Live Review: Madonna at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, 4/1/24

Madonna is on the road promoting her Celebration Tour, highlighting the four decades she has been making music. She released her self-titled debut album in 1983 which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide with hits like “Lucky Star,” “Borderline,” and “Holiday.” Madge is considered by some to be the Queen of Pop. Others call her a diva for various reasons. The third definition of Dive from The Cambridge Dictionary reads, “a self-important person who is temperamental and difficult to please.” Bingo.

Fast forward to Atlanta where the 65-year-old singer asked audience members to turn on their phone lights. When she noticed a couple not abiding her wishes, she asked, “Why are your lights not on? You two…white man and white woman. You don’t have cell phones? That’s hard to believe.” You may have heard about a similar call-out a few weeks ago at her Vancouver show when she attacked a fan for not standing up, only to realize the concertgoer was confined to a wheelchair. The Material Girl has never been referred to as warm and fuzzy.

The show was organized into seven acts, successively visiting another chapter in her illustrious career. Throughout the evening, she swigged from a bottle of what appeared to be Budweiser because, “I heard this is what you do in Georgia…I don’t even drink beer.” She then spit on lucky ticket holders just below her, exclaiming, “Yeah, I just spit on you. And I might do it again,” just before spraying beer over the first few rows.

Temperature in the arena remained warm all evening, apparently at Madonna’s request in order to keep her voice smooth. It was apparently not warm enough as there were a few audible misfires. To quote Randy Jackson, “Sounds a little pitchy, dog.” Overall, it was an enjoyable celebration. However, those who showed up to hear authentic versions of the early tunes were exposed to thumping bass tracks overshadowing the heart of the original songs.

All that aside, Madge can be extolled for her longstanding support of the LGBTQ+ community. An entire act was dedicated to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s with hundreds of floating pictures showcasing those affected by the virus. Another aspect of the show was her dancers. A fantastic array of performances added energy and excitement to the sometimes lackluster songs. Some of Madonna’s adopted children performed, as well. They were an add bonus and extremely talented. This was more of a Broadway production than a concert…food for thought.

Columbus, Georgia native and producer Dallas Austin was close to the stage when Madonna had him spotlit. She spent the summer of 1994 in Atlanta working on her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories with Austin co-writing and producing. She began ranting about how in love with him she had been and how he broke her heart…didn’t even call! His face was projected on the big screens as he stood there nervously laughing, looking befuddled and embarrassed. “But I forgive you,” she stated.

As shown on the set list below, the Queen performed every hit song known to casual fans and then some. Though the songs were reworked, fans still recognized and sang along to them. With recent health issues and an aging voice, fans wonder if this will this be Madonna’s final tour. Maybe a musical on the Great White Way should be in the works – with a golden-voiced actor playing the lead.

Warming up the crowd for the first hour was NYC’s DJ Mary Mac, who was full of vim and vigor. As the arena filled more and more Madonna fans began standing and dancing. The DJ even played a few tunes from the guest of honor. An absolute explosive element of the night was the inclusion of Georgia’s own Bob the Drag Queen. Bob is best known as the Season 8 winner and “America’s Next Drag Superstar” of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Bob entered the arena through the crowd like a King/Boss/Queen and continued playing supporting roles throughout the evening.