When I heard that Madonna would be performing in Amsterdam, just as I was there visiting, I jumped at the chance to finally see Madonna live. Although I did not manage to get tickets for her first concert, I was lucky to score some for the second concert that she added on Sunday 8 July.
Of course I did not want to wear anything boring. Nor did I care if I looked “age appropriate” or not. I just wanted to look fun! So I had planned this bright summer dress for the occasion. Since it was rather cold that day I wore it over my skinny capris and paired it with some new shoes I picked up a few days ago from Hester van Eeghen. They are actually brighter than they look on these pictures and they have very fancy heels, so I will need to take some better pictures of the shoes for future posts.
I attended the concert with my 14 year old niece Nikki, who also sported some very fancy (and high!) shoes for the occasion.
But overall the general look for the concert was very casual and very often quite boring. There was a very varied audience which included many women from my age category. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who remembered her from long ago! Below is a sample of the audience and what they wore.
Although the show was planned to start at 7.30 pm, it was not until about 8.15 that the warming up act started. This was DJ Marin Solveig, known for his big smash hit “I just came to say hello”. He played many current dance tracks and a few mixes of Madonna songs.
Madonna’s concert did not actually start until 10 pm, by which time we were surely ready to be entertained. The show did not disappointed. It started with a lot of theatricals, featuring all the known themes like religion, sex and in this case quite a bit of violence. The show started with songs from her latest album that basically noone knew. Even I did not purchase her latest album which I thought was rather weak. The drama and dancers made up for that though and you were not bored for a second.
I loved the below version of Give me all your Lovin’ which was wonderfully displayed.
After the initial set of songs from MDNA, Madonna played some of her more popular songs, including Vogue and Respect Yourself. The latter was mixed with Lady Gaga’s Born this Way and followed by “You’re not me”, clearly signaling how Madonna’s feels about Lady Gaga vertically copying her song!
Other highlights included familiar songs such as Like a Virgin, which was changed into a really slow version, where Madonna basically started a striptease. Like a Prayer got the whole stadium on their feet and it turned into a huge party.
I was amazed by both Madonna’s energy and appearance. I previously had a nice discussion on Madonna and how we are supposed to age at this site, so will not go much detail about that here, but suffice to say, that I personally am very impressed. I’m amazed that she still has the guts, energy and desire to present herself the way she does. I feel like hitting the gym a bit more after seeing this!
It was an amazing show and I’m happy I got to experience it live!
Do you still enjoy going to concerts?
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Bam, that is quite a dress – and I love it! – fun, flirty, and it looks great with your skinny capris and bright green shoes. Thanks for the montage of other concert-goers. They were not quite a dressed as I would have expected. No cone busts?! Looks like a fun night though! Your niece is gorgeous too.
You look very stylish and fun for your Madonna experience. You and Nikki make a stunning twosome. Loved you photo display.
Thanks Judith!
Sylvia you got some great street style shots and those are amazing pics of Madonna on stage. Your concert outfit stands out and looks comfy. I’m a more of a fan of Madonna’s savvy than her music but she has many traits and talents to admire. I look forward in seeing your new Madonna inspired six-pack!
Ha ha Bella. That was more wishful thinking rather than reality. I’m going to have trouble getting my belly fat off after my holiday. Too many cakes and fatty food!
I would love to see her in concert. You got some excellent photos! And both you and your niece look smashing. One of the reasons I like concerts so much is the people-watching, so it was a shame the audience didn’t dress up for it more.
It was. I also thought that people would make a bit more of an effort and give their outfits a little bit more of a ‘rock’ vibe…
I haven’t been to a concert in years! Look like a lot of fun.
The actual concert was real fun. The waiting, getting there and going home not so much!
Wow, what a post! So funny to see who goes to her concerts now. Most of them probably attended back in the old days but dressed up more like her! I saw Madonna in LA, when I was a young lass, and I remember there were so many Madonna look-alikes walking around at the concert. 🙂
The audience was totally different now. Not so many young girls, and I only saw one lady that made an attempt to dress like madonna from her early days. But she was in her 40s too!
I don;t go to concerts anymore, but I do like to listen to live music while having a picnic on the lawn at SPAC, which is our local summer concert venue.
Sounds like a great alternative!
I have always loved “Like a Prayer” and got my usual goosebumps from this performance – thanks for sharing. Love your colorful dress and wow! shoes!
The whole Dome was on fire for that one. It’s a pity she didn’t play more of these real crowd pleasers. I almost missed tracks of her frozen and music albums… But it must be hard to pick numbers for the show as she so many….
Thanks for this review of the concert! I have tickets to see her in California in October with my own nieces. I bought the MDNA album but haven’t listened to it yet, so I’ll be sure to study it a bit beforehand.
I haven’t been a big Madonna fan for many years, but when my nieces and their mother found out I would be visiting their area for a friend’s wedding, they offered to add me to their group for the concert. It looks like a fun time to spend with them and after your post, I am looking forward to it much more!
I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun. Be ready for a great party!
Your photos of the audience make me sigh. How frumpy most Dutch women look. We do love comfortable clothes, don’t we? I am glad you made the effort. And the shoes are fabulous.
As far as concerts go…. it is not my cup of tea. I used to work at the biggest concert organizer in The Netherlands and had free access to all the pop and jazz concerts. Only visited a few in the years I worked there.
Yes, the Dutch like comfort for sure! I’m not a big concert goer either, but it was fun to experience this concert. Better not do it too often. So expensive!
You certainly look ready for Madonna, Sylvia….Love your colorful dress!
Rebecca
http://www.redtagchiclosangeles.com
Thanks Rebecca!
Wow Sylvia, what a great review! Love your tunic and new shoes too. I think you most likely stood out as one of the best dressed in the crowd by the looks of the photos you included.
I think it would be a real treat to see Madonna move in a live performance but I’ve always thought her lyrics were immature. Still, she’s a fantastic performer no doubt.
I bet you were tired after all that. I would have been. 😉
Thanks Joni! Yes, agree with you on the lyrics. It was always more about the dance music and show with Madonna. And we certainly got that!