Madonna's MDNA Tour DVD

I've been a fan of Madonna since her early days when she was still singing hits like "Holiday" and "Lucky Star". I have listened to her music evolve through the years. She has always been known to reinvent herself with every new album release and her concerts are no different. Each and every concert is unlike anything she's done before and it keeps me wanting more.

Since she didn't make it to Asia for her most recent MDNA tour, I was forced to wait for her tour to be released on DVD. In the beginning, there were rumors of her DVD being released in April of 2013. Shortly thereafter, further rumors of a summer release date was going around until finally, we heard that the official date of release was to be in August. However due to delays, it was pushed back once again for a release on September 9 for the DVD and September 10 for the Blu-Ray. Madonna fans like myself were literally counting the days until this day arrived. I finally got my hands on the Blu-Ray and watched it from start to end that same day.

I invited a friend over to watch it with me and he found it entertaining to see how giddy I was with excitement after finally getting a hold of a copy. We immediately went home, closed the shades, made sure there was going to be no interruptions during the show and made ourselves comfortable in the living room. The show was about to begin!

I knew how complex and epic this show was going to be, but I wasn't prepared for how epic the show was. As in most of Madonna's concerts, her shows are tightly choreographed with no room for error. Visuals on the back screens are stunning and beautiful, stage sets are original, complex and complicatingly coordinated and on both sides of the stage, some of the largest screens ever built for a live concert.

Madonna called the show, " A journey of a soul from darkness to light" and the show is divided into four parts. The show opens with "Transgression" with a cathedral setting the tone of religious mystery. Men are dresses in red monk's robes while the Kalakan Trio sings and chants. The screen splits open in the middle where Madonna's silhouette can be seen praying in a Catholic confession box. She grabs a rifle and shoots through the glass shattering it to pieces as she walks out with a crown on her head.

Her opening number is "Girl Gone Wild" and shows how complex the stage system really is. She continues the dark theme with "Revolver", a bloody and violent "Gang Bang", "Papa Don't Preach", a totally newly reinvented "Hung Up" and ends with "I Don't Give A". For some, this section may be too dark, too violent and disturbing. However MDNA is a show and just like many R-rated movies or shows, it's meant to tell a story and I personally loved this section. It's probably the darkest theme she's ever chosen for a stage show, but I was in awe of the spectacle.

The second section is called Prophecy and opens with Madonna dressed as a majorette. She sings an old favorite "Express Yourself", mixing Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" into the song. It's a very playful and fun opening especially after the first section of Transgression. The next song is "Give Me All Your Luvin" where cheerleaders and drummers literally fill the stage.

After a short interlude video, she comes out with her guitar to sing "Turn Up The Radio". She goes into a very different version of "Open Your Heart" with the Kalakan Trio with "Sagarra Jo" mixed into the song. She finishes off with a beautifully sung "Masterpiece".

She opens the third section with "Vogue", donning a reinvented cone bra designed by Jean Paul Gaultier while her dancers are adorned in avant garde clothing. "Candy Shop" is performed with bits of "Erotica" making this one of the most sensual performances in the concert. She then goes into "Human Nature" removing layers of her clothing while singing amidst mirrors that move along with her.

The final part of this section is a favorite of mine as she takes a beloved song "Like A Virgin" and transforms it into something sweet and somber. She sings a shortened but emotional version of "Love Spent" in dramatic fashion ending this section.

The final section starts off with Madonna singing "I'm Addicted" in a Joan d'Arc inspired outfit along with dancers wearing outfits seen in kung-fu movies. I like the precision martial arts inspired dance here and it's mysterious yet powerful. She follows with "I'm A Sinner" with some interesting usage of the stage props to create various scenes. "Like a Prayer" is another fan favorite and a personal favorite of mine. She has a lot of audience interaction during this section and you can tell that she enjoys it. She closes the show with "Celebration" mixed in with bits of "Give It To Me" mixed in. At this point, it's all about joy, happiness and a celebration of life itself.

This is a great trailer for the MDNA DVD. It's only a little more than 2 minutes but you can feel the energy of this concert extravaganza.