Many, many Hungarians travelled to Vienna on September 23 to see - many for the first time - a professional show of the highest standards, a show that most had seen only on Madonna's DVDs.
Madonna kept her fans waiting long after the openers finished, but she finally emerged from a glowing cube, stepping down from a throne. Her first number was Candy Shop, which set the mood for the show: Madonna was out to charm with a top hat on her long blond hair and looks that defy her age. The magic lasted for one more number.
Madonna sang the third song - a dull one accompanied on guitar - out of tune. Then she managed to ruin the excellent song Human Nature. From that point on, hopes for a show of the highest standards returned only briefly, such as when Madonna sang La Isla Bonita with a Russian gypsy band.
It was never her singing voice that we loved Madonna for, but this performance was so bad, she wouldn't have made the first round of an amateur talent search competition. During the emblematic song Vogue, we nearly had to cover our ears, and she missed nearly every note in Ray of Light. When she lip-synched Give It 2 Me for the show's finale, it was one of the better moments of the evening.
Perhaps Elton John is to blame for the performance. He once urged Madonna to use less lip-synching in her shows.
I, for one, wish she had created the illusion of singing well instead of trying to herself. For how is one to explain to friends that saw Madonna for the first time that the queen of pop can still put on a show that takes your breath away?
Author: Gergely Zöldi / Photo: MTI/EPA
