By Joe Puccio

10:20pm. That’s when Madonna hit the stage at Barclays Center on Thursday night, December 14. Although the arena was sweltering, the reception for the Queen of Pop was initially a bit chilly. While obviously garnering the expected roar from the thousands of faithful followers in attendance, the number of fans remaining in their overpriced seats was glaring. The cause? A nearly two-hour delay – on a work night, to boot – and unfortunately, it’s rapidly becoming standard behavior for the diva.

Opening with “Nothing Really Matters,” a lackluster track from 1998’s Ray of Light, was a curious choice, but it was wisely followed by a trifecta of the icon’s dance-heavy catalogue, “Everybody,” “Into the Groove,” and “Causing a Commotion.”

A rare appearance of “I Love New York,” last performed 15 years ago, was an applicable surprise in this setting. The ode to the ‘city that never sleeps’ (appropriate considering the concert’s late start) was an altered, guitar-driven version of the song, which proved to be a nice touch.

“Open Your Heart,” one of the singer’s grandest and catchiest tunes, was a definite highlight, while raucous renditions of “Like a Prayer” and “Holiday” both managed to delight the crowd.

If there was a distinct misstep by Madge, it was her consistent chatter in lieu of delivering the goods. While her dance routines and choreography were satisfactory, she spent an exorbitant amount of time preaching to an audience that clearly was craving music, plain and simple. Furthermore, every other word out of the 65-year old’s mouth was “motherfucker,” which came across as both abrasive and forced. Even the abundance of theatrical skits, something she’s known for, were mostly lemons.

Also notable was the blaring boominess of the bass on the majority of the material. Revered anthems such as “La Isla Bonita” and “Vogue” were drowned out by the muddied, grating vibrations.

Perhaps Madonna’s greatest ballad, “Live To Tell,” poignantly slowed things down for several minutes, as the songstress used it to honor those who have lost their lives to AIDS, with hundreds of photos flashing across the multiple screens, interspersed with statistics about the disease’s effect on the world.  

Admittedly, when an artist’s career spans 40 years (this IS the Celebration Tour, after all, with ‘Four Decades’ in the promotional poster), not everyone can be pleased as the song selection is clearly a painstakingly tedious process. However, omitting unadulterated classics like “Material Girl,” “Express Yourself,” “Like a Virgin,” “Cherish,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” and “Borderline” is difficult to excuse.

Technically a senior citizen, Madonna certainly doesn’t act like one. Her sheer longevity mixed with her countless number of hits solidifies her as one of pop music’s true legends. It’s just a shame that it wasn’t on display in New York in what could possibly end up being her final large-scale tour.

Setlist:

1. Nothing Really Matters
2. Everybody
3. Into the Groove
4. Causing a Commotion
5. I Love New York / Burning Up
6. Open Your Heart
7. Holiday
8. Live To Tell
9. Like a Prayer
10. Erotica
11. Justify My Love
12. Hung Up
13. Bad Girl
14. Vogue
15. Human Nature
16. Crazy for You
17. Die Another Day
18. Don’t Tell Me
19. Mother and Father
20. I Will Survive
21. La Isla Bonita
22. Don’t Cry for Me Argentina
23. Bedtime Story
24. Ray of Light
25. Rain
26. Bitch I’m Madonna
27. Celebration