Last night Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour came to Manchester for the first time in 5 years. It’s a tour that has seen Madonna be more nostalgic than others. Instead of a mixture of her whole career catalogue, the song choices include ones from the very early years of her career mixed with the up to date Rebel Heart album.

The show opened with a caged Madonna coming down from the ceiling to album track ‘Iconic’. The stage setting portrayed Madonna as a samurai fighter decked out in a beautiful red cloak surrounded by enemy warrior dancers. She gyrates around breaking free from these warriors and comes out on top. Of course she does, its Madonna! The oriental theme continued throughout the first section, which nicely blended into religious iconography and scenes of the last supper on tracks like ‘Holy Water’ and old school gem ‘Burning Up’. The stage visuals were incredible to look at, the religious imagery matched with the church like stage props set the scene for Madonna being tied up at the table for the last supper. Nothing is off limits for this lady.

Following an interval involving dancers, 4 big beds and ‘Justify My Love’ (maybe the details of it are a bit provocative for this review) the stage was then set for ‘Living For Love’, and out comes a caped Madonna. A CAPE? Didn’t she learn from the Brits?

It’s the moments when it’s just her, a guitar and interaction with the audience that Madonna shines. One of the best moments of the night was title track ‘Rebel Heart’. Stood singing at the end of the heart shaped stage, she belted out the song, which is a nostalgic telling of her beginnings, and how she rebelled to become who she is today.

Despite knocking 60 Madonna is still, Yes, STILL, at the top of her game.

Photos by Stephen Farrell

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