Cut to 2019 and Madonna has put that dream into motion via the “Madame X Tour.” It kicked off on Sept. 17 with the first leg ending Oct. 12 after a 21-show(!) residency at the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House, whose stage has also hosted noted non- multi-platinum pop artists such as Phillip Glass, Robert Wilson, Steve Reich, John Cale, the late Lou Reed and Twyla Tharp. Along with being one of the few times Madonna has played a small venue (in 1985 she played NYC’s Radio City Music Hall, her opening act, a then upstart rap group called Beastie Boys), the shows both at BAM and the remainder of the tour serve as a stark contrast to the massive and multi-faceted stage craft that has helped make Madonna one of the most consistent live performers of her generation.
Madonna Announces Intimate ‘Madame X’ Tour
It’s not just the scale or seating capacity (the BAM theater is at 2,100) that marks a significant change in Madonna’s creative strategy. Unlike her previous tours which grossed close to $1.3 billion dollars and sold over 9.5 million tickets, according to Pollstar Boxoffice reports, the ‘Madame X Tour” is only hitting select cities in the U.S. (Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco) and Europe, including Lisbon, where Madonna now lives as a self-described ”soccer mom” and whose fado scene inspired both Madame X the album and the live show (spoiler alert- her intentions might be pure but Madonna’s relatively thin and ever so auto tuned vocals are no match for fado’s mournful undertones).
Each stop on the tour consists of a residency of a week or more rather than one or two appearances per venue. The decision to perform and then set up camp is an increasingly appealing one. Witness the popularity of Las Vegas residencies, which in essence allows the artist to commute to work and enjoy a semblance of a normal life; something that Madonna, who has three of her six children performing with her (her eldest Lourdes is featured via video during the emotional highlight “Frozen”) would no doubt see as a plus. The residency also allows for fans to see Madonna more than once during the run of her shows as well as enjoying more flexibility when choosing what night they will attend.
A series of shows means sets and staging do not have to be broken down every night, which helps keep costs down; although judging by the sets, costumes and the fact that Madonna flew over at least 15 musicians from Portugal and Cape Verde it’s clear that she had no qualms about putting her money where her vision was. Running at about two-and-a-half hours in length, Madonna hits the stage at a brutal 10:45 p.m. with about 85 percent new material. Older hits such as “Vogue” and “Human Nature” are reconfigured to better suit the more grown folks atmosphere. While the late set time is annoying, especially since tickets say the show begins at 8:30 and all phones are locked up once you enter the venue via Yondr, Madame X is a crowd pleaser; a gorgeously designed and artfully executed production, skillfully mixing Broadway caliber set design, scrims, video and lighting to create the world of the elusive Madame X. What exactly the whole Madame X conceit is remains unclear, but Madonna and her team have ensured that everything looks and sounds great. This, even as you’re realizing that you’re going to be getting home at 2 a.m.
Madame X is yet another example of what the industry refers to as an “underplay.” In lay person’s parlance an underplay is when an A or maybe B+ level musician opts out of the de rigueur arena or shed tour in favor of a more intimate and modest venue. It’s a trend that’s been bubbling under for a while but, not surprisingly, Madonna has helped to focus attention and generate buzz. For years Madonna has been rightfully heralded as a queen of reinvention, seamlessly going from nascent trend to nascent trend, changing up her look and influences to best suit the zeitgeist and capture the attention of her wildly devoted, diverse but, frankly, aging fan base. With Madame X, Madonna joins the ranks of an impressive list of musicians who have also turned the volume down, so to speak.
There’s Raphael Saadiq who kicked off his “Jimmy Lee Tour” with a series of low-key club dates; he will double back in 2020 to play larger halls), Jay Z, who throughout his career has graced the stage of NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom and BAM, and most notably Bruce Springsteen’s Tony winning and sold out stint on Broadway. Nick Cave, whose double album Ghosteen drops next week, has spent the last year on the road with “Conversations With Nick Cave” in which the revered singer/songwriter plays stripped down versions of his extensive catalogue and takes questions from the audience. The irony is that Cave, after decades of slugging it out as a cult artist, embarked on his first US arena and festival tour not even two years ago. The move back to a more subdued, if such a adjective can used to describe Cave’s music, signals that Cave remains in touch with his loyal fans and is at the point of his career where he can afford to take calculated risks.
But the undisputed king of the underplay must be the late Prince. Throughout his career Prince would double dip; headlining a sold-out arena gig during prime time and then do a looser late night/early morning gig at a club or lounge; often on the same night. The shows, which were the worst kept secret in town, were aimed at the faithful and by all accounts were the stuff of legend. Or sometimes Prince would just skip the bigger space altogether and just rock out at NYC spots such as Irving Plaza or the now shuttered Roseland.
Getting the chance to see a mega star in such close proximity helps to add a magical and elite vibe. Rather than being one of twenty-thousand, a fan is part of a community and can brag that not only did they see Madonna’s “Truth or Dare” shows but were part of the “Madame X” experience; close enough to see every nook and cranny; metaphorically speaking. Underplaying feels more special and in many ways it is since for obvious reasons there are less tickets available. For reasons I can’t quite understand I had never been to a Madonna concert. But now I can say that I was there when she played BAM.
Since 1983 Madonna has courted controversy, some legit and some manufactured. Her music and presentation has championed the underground and been a voice for, among others the LGBTQ community. But perhaps her most significant cultural impact is that while she might not always be the first one in the pool, over the course of close to four decades she’s proven herself to be the performer who makes the biggest splash and whose artistic choices continue to matter. The Madame X shows are yet another remix. Even though Madonna is, to some degree, following rather than leading the pack these days, the industry is paying especially keen attention to how The “Madame X Tour,” which thus far has received universally strong reviews and ticket sales, pans out.
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