Internal Jukebox: Live Review: Madonna @ Rod Laver Arena

Some things are worth the wait, 23 years of waiting. That's how long it's been since Madonna came to Australia with her brilliant, "The Girlie Show" tour. This past weekend she hit the stage at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, and she owned it, as proved why she is the Queen of Pop.

Now over the years I've had other Madonna fans tell me I must not be a big fan if I haven't traveled overseas to see the other tours. I am a theatre writer, some weeks I'm lucky to afford food! So I, like so many big Madonna fans, had to wait till she returned to Australia. In fact for my 40th, friends and family gave me cash for presents so I could infact see my Queen in both Sydney and Melbourne - and buy a truckload of merchandise! I didn't mind the wait, it made Sunday night so much more special.

So let's talk about the show, I can't use the word concert, it was more than that, and even show doesn't seem to do the spectacular justice. It was 2 and a half hours of pure bliss, a consummate professional doing what she does best, entertain on a grand scale. Not many entertainers (if any?), do shows like this. I'm sure my friends think I am joking when I say it was like a religious experience, I'm not, on Sunday evening I felt like I was worshipping at the temple of Madonna.

For sheer scale and brilliance, this has to be up there with Madonna's best shows. I loved "The Girlie Show" back in 1993 (I even wrote and produced a play about fans attending the show this year in Sydney and Melbourne), but this show was far superior. Madonna has evolved and so has her show, it was breathtakingly brilliant, an exercise in how to be a pop icon. Take note pop wannabes.

The staging was exquisite, the long catwalk (she called it her penis later in the night when one of the rows of lights went out), meant that most seats in Rod Laver were good seats (except maybe for those in the $100 seats at the rear of the stage). Madonna knows her audience, she loves the crowd and boy do we love her. She is funny, genuinely funny, endearing and crass. Everything we want from her. In a touching moment, she told the crowd she'd had a bad day and had been crying before coming on, the custody battle clearly on her mind. She told us we had lifted her spirits, it is so rare to have a such big star be so candid and to make a whole stadium share an intimate moment, she is such a rare and special talent.

I know the casual fans weren't happy so many songs were going to be performed from the "Rebel Heart" album, but even they couldn't be upset by these songs, it seems the massive production numbers came via these songs. Opener, "Iconic", proved she is just that. Madonna has embraced the label of Queen and she used it here, making herself almost a deity. The costuming, props, staging, visuals and choreography were incredible, such a spectacular that she topped throughout the night. "Holy Water" was Madonna at her blasphemous best. The nuns poledancing on crosses were brilliant and then Madonna pushed the envelope even further with a simulated orgy at the last supper. Fans loved every second. Combining it with "Vogue", a song it samples, was brilliant and inspired - as were the visuals behind "Vogue's" role call of icons, replacing photos of James Dean and crew with historic paintings.

It was also incredible when Madonna paired the beautiful "Heartbreak City" with her classic cover of "Love Don't Live Her Anymore". She performed the song with just her, one of her dancers, a circular staircase and one helluva amazing push that left the crowd gasping. "Bitch, I'm Madonna" got the crowd dancing and "Living For Love" was pure spectacle. Did she make that cape extra long to scare us? After the Brits tumble, she is brave and courageous to recreate the staircase ascend in a massive cape.

Now if you wanted classics, Madonna delivered in spades. The acoustic "True Blue" brought new meaning to the song and felt pure and beautiful. The Madonna favourite and oft performed, "La Isla Bonita" had another new tweak and once again was brilliant. "Like A Virgin" was kicked up a little and the choreography for "Material Girl" saw Madonna pushing prospective suitors off a large wall. It was great. She gave us a fun "Holiday" for an encore, complete with her draped in an Aussie flag. The rock version of "Burning Up", with Madonna on guitar, had me jumping high with delight. Plus, "Deeper and Deeper" and "Music" were extravagant and brilliant.

I think the part most were waiting for all night was to see what extra song Madonna would perform. The night before she had done both, "Send in the Clowns" and "Take a Bow", she'd also performed "Ghosttown" on the tour before. Unexpectedly she sang "Fever", which felt like a throwback to "Girlie Show". She told us it was impromptu, and it felt it, just a guitar and Madonna singing. It felt intimate and brilliant. Then she gave me exactly what I wanted. She told us the world was filled with so much hate that we just needed to love each other, and maybe what we all needed was a little prayer. We all screamed knowing exactly what was coming. Madonna sang "Like a Prayer", my favourite song of ALL TIME! Again, it was intimate and brilliant. The song usually has a choir, she didn't need it, she got the crowd to sing along, and we did, the whole stadium filled with the sound of people singing this iconic song and Madonna singing so beautifully. This is the religious experience I talk about, I'm even affected right now writing about it, it will stay up there as one of the best moments of my life.

It seems worth noting that even the necessary costume changes are getting better. Madonna has always used her dancers to great effect here. I didn't think I'd ever like an interlude more than "The Girlie Show's, Justify My Love, Beast Within", but she outdid that this time with the death defying, "Illuminati". Dancers mounted large poles and threw themselves from side to side, getting dangerously close to the audience and the stage. The crowd was enthralled, audibly gasping at the sheer brilliance. The control these dancers had has to be commended, it was fucking awesome. The interludes for "S.E.X" and "Messiah" were also great.

My other highlight from the night came when Madonna demanded the whole crowd stand, she demanded we stand before the Queen. She then bagged out someone for not getting up, "What are you 19? 20? Why do you need to sit down? Don't you know you should standing for the Queen? In fact there's a whole room of Queens". The crowd went berserk, I don't know why you'd go to show if you wanted to sit down, I felt the need to dance, jump and scream all night.

I'm so excited that I'll be returning on Saturday night to see the show in Sydney. This was one of the best nights of my life, thank you Madonna - you are the Queen!