Confessions of a Madonna Fan

My first album ever (on cassette, of course) was Madonna's Like a Prayer. I got that album and the Vanilla Ice one in my stocking for Christmas in 1989. I remember watching her videos on Mtv and being so dumbfounded after learning that the same woman who sang Express Yourself also sang Like a Prayer. Why, they didn't even look or sound like the same woman. It amazed me. To be that chameleonic. I've always loved the idea of switching into various roles depending on the mood and settting. I have specific outfits and personas for a salsa club vs. a country bar vs. a circuit party. In another life, I would have been a performer myself.

But my confession comes here and now: I was so fascinated with Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour that year (1990, I was 13) that I taped the live concert off of HBO, rewatched it religiously and ultimately knew the entire set, including the detailed choreography by heart. Since those days, I have let go of the stalker-style obsession...but I dance at the concerts with just as much fervor.

Last Wednesday, I went to her Confessions Tour. What shocked me most was how much "new" music she's made over the past ten years. It occured to me that, if you are a true Madonna fan, you don't really need to hear Like A Virgin yet again. Because when she sings Ray of Light or Music you realize that these songs are simply associated with newer times in your life and with newer memories made.

But one thing bugged me. In every concert she has ever played, she has always performed Holiday in the last set. I took it for granted as a given. But this time, to my horror, NO Holiday. I stood fuming in my seat, on the verge of utter disappointment, before finally letting my friend lead me out of the oblivion.

This woman has been such a staple in such a huge chunk of my life that nearly everything she has said or created or done has influenced my own life. So I suppose that while Holiday will always hold a special place in my heart, I'll let go and embrace what will likely be her new anthem, Music. After all, the message behind the music has remained the same: "...we've got to get together, take some time to celebrate...music makes the people come together..."