I think it really had to do with preserving her voice, as there also appeared to be some monster-size humidifiers pumping steam into the air the entire time.
- The roller-derby "Music" number.
First off, roller-skates are just plain cool. Give me those over rollerblades any day. Second, I like the song "Music." Third, to have about 6 guys on roller-skates zooming all over the huge stage as well as the catwalk out into the middle of the stadium was pretty cool - on top of the suspense of constantly wondering what would happen if one of them just overshot straight into the audience.
- The set itself.
As I alluded to above, the set was out of control - not only were there tons of video screens, but two of them were HUGE, and more importantly, they were crystal clear. To the point where some things looked kind of 3D. Those screens, combined with the elaborate props and several "trap doors" really kept your attention - you just never knew where to look or what to expect.

The negatives included:
- The song "New York."
While I liked the spirit of the song, it was just a bad song - bad melody, words, tune, etc. Plus, Madonna with a guitar just doesn't really look right.
- They ran out of hot pretzels.
I went to literally eight different food stations and at 4 out of the 8, the last pretzel was sold out from under me. The other 4 were already sold out. Who knew that there was a correlation between Madonna fans and a love of hot pretzels?
- Not enough "old songs."
I *just* wanted to hear 'Get Into the Groove,' which seemed like it would've fit the disco theme quite nicely. Would it have been SO HARD for her to have played a few more tunes from the 80s?
- My low self-esteem after the show.
Madonna is, I believe, at least 15 years my senior. There is NO WAY I could do some of the moves she pulled off, and there is no way my body will ever be that toned. Hence, an onset of depression after the concert.

So there is my quick take. Tonight I am going to see Radiohead, which I'm sure will be drastically different, but equally as good.

- e