Madonna – Rogers Arena – October 14, 2015
Every time people try to deem her irrelevant, ‘past it’ or (gasp) too old, Madonna steps up and proves why she is the one who sets the standard. Wednesday night, her Rebel Heart Tour touched down in Vancouver and the thousands of fans in Rogers Arena were treated to a spectacle that throws down the gauntlet for other performers to live up to.
For over two hours, the Material Girl presented a vision of her musical journey from opening with the brand new “Rebel Heart” track “Iconic” all the way back to the iconic single “Holiday” from her eponymous 1983 first album. Whether is was watching the dramatic Matador-themed performance of “Living For Love” turn into a Flamenco inspired “La Isla Bonita” the multi-faceted performer kept all eyes and ears on her throughout the show, unless she wanted them focused elsewhere.
From start to finish, the audience was at her command, the performance level never wavered, even during costume changes her cadre of dancers kept us enraptured with visual spectacles to Madonna backing tracks. Each act built upon the last, introducing new material while reeling us in with tastes and treats of singles from her vast catalogue. Since she hasn’t played Vancouver until her more recent tours, there’s still plenty of fans seeing her for the first time, which adds to the high energy and excitement in the arena and for those returning fans, she doesn’t disappoint.
While many a pop princess has come and gone for over three decades, Madonna has reigned supreme and continues to create, innovate and evolve her talent.
Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour continues down the West Coast of North American this month and around the world until next Spring.