Madonna Returns to Detroit and Reclaims Her Throne

After 30 years in the business you would expect it to be difficult for Madonna to keep shocking her fans, but she always finds a way to keep us on our toes. Just when you think you have her figured out, she throws you another surprise.

The last time her majesty was in town she wasn't thrilled to be here. In fact, in the past she has been known to bash Detroit whenever she's had a chance, including a recent interview with the King of all Media, Howard Stern. I expected her to get up on stage last night and go through the motions, but instead Madonna shocked me and did everything but that.   

She started out the evening by saying how happy she was to be “home”. Throughout the two hour show at Joe Louis arena she talked about the rebirth of the city of Detroit and how happy she was to be part of it. She gave a shout out to big daddy Dan Gilbert and talked about some of the local charities she is working with. She took a moment and dedicated a song to father and her daughter, who were both in attendance. She related to the audience in a way I didn't even know was possible for her. She is usually very stiff during her shows, which are meticulously choreographed, but not this time. She was able to talk to the crowd, to make jokes, and to let her talent shine. I actually believed for the first time that she was happy to be “home”.

Madonna changed her outfit no less than 20 times, each look better than the last. There were themes of Joan of Arc, references to Frida Kahlo, and some really sparkly numbers that reminded me of the Material Girl era. Her stage setup also featured a 25 x 16 foot screen that was built into the floor. It was raised and lowered throughout the show to create different effects. As always, there were themes of religion, love and sex throughout the performance. For me, the highlights were a number where her dancer's used giant crucifixes to perform a stripper pole dance that involved a lot of twerking, a stripped down version of True Blue, and an intermission that involved all of her dancers flying through the air on bendable support poles. This tour showcased a wide range of her talent and reminded you how many hits she has truly had.

Photo taken from Billboard.com 

Rebel Heart may very well be Madonna's best tour to date. I really appreciate that she still strives to put on these intricately choreographed and visually stimulating theatrical productions. At 57 years old she shows no signs of slowing down, she danced harder and looked better than pop stars half her age. I'm glad to see Madonna finally giving Detroit the credit it deserves, so it's time to give her the credit she deserves. She is the queen of pop and no one's shows comes close to hers. Welcome back to Detroit Madonna, we are proud to have you call this city your home!

~S