(OUTview NW) Concert RE-view: Madonna Returns to Portland after 30 Years (8 Tours Later) and made History all over again!

(Rettenmund)

by MK Scott

It took me 30 years to attend a Madonna Concert and it took 30 years for her to return to Portland on Tour. Why so long? Well, opportunity and money was my excuse. What was Madonna's? Hard to believe that when Madonna last performed in Portland, it was the Reagan Administration, and the Virgin Tour stopped in Portland, according to Wiki,  for 2 shows on April 15 and 16, 1985, not at the famed Coliseum, but at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall, the Portland Sister to Seattle's Paramount Theater where she performed 3 times from April 10-13, 1985. This was after 'Desperatlely Seeking Susan" but before the Playboy and Penthouse Pictorial and Live Aid. So that means, Portland missed the Who's that Girl, Blond Ambition (The Best), The Girlie Show, Confessions, MDNA and others. We could only watch Ambition and Girlie Show on HBO or visited Seattle, which most Portlanders don't (and still) believe that Seattle even exists.

Madonna's Infamous BoE PC in 1992     (MTV)

But wait, in April 1992, Madonna returned to Portland and there went the hysteria, Ms. Ciccone was in Portland for a month to shoot, Body of Evidence (a Flop) with William Dafoe. Every actor (including yours truly) wanted to be in it or spend the day with her and her posse, as an extra. I ended up getting cast as an extra in "Hear No Evil" (another Flop) starring Marlene (Matlin) and Martin (Sheen) and never could regret the friendships I made with Marlene and Martin. So Madge (in '92), however, rented a condo in the Riverplace development and was seen several times jogging with her posse at Waterfront Park.

Perhaps, that experience kept her away from Portland for 23 years? Who Knows, but Portland was just happy she was back. Since Madonna was only coming to Portland this time, the Seattle Gays weren't going to miss it and made the trip down this past Saturday to the Moda Center.

I got to Moda after 8pm and wasn't sure who the opening act was, but learned it was a house DJ named Michael Diamond and it took nearly an hour after his set before Michael Jackson's 'Wanna be Startin' Something" was turned up for the audience to start dancing and the Red Curtain was torn away and the lights and dancers started.

The theme was thank god wasn't cheerleaders, like with MDNA, but as Genghis Khan-era warriors carrying tall medieval crosses appeared in front of a huge screen playing video from the song "Iconic," with Mike Tyson talking, and then Madonna inviting the dancers and the screaming crowd to join her revolution.

"Iconic" turned into "Bitch, I'm Madonna," which included the massive face of Nicki Minaj rapping on the screen.

It wouldn't be a Madonna show without targeting religion with a mash up of  "Holy Water"/"Vogue' with stripper nuns and large crosses that also became stripper poles.

(Scott)

Her Posse of dancers rarely disappoint and were just as much as the the stars of the shows, just like Madonna. In a Truth or Dare inspired set, she asked each the men to show off their abs just before her acoustic rendition of 'True Blue" and each of them were paired off and left the stage. Later, during “S.E.X.” with Beds of these couples in various sexual (I mean Dance) positions and Yes, one included a Lesbian and and another a Gay couple. The great thing about Madonna was she knows her multi-generational audience: 1/3 Straight, 1/3 Lesbian and 1/3 Gay and the audience clearly represented those demographics.


Another Dancer highlight was when the guys chained themselves to the top of the poles and were swinging and bending to the front several rows during "Illuminati.".

That wasn't the only stunt, another was when a spiral staircase appeared from the pin rail and Madonna brought up her favorite boy toy dancer during "HeartBreakCity"/"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" medley, and pushed him off the top and he landed through the trap door.

(Google)

Then later she had a “raked” stage, which are tilted and as she wore the Best of the Best costume, a silver fringe Chicage-style number with singing "Material Girl" and had her posse of men in Top Hat and Tails pushed as they slid down the stage one by one. 

The stage turned into a swank nightclub for the mash up of “Music/Candy Shop,” a thumping disco burner with some freaky sidelights. One dancer, for example, wore a half-tuxedo/half-hot pants and blouse thing, so that from one side he was a male, and from the other a girl. Meanwhile, a quartet of female dancers followed and danced with Madonna all over the stage and catwalk as she sang, and one of those four dancers was topless.


The show is exhausting and at 57, the moments were her sitting down and singing ballads with Guitar (I for that she actually played an instrument) or ukulele was more relaxed moments, not just for her but her audience to actually sit down.

She also excelled at singing the classics that audience could sing along too, rather than the new stuff that, most of her audience had never heard of.

Speaking of the audience, after "Like a Virgin" she through her bouquet to a gay couple in the front row and brought one guy name Will, up on stage to dance with her and I ran into Will after the show, just to touch the hand that touch Madonna!

(Scott)

There was the moment when she sat on what looked like a big red cake and said, "I've been married twice, you know. You've probably heard about it,"  and then led the audience in a "La Vie En Rose" singalong while she played the ukulele.

During "Live for Love", she came out in this long cape (the same one that was tied too tight and led to that tumble down the stairs at the Brit Awards last February) and then "Spanish Lullaby" and then an acoustic "I got a secret", and than a Spanish theme version "Into the Groove" and "Dress you up".

"Holiday" was the finale as Madonna literally wore an American Flag and it was really a Celebration, from 2 shows at the Schnitz to One Big show, 30 yrs later with the ability to still sing and dance. "Madonna, Get back to Portland again, our love for you has never wavered"!