Haters Gonna Hate

Following Madonna’s mega successful and critically acclaimed performance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a wave of negativity came from little monsters and people who claim they were at the concert in the comments sections of the news agencies that gave Madonna and her show rave reviews.

There is a huge difference though. The positive reviews for the MDNA Tour actually are logically and factually based on things that happen in the show. And as good reviewers, they all mention and name a few of the amazing things that go on on stage (that’s the power of argumentation):

Things like a floating marching band, 3D visual effects, amazing dancing, amazing songs, incredible energy and stage presence, a beautiful and detailed wardrobe - the things that are part of the show and that have undeniable value and quality are always mentioned by the good reviewers in their reviews.

What do the haters say? Stuff like “the show started late”, “Oh, that is so disrespectful”, or “Madonna didn’t sing enough old songs”. When they do realize Madonna, in fact, sings a bunch of old songs in this show and saying the opposite would make it clear they were not there, they say “Madonna changed the arrangements of the old songs”, “no one recognized them”, or even “no one could sing a fan favorite, ‘Like a Virgin’” because “Madonna ruined it”.

Funnily enough, the good reviews are always based on facts, they are impersonal and do not indicate the writer’s personal feelings towards Madonna. The bad ones always mention her age, what she should or should not be doing on stage at her age, and how long they had to wait until the show started. Sometimes, even worldwide known DJs and producers who open for Madonna are dissed in the haters’s rants. Martin Solveig, for example, became merely “some boring DJ” according to a hater that claims he was at the Madonna show recently. This hater also said that the MDNA show was “the worst concert” of his life.

If you personally like Madonna or not, it doesn’t matter. But when writing about her show, at least, try to be a little impersonal, less emotional and more professional  One thing no one can take away from Madonna: the value of her productions, the quality of everything involved in putting her show together, the talents of Madonna and her entire team. So ignoring the production value and just going on a rant on how “bad” the show was in your opinion without any factual piece of information only makes you sound desperate. Madonna still has renowned critics raving about the MDNA TOUR.
 

But there is one thing that many people are saying (both the haters and some reviewers) that I feel like I must intervene and clarify - not because of the haters, but because of some good reviewers who sometimes, get a little confused, even when writing an extremely positive review, like this one here.

Some people make it sound as if the MDNA TOUR does not have enough “old hits”. When they do mention the old hits played in the current tour, they say ludicrous things like “they are completely rearranged from their original version”. I even read people saying that “they are unrecognizable” - this kind of comment is unfair and bluntly wrong.

So I made a video that compares the original versions of some “old” songs Madonna plays on the MDNA TOUR. Watch it, and tell me if I am wrong: 

So for those who insist in saying “Madonna changed the arrangement of her old songs” on a negative tone, let’s face the fact:

Only two old songs in the MDNA TOUR received completely new arrangements:

1) Open Your Heart - which received an acoustic “tribal” Basque treatment, but kept the same melody (which everybody knows).

2) Like a Virgin - which was completely re-invented. Madonna transformed its music and melody.

All the other old songs (and I call “old songs” the ones released before the year 2000) were played in their original arrangement, or as close to their original arrangements as possible. And that includes: 

3) Papa Don’t Preach 

4) Express Yourself 

5) Vogue 

6) Human Nature 

7) Like a Prayer 

I could have added two other “old songs” that are also played close to their original formats: 

8) Holiday

9) Everybody

I did not include Holiday and Everybody in that video only because they are not part of the definitive set-list of the show.

However, whenever Madonna decides to play these before-the-year-2000 hits, they are all close to their original, official versions.

So writers and haters, please stop trying to make it sound as if Madonna is making it hard for people to enjoy her old hits based on a single song that received a completely new arrangement (Like a Virgin). The fact is: all the other songs are instantly recognizable. It will be hard for you to attest the opposite with the little video I made as evidence.

So for every hater out there, there are tons of music critics and other celebrities raving about the MDNA Tour, basing their opinions on facts, and not on their butt-hurt egos.

Los Angeles Times: “She’s Madonna, and nobody does this stuff better. Not Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Rihanna, Christina or any of the other generations of pop stars who have used as a model Madonna’s tightly crafted concerts/dance showcases/art projects/spectacles. Some of them may be better singers or more acrobatic, or offer cheaper ticket prices”  

LA Weekly says Madonna is “Better than any pop music’s current Madonna-wannabe starlets”. then they name check “[Lady Gaga], Rihanna, Britney, Christina, Pink, J-Lo, Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani, and even edgier artists such as Robyn and Peaches, and recent collaborators MIA and Nicki Minaj” and attest “the entire lot would surely admit to the queen of pop’s influence”.

Examiner.com: Lady Gaga, Kesha, Rihanna, and Katy Perry may be cooler to the younger generation than Madonna these days, but last evening’s show demonstrated how far ahead of the pack Madonna still is. The Queen of Pop’s reign has just been extended.

And what about the celebrities? Oh, so many celebrities on the first night! And they all LOVED it:

The fabulous Rose McGowan was there. It seems she is a big fan. Love her even more. 

Neil Patrick Harris was there and made a joke on the feud between his friend, the diva Elton John and his co-star (or main star) in the movie The Next Best Thing.

The beautiful Heidi Klum was also there:

And so were Emma Roberts, Jessica Alba, Mark Salling, Ashley Madekwe, Robyn, A.J. McLean, David Burtka, Extra TV host Terri Seymour and so many more.

All these celebrities will most likely be receiving a free ticket for the Lady Gaga’s Born Reductive High School Musical Ball. We all know how she tries hard…