Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray] ReviewsSticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray]
-Includes the full live show from Buenos Aries as well as exclusive footage filmed behind the scenes during the course of the tour. Madonna’s most recent stage extravaganza, the ‘Sticky & Sweet’ concert, will be released on April 6th, it was announced today by Live Nation, the world s largest live music company. ‘Sticky & Sweet’, which was produced by Live Nation, was the most successful tour by a solo artist in history and was seen by over 3.5 million fans in 32 countries around the worl
Rating:  List Price: $ 24.98 Price: $ 17.07
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(out of 107 reviews)
Review by Charlie B. for Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray]
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I happened to see this show in LA after missing the NYC series. Now why that show wasn’t recorded for DVD/Blu-Ray is beyond me: it was a day or so after Obama won the Presidency and all the Prop 8 protests (which Madonna candidly spoke about), plus Britney came out for ‘Human Nature’ and Justin for ’4 Minutes’ (it didn’t get better than that). But watching it again since they showed it on EPIX back in October (it’s still on my DVR and sadly I watch it at least twice a month LOL) made me really realize how good of a show this was.
‘Sticky & Sweet’ wasn’t a serious show–not a message show like ‘Confessions’ or ‘Re-Invention’ with dark undertones–it was just a fun show, a really good time. Lots of color, lots of choreography, and lots of energy and interaction with Madonna and the audience unlike I’ve ever seen her do in the past. When you see the expressions on the fans’ faces and the performers you will ultimately get that. I’m half this woman’s age and she showed that she can keep up with the youngins in the game today like it’s nothing–she did it so effortlessly and it didn’t look like she had to try much. I mean, I’ve seen her many times before and usually by the end it feels like a club atmosphere and people are in the aisles losing it and letting loose, but it felt like a club, house party, or block party the entire night. It was very much in the vein of festival style. I’ve never danced at a Madonna show really until this one and had such a genuinely good time.
My favorite number hands down was ‘Vogue 2008′ where she incorporated the ’4 Minutes’ beat. Sick. The staging and costuming was remniscent of ‘The Girlie Show’ tour. I loved the portion of the show where everyone was dressed in NYC B-boy style from the 80s, it was such a throwback and I gained even more respect for her showing respect to the Hip-Hop community that paved the way for dance and rap, and doing it well might I add with all the old-school samples that were mixed into her classic songs. Since the cylinder screens above the second stage were damaged at the LA show (light bulb: could this be why LA wasn’t filmed?), it was nice to see on this what songs like ‘Rain’ and ‘Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You’ were supposed to look like visually.
I have nothing bad to say about this, other than the fact that this Blu-Ray is listed as including the 13-track CD like the DVD, which it does not (I of course bought both since I’m a fan but others may want to take heed if you’re not as loyal as I am, I think Amazon goofed on this). I did get annoyed with some of the cut-aways and how they would slow down some of the sequences and jazz them up a bit but it wasn’t anything major. I think the behind-the-scenes featurette was probably the best I’ve ever seen from her, I don’t think I’ve smiled so much. We all know she’s gotten alot of BS in the past in terms of her attitude or whatever, but these were some of the most genuine and candid moments I’ve seen that really show her human side: from her work ethic to her heart (the speech she gave to the crew in the prayer circle the night in San Diego when Obama won the election even got me a little misty). It’s a really good companion piece to the tour.
This tour showed Madonna at her finest, vocally and aesthetically.
Can’t wait for the next tour!
Review by William T. Mccullars for Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray]
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I saw the show in Atlanta and this was by far her best tour ever. She keeps getting better, more creative and sexier with age. I was a few feet away from the catwalk and to see my idol that close was a dream come true. It will be awesome to have this tour on Blu-ray to enjoy for years to come. For those who didn’t see her live or were too far away (been there before) to really see her perform I highly suggest you buy this and enjoy the one, the only, the superstar, Madonna!
Review by Renan De Souza for Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray]
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I had the opportunity to attend to this concert in São Paulo, Brazil, and whoa… Madonna is the eternal queen, no one does it like she does. It’s not just about the music, it’s about the “Madonna attitude”. This footage is excellent, not too edited like her previous Confessions Tour, which makes you get the live vibe from it. If you like Madonna or simply a good show, do not leave this Sticky & Sweet tour blu-ray out of your collection.
Review by Antoine D. Reid for Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray]
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As soon as Madonna’s 2008 album Hard Candy was released it seemed like she set out on tour. After the giant spectacle that was the The Confessions Tour – Live from London (CD+DVD), it was curious to see how she’d top herself. The ‘Sticky and Sweet Tour’ is definitely different: compared to Madonna – Drowned World Tour 2001, Re-Invention and Confessions tours, this felt far more scaled down and a bit more intimate. Watching the DVD gives you the feeling and experience that Madonna put her best foot forward with this tour. While past tours felt more elaborate, complex and visually stunning, what makes ‘Sticky and Sweet’ stand out is the energy and vibe Madonna brought forth with this effort. In many ways, the tour is stripped down compared to past efforts: with the DVD, you’ll see less graphics or editing done to make it more visually appealing (as happened with ‘The Confessions Tour’ where you had graphics overlaying the performances to give it a sleek, commercial feel) and for the first time since perhaps the ‘Drowned World’ or even Madonna – The Girlie Show (Live Down Under) tours, the DVD features Madonna front and center rather than distracting graphics and visuals.To me, it’s the ‘live’ feel of the DVD, along with the mix of the music, the choreography and energy Madonna and her crew put into the show that makes this, and the DVD release, the best since ‘The Girlie Show’.
