For the first time EVER I got to see Madonna live.
Never have I spent more to see a concert though i only got a standing ticket. I have never been to Wembley before, I just have it on my dreamboard as the ultimate goal...
4pm I started queuing with my friend Jo, a hugely talented singer from the swingle singers.
We had some bubbly so time went quickly or at least it felt that way. 6:30pm we got in and rushed to find our standing position in the pitch.
So from there we stood in one place until 23:10 when the whole thing was over. No drink, no wee. Painful. I was so exited to see Madonna I didn't mind. At least that's what I told myself. When you are at a big exiting event in your life, you will go to lenghts to make it feel special and good. We were guessing her support act and at some point Paul Oakfield (DJ) played some tunes and disappeared again. waiting. waiting. No support?! Some say Madonna doesn't' need a support act. I say the audience does!!
She came out at 21:10 and we all got so exited when the lights went out in the stadium and on on stage. But it was that time that I realized I wasnt' actually going to see the show. I couldn't see anything. Lights at the top. That's it. Disappointed faces around me as well as everyone under 1, 70m had no chance to even catch a glimpse of what is the Queen of Pop. I saw 3 minutes of Madonna at most. I failed to get happy about that. I watched a screen-when I could. That doesn't reflect the stage concept, the way the lights and set works with the dancers. The interplay of Madonna, her band and all that... I just saw close ups of people on a screen. I get more from watching youtube.
She didn't talk to us much. She has an amazing energy and an amazing level of fitness, I loved some of the arrangements but I wasn't involved. I was trapped in a herd of kettle watching something far away somehow but yet not being really part of it. I thought a big concert like this has an amazing vibe that you don't get on TV. But I didn't feel it. People seemed more concerned with trying to see something, holding their mobiles up. I saw a see of mobiles recording the moving dot over there that was Madonna.
She is ickle, I am ickle, Wembley is f***ing huge.
The fans didn't go mad, some people in their seats were standing and dancing but most were sitting. It was weird. I liked the Keith Herring animations, I liked the rock arrangements, I absolutely love the way she mixes her old tunes with her new ones for example, she was playing the intro from 4 minutes and sang Vogue over it. That is absolute Genius and you can only get that at the concert. You can't buy that, it's an insider treat and it's soooo appreciated. I would like to listen to that again. I can see how that would inspire her to Vogue it up again. After all, she's sung the song for donkeys years. I have been singing it for years and I do it pretty much every show because EVERYONE loves Vogue so it was really refreshing for me to hear it that way. I would love to sing it in that arrangement but the people who book me will expect the "original sound". Hey ho, the new arrangements are the Queens priviledge.
I like the idea of her playing more live music but she overdid it. I prefer when she shakes her fabolous booty, gives us attitude, empowers us, makes us want to be better people and strive for excellence.
Give me the best dancers of this planet, let them dance their hearts out at the peak of their career that they then owe to you, give us the time of our lives. Please don't stand there too much with a guitar.
The video screens with Justin or Pharell on it, to me it was a bit naff- and that's weird saying that because it's probably a very high tech expensive installation but it didn't do it for me. Which is probably because I watched a screen and I saw a dot wriggling in front of a screen thingy in the distance when I jumped up.
The live singing wasn't great. I didn't expect it to be amaaaaazing. I expected it better than that though. She made it too obvious when it wasn't live. When you stop singing, we should hear the difference. And we did. Her voice was louder when she stopped singing and continued happily.
When she sang, she screamed sometimes, she strained sometimes and she went off. Outch.
I realized how hard I am on myself when I sing live. Her voice is always doubled up or tripled up and she will not sing through a whole show. I do. But admittedly I can't dance just as exhaustive as Madonna does, I don't have a great team of dancers and choreographers behind me and even if, you would see the difference for sure.
Some people recognized me, one girl didn't know who I was but freaked as she told me I looked like Madonna and took a picture with me so she could put it on facebook that she met Madonna at the concert. In the tube, people were turning heads and talking to each other. It's a strange thing. I know they are talking about me sometimes and I am probably making it up the other times!
Back to the real McKoy.
I wish she would have said something nice to us in London, smiled, connected with us, making us feel appreciated. I found her cold and though energetic, it felt flat.
I know as much about her now than I did before seeing her live. I wish she would have shared herself with us. Just a bit, Madge!
She is on the top of the world and has all possibility to bring us something d
evine, something empowering, something! But she didn't.
I learned something else: you have to experience some things to understand them. I have Wembley as my big dream on my board. I learned that Wembley really doesn't do it for me.
If I was on stage and looked at that sea of people I would do my thing but I really really really love connecting. Connecting and sharing with my audience.
My goal is to play to 400 people at a time. 1000 people. 5000 people. I want to make sure they are having a really good time they can cherish forever. The audience makes a concert special with the performer, this is what i am going for, if I haven't done it before from here on.
My goal is also to move from being UK's Nr 1 Madonna Impersonator to becoming Nr.1 Musical Comedienne. I want to be more me. After all, she is!
So thank you Madonna for helping me seeing this clearer now. Thank you for being out there and doing what you do, because noone has EVER done it like you. Thank you for not being perfect. Thank you for keeping up creating cool looks and tunes. My job wouldn't be half as cool if you weren't.
Much love,
Evelyne
