CD/DVD Review: "The Confessions Tour - Live from London" - Madonna (2007)

I picked up this CD/DVD package as part of Mrs. H's Valentine's Day gift, and we got around to watching the live show this afternoon.

After seeing this, it's clear why Madonna tours so infrequently and charges hundreds of dollars per ticket when she does. Opening with energetic Cirque-de-Soleil-meets-gay-pride-day-ish numbers, she then shifts to playing global conscience (complete with challenging visuals about Jewish/Islamic reconciliation, female emancipation in non-Western societies, and the AIDS epidemic in Africa) to anti-establishment rocker, then to unplugged troubadour and finally to glam disco queen, all backed by a contemporary sound that gets in your head whether you want it to or not - and refuses to leave at that. The set draws heavily from her 2005 "Confessions on a Dance Floor" disc, but since that's arguably her best album of the last 15 years, I didn't mind it at all. Considering that Madonna is pushing 50, and with a career that is now at the silver anniversary mark, it's even more impressive ... both urgent and provocative, but at the same time, fun, slick, and just massive.

I have about probably 30 live music DVDs and this one is right up there with Pink Floyd's "Pulse" for sheer spectacle. For those who appreciate pure showbiz but can do without the tackiness of a Celine Dion or a Rod Stewart, this is as close to perfection as it's going to get. Here's a little sample from this simply amazing package.

Overall rating: 9.25/10