The Good: This was the first DVD release/filming of a tour where it felt like Madonna was actually having fun and enjoying herself. The past releases of her tours (Drowned World, Confessions) featured a somewhat reserved Madonna who seemed nervous and as if she was putting all of her effort into hitting the moves and notes. Not so with ‘Sticky and Sweet’. Madonna smiles, she really interacts with the audience, her dancing is by far the best it’s been in years and her energy makes this feel less like a tour and more like a street party. What struck me as different with this tour was how Madonna seemed unhinged; gone was the serious tones and messages that seemed to riddle most of her past tours. The Madonna of his tour is far more edgier and sexualized, she curses, she actually performs dance choreography that rivals anything most younger pop stars are doing today, she goes from pop to rocking out on her guitar … she just seems revitalized, happier and more into this tour than the past tours. Most of her tours are split into different themes, as is this one, but they contain one section that’s a bit of a downer. Not so much with this tour as she finds a way to insert dance and excitement into each section, keeping the fun, light, pop atmosphere going throughout most of the tour rather than only having it in one section. The first section, the ‘pimp’ section, is probably the most fun as she effectively blends old hits like ‘Human Nature’ and ‘Vogue’, ‘Into the Groove/Jump’ with newer songs including ‘Candy Shop’ and ‘Beat Goes On’. The middle section, or the ‘gypsy’ theme, isn’t as dance orientated but the music is still upbeat and features her really breaking it down choreography wise in ‘Spanish Lesson’. The last part, the ‘rave’ theme, ends the tour on an upbeat, dance, party/celebratory note. To me, the tour featured a nice spread of music from all of her albums and as usual most of the songs were given the remix treatment to make them fit this new party/club/dance theme which made even the old hits sound “shiny and new”. I liked the filming of the tour as it gives you the feeling that you’re actually there in the crowd and shows off the tour and choreography from some stunning angles.
The Bad: There were parts of the tour that lacked the excitement and enthusiasm that some of the best numbers received. For instance, ’4 Minutes’ just felt slapped together and entirely uninspired and lazy. The ‘Hung Up’ and ‘Ray of Light’ numbers felt old and ripped directly from ‘The Confessions Tour’ and as if they were just wasted numbers or should have been mixed to be different. The pace of the tour slows a bit when Madonna takes what seems like a break from the dancing and high energy and opts for standing on stage and ‘strumming’ her guitar during the Evita numbers, ‘Borderline’, ‘Miles Away’ numbers. If there’s one area of the DVD release that I’d complain about it’d be the ‘bonus’ features, if you can call them that. First, there’s the CD containing live cuts from the album. It seems like a missed opportunity not to include numbers like ‘Die Another Day’, ‘Into the Groove/Jump’ and ‘Heartbeat’ to name a few. And the biggest omissions? The numbers she added for the second leg of the tour like ‘Frozen’, ‘Music/Michael Jackson Tribute’, ‘Dress You Up’, ‘Holiday’ … all were left off of the audio and DVD/Blu-Ray releases. This, I really have a hard time understanding. A lot of these numbers replaced the weaker numbers like ‘Hung Up’, and would have made a great bonus feature at least. Instead we’re treated to ‘behind the scenes’ footage that doesn’t really add anything to the tour or DVD experience. These numbers were what made the second leg of the tour really stand-out and should have been included and considering how much time has lapsed between the tour and the DVD release, it seems like more than enough time to incorporate these numbers either on the CD or as bonus footage. I’d also suggest purchasing the Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray], simply to get the tour in high-def and to get the most out of the experience visually and audio wise.
Despite the minor flaws, ‘Sticky and Sweet’ was definitely Madonna at her best. It reminded me a lot of ‘The Girlie Show’ with a Madonna who wasn’t afraid to push a few buttons, make a few statements and curse and flaunt her sexuality. While ‘The Confessions Tour’ showed Madonna off as a pop star, this one felt more like Madonna doing all she could to earn her ‘rock star’ status after being inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. It’s the first tour release in a while from Madonna that features her taking on real choreography, having fun and not feeling too concerned with her image or limitations. Definitely a tour worth owning.
Check out these numbers/tracks: ‘Candy Shop’, ‘Like a Prayer’, ‘Vogue’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Into the Groove/Jump’
Review by A. ALAWADI for Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray]
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I have to say that before receiving the DVD I thought that it wouldn’t top the Confessions Tour DVD at all.. I’m wrong. The show has something special about it, It’s more fun, more energetic and above all you can clearly see that Madonna is happy while performing and giving her best. Confessions was greater on the “arty” side, this show focuses on the Fun and Energy. The last DVD release where you can see Madonna this much happy I believe was “ciao Italia”.
I am really pleased with it, the show was filmed in a much better way than confessions, picture quality is amazing and the stadium atmosphere really adds to its greatness. I really recommend this DVD it will not disappoint.