Review: In Tampa, Madonna goes all out in late-night, career-spanning ‘Celebration’

You know you’re old when a legacy act recalls the first time they came to play in your hometown, and you remember it vividly because you were there. Pop superstar and icon Madonna did just that on Thursday night, during her dazzling performance to a packed house at Amalie Arena. Part of the way into the show, the singer reminisced about the first time she ever played in Tampa.

“Do you remember that? You weren’t even born!” she said, referring to her May 1985 sold-out show at the USF Sun Dome while promoting her second album, Like a Virgin. I sure remember it; I camped out overnight before the tickets went on sale and scored fantastic, remarkably close seats for the show. Even then, with only two albums worth of material to draw from, the Michigan native, New York City transplant, and up-and-coming superstar packed plenty of style and sass into her live delivery.

But that was then. Now, four decades later, with a massive canon of music, millions of record sales to her credit, and bona fide icon status to boast, Madonna is on the road. She’s dubbed the outing the “Celebration” tour, and it’s an overview of her meteoric rise to fame and all the hits she’s amassed since her breakout, 1983 debut, self-titled album.

Do you know how else you can tell that you’re old? When you realize that, the time when most concerts are typically wrapping up is more or less the time that Madge takes the stage on her tour. While much has been made of her delayed stage arrivals on this tour in the press (even a lawsuit has come out of it), the exuberant, antsy crowd in attendance at the arena seemed unfazed by the star attraction’s late appearance.

Dressed in a variety of outfits honoring their queen, young women dressed in mesh tops and bows in their hair (ala Madge’s signature ‘80s look) filled the seats alongside women in full-on wedding dresses and plenty of folks wearing a variety of Madonna concert shirts from tours gone by (one fan even dressed as Mae Mordabito from “A League of Their Own”). To fill the long wait, DJ MaryMac5star occupied a prime spot on one of the stage’s long catwalks and pumped chugging, booming club music to keep the crowd engaged and energized, before the arrival of the headliner.

At 10:30 p.m., the lights in the arena dimmed and Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” blasted through the mighty sound system to incredible applause. After a fabulous intro by drag superstar Bob the Drag Queen (clad in a full-on Rococo-era gown, as a nod to Madonna’s “Vogue”-era look), the highly anticipated arrival of the queen of pop was upon the eager fans.

Clad in a long, elaborately-designed black gown and bejeweled halo crown, Ms. Ciccone appeared to a wall of screams, cheers, and wails. Opening with “Nothing Really Matters,” a standout track from her 1998 Ray of Light album, Madonna looked fantastic. Perched upon an elevated, lighted, revolving platform, she was in an ideal and fitting spot to receive fans’ passionate outpouring of adoration and idolization.
Accompanied by a large ensemble of dancers (who’d figure prominently in most of the night’s numbers), Madonna was in her element; occupying a large stage, filled with glitz and glamor, and commanding the full attention of everyone in the building.

In honor of the celebratory vibe of the night, the singer started to pay homage to the early days of her career and, in tribute, performed some of her oldest material first. The one-two punch of “Everybody,” her debut single from 1982, and “Into the Groove,” a dance club smash that came from the very first motion picture she appeared in, 1985’s “Desperately Seeking Susan,” was the perfect way to get the crowd energized, although, this feisty crowd needed no prodding to get into the groove themselves. Her crew of dancers, clad in authentic ‘80s club kid garb, helped set the tone and the vibe of the era perfectly while displaying their incredible agility and moves.

Despite the absence of musicians or a band and accompanied solely by recorded backing tracks for the night, Madonna did strap on a gorgeous black Gibson Les Paul guitar to perform a grittier, more forceful version of “Burning Up” from her first album. “This is the first song I ever wrote on a guitar,” she said, as she recalled performing it at the long-gone NYC punk rock mecca and renown club, CBGB.

In a nod to the theme for the program, she stated, “This is the story of my life. I’m going to share it with you” and proceeded to run through a barrage of hits and album cuts for the duration of the two-hour-and-20-minute show that ran well past midnight.

Never one to shy away from controversy and raunch, and never afraid to push the envelope to extreme places, Madonna did not disappoint in her attempts to retain her bad girl reputation. A superb performance of “Open Your Heart” found the singer (who had countless costume changes throughout the evening) accompanied by some of her androgynous dancers, with one sporting full dominatrix gear. For “Holiday,” another dance smash from her first album, a massive disco ball was lowered while the many screens adorning the back and the sides of the stage portrayed images of Paradise Garage, a legendary New York City dance club. For historical context, a faux argument ensued between Madonna and Bob the Drag Queen, portraying the door attendant at the famous club, who refused to let the singer past the proverbial velvet rope. While some of the banter was audible, as in Madonna’s plea to be let in because she was “trying to get a record deal,” most of the dialogue was drowned out and hard to decipher. Nonetheless, it was a nice, historic touch that flashed back to the days when the young singer was doing everything she could to connect with record company reps and well-known DJs in her plight to gain some fame and notoriety.

One of the night’s more touching moments came when the singer performed one of her best and most poignant ballads, “Live to Tell.” Elevated high above the crowd via a huge square frame-like contraption, Madonna floated around the arena while images of many deceased artists and musicians were beamed on the screens that surrounded the arena. Street artist Keith Haring, disco music legend Sylvester, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and so many others were commemorated during the song, which ended with an image of candles burning and the epitaph “In Loving Memory of All the Bright Lights We Lost to Aids'' emblazoned on it. A longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and a staunch supporter of the gay community, Madonna walks it like she talks it when it comes to being outspoken and supporting the community that makes up a huge part of her following.

Keeping up her promise and her attempt to always remain edgy and controversial, the singer made sure to instill plenty of images and scenarios that would still make her harshest critics cringe. Simulated sex acts, homoeroticism, and religious imagery (that would no doubt be deemed sacrilegious) made up a huge chunk of the visual accompaniment to the music. On the flip side of that, Madonna did take several opportunities to include some of her adopted children into the spotlight to be part of the celebratory vibe of the night. Her daughter Mercy was featured performing impressively on a grand piano and accompanying her mom for a rendition of “Bad Girl,” and her son David played guitar on a few of the night’s selections.

Vocally, Madonna sounded strong and in command but, at times, her vocals were buried within the loud, thumping mix of the backing tracks that blared through the arena. She seemed to have some trouble reaching some notes and adding warmth to her delivery of another great ballad, “Take a Bow,” but the audience didn’t seem to mind a bit.

Ending the long show with a grand finale, in true glitzy style, the over-the-top performance of “Bitch I’m Madonna” found her entire crew of dancers emerging, one after another, each dressed in a signature outfit or costume, reminiscent of the many looks and styles Madonna has donned over the years. There was the Marilyn Monroe throwback look from the “Material Girl” video, the baseball outfit she wore in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own,” and so many more. It was a fitting homage to the long and illustrious career of this pop icon and a wonderful way to bring this extravaganza to a fitting end.

Another reason you know you’re getting old: your legs hurt, and you’re worn out the next morning after standing and dancing for the duration of a Madonna show, 40 years after becoming a fan of hers. But, for the wealth of music she’s provided for so long, and the feeling of empowerment she’s instilled in so many for so long, it’s a small price to pay. Until the next go-round, Madge…we’ll be ready and willing to fill the seats and dance to the songs you’ve injected into our consciousness and our culture for so long.
Just, please, start the show a little earlier next time! We’re getting too old for this!

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