Madonna / The Confessions Tour / January 30, 2007
♫ 02. Like a Virgin / 12. Lucky Star
I’ve never been a very big Madonna fan. Sure, I’ve liked some singles, “Into the Groove,” “Die Another Day,” “Like a Prayer,” “Hung Up,” etc…but I’ve never really sat down and listened to one of her entire albums; I just wasn’t that interested. Maybe it was her blatant use of shock value and get-rich quick schemes that kept me doubting her ability as an artist, but there was never anything truly appealing to me about Madonna…until she released The Confessions Tour CD+DVD combo.
I’d seen parts of the concert on television but hadn’t really paid much attention as most of the songs performed had been off her latest Confessions on a Dancefloor album, of which I had only found “Hung Up” to be obsessive-play worthy. However, when I noticed that the Confessions tour had seen a release, I decided to give it a try. Low and behold, three tracks caught my ears immediately and before long, I was playing them around the clock. The whole album is a sort of mash-up of songs from the past and present, though mostly present as the bulk of the tracks consist of songs off the new album. However, when the old and the new blend together, it’s almost amazing and for the first time, I actually enjoyed a mash-up (yes, I admit it, I hate mash-ups, I am sick of them, stop it already).
“Like a Virgin” is the first track that painted me crazy, as there’s a entirely new mix to it that induces the old 80s synth gem with a techno-dance update that will have you up and dancing in no time. The concert footage features Madonna swinging brazenly off a mechanical horse saddle and while the sexual innuendos are not my cup of tea, you have to give the woman credit for her agility. The second track that really captured my attention was the final two tracks, the mash-up between “Lucky Star” and “Hung Up.” “Lucky Star” begins straight away and gradually builds up to the “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” sample that riddles “Hung Up” and remains constant throughout until Madonna shouts, “Do you want some more?” before crashing into the ten minute epic that is the live version of “Hung Up.” Although one half of the song is the the crowd singing along (and I think even that has been digitally tweaked), it still retains the energy and drive that made it the club success it was in 2005. Other noteworthy mash-ups include “Music Inferno,” a blend of the classic “Disco Inferno” and Madonna’s “Music,” which could be a total disaster but is actually quite pleasing to the aural senses.
OK, so maybe she’s lip-synching through most of it. And maybe I don’t even like that many songs off of Confessions on a Dancefloor in the first place. It doesn’t matter; thank you Madonna, for helping me, once again, to dance for inspiration.
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