Madame X is… on Tour

The Madame X Tour opened at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House in New York City last night.
Madonna came on stage at 10.35 PM to perform a 2h 20 minute mix of  Madame X songs, classic hits performed in full or hinted to, two interludes and a series of moments with the audience.

Rosie O’ Donnell, Debi Mazar and Anderson Cooper – who we’d like to consider more as Madonna friends than “celebrities” – were among the crowd at the BAM where the audience in the stalls stood from the opening monent on.
Fans who filled the aisles and front row for the most part of the show were told to go back to their seats before the last number – which worked pretty much as an encore – and the reason was clear moments afterwards as Madonna left the venue making her way through the crowd.

The opening night setlist included:

• Intro/God Control
• Dark Ballet
• Human Nature
• Express Yourself (acapella chorus only, followed by Papa Don’t Preach intro strings)

A moment with the crowd / I

• Vogue (with Madame X Manifesto intro)
• I Don’t Search I Find

A moment with the crowd / II (Madonna sells a Polaroid selfie to a fan – tonight it was a special one: Rosie O’Donnell)

• Papa Don’t Preach (first verse and chorus – the intro was also played after the Express Yourself acapella)
• American Life

Interlude (Combat, Coffin and Batuka Prayer)

• Batuka
• Fado Song (cover performed with Gasper Varela on guitar, to honour her late grandmother Celeste Rodrigues)
• Killers Who Are Partying
• Crazy
• Welcome to my Fado Club/La Isla Bonita (chorus)
• Sodade (Cesária Évora cover)
• Medellín

A moment with the crowd / III (Madonna sits in the crowd and talks to an audience member)

• Extreme Occident

Interlude (Rescue Me)

• Frozen
• Come Alive
• Future
• Crave (Tracy Young Remix)
• Like a Prayer
• I Rise (Encore)

The show included an appearance of Madonna’s daughters Mercy, Estere and Stella at the end of Human Nature, Lola Leon in the backdrop for Frozen – a moment that had the audience roar – and another appearance of the twins sporting wigs and rocking the catwalk in Crave.

Madonna shared these two pictures from the show on the Social Media with the following caption:

Madame ❌ thanks you for coming.
So Happy to finally have an audience! ♥️👠💋 #bam #theatre #madamex

As you already know there was a phone-free policy in place but also there were no photographers from the press invited so we may not be able to see many more images from the night very soon.

The opening section –  very theatrical and dramatic – is followed by the first act with Madonna in blond natural hair and military outfit.
The first costume chanhe happens playfully on stage behind a screen, then Madonna sports her platinum blond “Madame X is a spy” wig for the second section.
The album artwork mood is the main theme of the Fado section with Madonna wearing a dark wig similar to the one uses in the Batuka video.

The show is as political as you would expect, there are some major statements on the screen and the lyrics of two songs were changes.
In Papa Don’t Preach her lines were change to “I’m not keeping my baby” at the end and Madonna talked about woman’s rights and their bodies. In Killers Who Are Partying Madonna is heard singing “I’ll be Islam, if Islam is hated / I’ll be Palestine, if they’re incarcerated.” Madonna is playing the piano in Future. She also mentioned that the show wasn’t still finished, so we may see some changes happening in the future.

The typewriter theme runs along the show, making you feel like you’re part of a story. The main set is made of stairs that come apart, move around, have doors and alcoves, they are used both plain and with projections – minimal yet rich. A giant disco balls appears to set the mood of the last section. Click here to read more in MadonnaTribe’s Community member MrTeaTea review on the Forum.

Some of the items available at the tour merchandise stall at the BAM last night are now also available to purchase online from the madonna.com store – this is also a chance to reassure fans who got worried at the Tour Program not being available last night that it is in fact coming soon.

Thanks to Neil, GAM and MrTeaTea.