New York in the 80s
The concert approach avoids simply replaying the biggest hits. After four decades in the public eye, there is plenty to offer and a lifetime of memories to share. At the Sant Jordi venue, the two Spain dates felt like a passing of generations, a demonstration of how influence travels through time. The night opened with a deliberate flourish, blending high fashion with a touch of melancholy to honor a legacy that keeps growing with every fresh audience she encounters.
Ignore the cartoonish image some fans remember of a pixelated star. The opening track Nothing Matters, a piece Madonna dedicated to her daughter Lourdes years earlier, served as a statement about growing up. The artist stood alone in the shadows of a large circular stage, wearing a long black gown and a crown that hinted at ritual. The set started late and the crowd responded with boos, yet the show found its rhythm as the evening progressed and explanations faded into the backdrop of silence and tension.
From New York’s dawn to a modern stage
Once the initial tension faded, the celebration tour unfolded with a chronological arc. The first segment revisited the eighties, channeling that era’s noise and energy through a remake of classic anthems. A rendition of Into the Groove opened the act, paired with video screens and a labyrinth of platforms that created a sense of discovery with every shift in perspective. Dressed in fashions echoing 1984, Madonna moved with a youthful vigor, singing with playful intensity and a readiness to push the limits of the performance. The night framed itself as a living history, where past and present intertwined on the same stage.
Madonna reflected on her long journey by speaking softly about making art in New York long ago. The set then shifted to a more electric moment with a bold version of Burning Up, followed by a city-inspired tribute to Barcelona. A bright sequence included Open Your Heart and a joyous Holiday, the lights mirrored by a mirrored ball, and the timeless groove nodding to Chic’s I Want Your Love. The mood was celebratory, yet there remained an undercurrent of personal storytelling that connected the audience to the artist’s evolving path.
Love, desire, and spiritual dialogue
The performance of Like a Prayer presented a dramatic meditation on faith and sensuality. It felt like a respectful inquiry into sacred spaces and the human longing that lives there, staged in a setting that suggested a grocery store sanctified by chorus and ritual. While the ending lift did not reach a grand crescendo, the moment lingered as a keepsake for fans, a reminder of the ongoing conversation between devotion and desire. The concert then moved into Erotica, staged with theatrical drama and an intimate wardrobe, recalling a famous bed scene from a past tour and reimagining it for a contemporary audience.
The 2005 hit Hung Up, built around a familiar Abba sample, became a cultural touchstone and a unifying chant for many attendees. Vogue followed with its iconic fashion-forward energy, while a lull in the rhythm allowed Mercy James to sit at the piano and contribute a gentle interlude. The section also paid tribute to resilience and inclusion, with a reverent nod to songs about acceptance and the strength to welcome strangers into a wider chorus of humanity. The medley then fused Billie Jean with Like a Virgin, weaving memories of collaborators who helped shape a remarkable era of pop music.
Mother and the myth of the pop icon
The demand for landmarks in pop culture remained high, even as the set list included moments that felt intimate and personal. Classic tracks like Material Girl, Who Is That Girl, True Blue, Express Yourself, and Music anchored the live experience, while newer or more introspective pieces did not always feature in the repertoire. The absence of Madame X from the set did not diminish the sense of continuity, as several songs with sentimental ties stood out, including a heartfelt number about family and loss that spoke to a child’s early memories of his or her mother.
As the night drew on, the audience embraced tracks that carried both personal resonance and generational appeal. The performance closed with a feeling of sharing and recognition across multiple generations, an impression of an artist still charting a path through a vast landscape of influence. The show left attendees with a sense that the story was far from finished, continuing to unfold with each return to the stage [CITE: Live review archive].