MADONNA WATCH :: Like a Set-List

LA MADONNA :: Madonnaologist Philip Tetro tells us why Madonna will have religious aspects to her brand new world tour which begins in Tel Aviv at the end of May. He’s a boy gone wild in the 27th installment of a series that chronicles Madonna’s career.

I’ve had two weeks to listen to MDNA and get a real sense of where Madonna is at musically. After a new album is a new tour, so I think I have an idea as to what themes Madonna has in mind performance-wise. She told Jimmy Fallon that the tour will open with a transgression theme. After a quick look at Wikipedia (you didn’t know what it meant, either), I have learned that transgression can mean one of the following: a Biblical transgression – the violation of God’s ten commandments (i.e: sinning), or a legal transgression – a crime usually created by a social or economic boundary. Both of these ideologies of transgression are seen throughout MDNA on almost every track: being a girl gone wild, sinning (“I’m a Sinner”), murder (“Gang Bang,” “Beautiful Killer”), gluttony (“Love Spent”), just to name a few. With this in mind, I will construct a professional estimation of what we can expect to see performed live on The MDNA Tour 2012.

“Physical Attraction” – Madonna hinted that she may be performing this song from her first album when she visited Jimmy Fallon recently. It fits many themes of this era, especially when she sings “a physical attraction, a chemical reaction.” An MDMA reference at its finest.

“Beautiful Stranger” – This song not only has religious aspects to it (“you’re the devil in disguise”), but it is the musical twin to “I’m a Sinner.” A 70’s-inspired hit for Madonna in 1999 that is sure to please not only huge M fans, but the casual fan as well. I can also see her giving her other songs a psychedelic twist (euphoria theme again), and doing an entire section in 70’s garb with an extremely modern twist. The song “Amazing” from the Music album would fit here great, too!

STAY TUNED :: Philip Tetro has had it for months, but he can’t break the silence until it’s released in stores. Madonna’s first fragrance, Truth or Dare comes out next month. Stay tuned for a full-review on this amazing scent by the Goddess of Pop.

“Bad Girl” – this beautiful ballad from 1992’s Erotica fits in perfectly with the “Girl Gone Wild” theme and is overtly sexual lyrically. It would be a great ballad to perform and is a great match for the more dance-oriented songs on MDNA with similar motifs. I can also see Madonna covering Donna Summer’s “Bad Girl” on this tour, similarly to how she covered Summer’s “I Feel Love” during the Confessions Tour 2006. And, it makes sense with the 70’s references.

“Superstar” on MDNA would be a great match for some of Madonna’s earlier cheesy love songs such as “True Blue” and “Cherish.” I also see her singing “Love Profusion” from 2003’s American Life album, which she has yet to perform live. It would definitely fit the L-U-V subject matter on MDNA, as would “Open Your Heart” from 1987 and “Deeper and Deeper,” from Erotica.

A GGT.com EXCLUSIVE :: Philip Tetro interviews Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour dancer, Kevin Stea.

Another song from American Life which would fit in great with the religion aspect of the new album would be “X-Static Process,” where Madonna sings about her difficult relationship (or lack thereof) with Jesus Christ.

An underrated song from the album most people want to forget, 2008’s Hard Candy, is “Voices:” a song saturated in religious themes and motifs, which I think could be powerful in a Catholic-based section of the tour.

I know there isn’t a Latin theme running throughout MDNA at all, but I would be thrilled if Madonna gave “Who’s That Girl” another try. It fits in with the “girl” motif (“Girl Gone Wild,” “Bad Girl,” etc), and if this is the same Madonna I’ve known for almost 25 years, then I know there will be some sort of cultural or ethnic section of the set, which “Who’s That Girl” could be easily re-invented for. I would just about die if she sings this song on tour again!

These are just a few of my suggestions. I would love her to have some sort of “Fame Illusion” section where she could perform songs that she’s written about her experience with fame, and how it’s not all it’s made out to be. MDNA’s “I Don’t Give A” would fit this theme perfectly, as would 2003’s “Hollywood,” “How High” from Confessions on a Dancefloor, and “It’s So Cool” from the 2009 Celebration era.