Still justifying our love on stage and off for nearly thirty years, Madonna’s 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour, broke records around the world. Now the material girl is giving her fans some more material to taste. Finally the Sticky & Sweet Tour DVD is out to sweeten up any day.
In the concerts four themes, Pimp, Old School, Gypsy, and Rave, Madonna once again adds her own special brand of flavor to the concept of a conventional tour. Though many classics, such as “Erotica,” “Express Yourself,” and “Deeper and Deeper,” were omitted, the show remains a sweet sensation. In the beginning, Madonna comes out on her throne, surrounded by swirly treats as she gives the first flavor of the show, Hard Candy’s “Candy Shop.” The song is fitting, as it invites the audience to come into her store and try some of her sugar, and yes, it is sticky and sweet.
As always, Madonna’s performance of “Vogue” is mesmerizing. The rendition meshes art with Tectonik dance moves. The song is mixed with “4 Minutes” effectively, but the best moment is the house-piano breakdown from the original recording, making you miss the Madonna-Pettibone days.
Madonna goes deep into the groove with her Old School section. Heavy on the aerobics, Madonna double-dutches along to an 80s hip-hop-sampling version of “Into the Groove.” Seeing Madonna singing “She’s Not Me” alongside dancers dressed up like the icon from her “Material Girl,” “Vogue,” “Open Your Heart” and “Like a Virgin” videos, is a highlight of the show.
The most laid-back section of the show, the Gypsy-themed portion, lets Madonna calm things down and get back to earth. The rendition of her classic “La Isla Bonita,” along with “Miles Away” and “You Must Love Me,” shows Madonna at her most sincere and honest as a performer. Perhaps the most beautiful portion of the show, “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You,” has Madonna surrounded by digitalizing gushes of pouring water as the singer weaves the emotional tapestry.
With all the dazzle and pizzazz, the show isn’t just eye candy. “Get Stupid,” a mix of Hard Candy tracks, makes Madonna’s political opinion abundantly clear in a video montage. The montage compares the likes of Hitler with John McCain, as well as Ghandi with Obama, allowing the legend to offer her commentary to the political arena.
In an effort to keep things fresh for her fans as well as herself, Madonna updates most of her classics for her tours. “Like a Prayer,” gets the 2008 house makeover as part of the Rave section, and while the mix is a success in turning the pop classic into a club anthem, the truth is Madonna has not done the song justice in a live performance since the Blond Ambition Tour. This is one of the best songs of all time, by Madonna or not, and deserves a more conceptual treatment.
Both “Ray of Light” and “Borderline” get the “rock” makeover, something she has been doing since her Drowned World Tour days. When it comes to “Ray of Light,” it’s a shame Madonna picked this track over fellow Ray of Light single “Frozen” to perform at all stops. This problem was rectified with the 2009 edition of the tour, when a house-influenced version of “Frozen” followed “Like a Prayer,” but this version unfortunately is not included with the DVD.
By request of the Argentinean audience, the queen sings one of her signature tracks “Like a Virgin,” and while Madonna has publically stated that she’s grown tired of the song, she still sells the song like it’s 1984.
If there were a sour piece of the show, it would be “4 Minutes.” There is just too much going on in the song production-wise to translate to a stage show convincingly. The tour’s closer, “Give It 2 Me,” takes Madonna back to the clubs, the rave rendition heats things up as only Madonna can.
The actual DVD captures every second of the deliciousness, even enhancing some scenes at times, making the show look more like a music video than a concert. The behind-the-scenes documentary has the same feel as her legendary film Truth or Dare, but other than that, there are no noteworthy bonus features. The bonus audio disc makes you miss the show, as even Madonna fans will admit her vocals are not the main draw. Kudos to her though, for including the live version of “Like a Prayer,” a fan-favorite, to the disc.
When the curtain closes, this tour may be sweet, but it’s not as satisfying as past shows like Blond Ambition and The Girlie Show but with her mix of unstoppable energy, classic songs with updated arrangements, musical theatrics, and designer duds, Madonna remains queen of the concert tour.
