The central theme of the show is around darkness to light, choreographed to revisit key Madonna themes and imagery divided into four sections: Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine, and Redemption, reuniting with her long-time designer Jean Paul Gaultier to create the costumes for the tour. The triangle-shaped stage of the tour consisted of two walkways for Madonna to wade into the crowd and an enclosed area where fans can get close to the stage. The stage jutting out far onto the floor, provided an intimate setting for the large audience consisting of young and old, ranging from straight to the more colourful.  “We are all family” Madonna stated during a pause in her performance. “We all need  to get along and stop comparing ourselves to each other”.  Even the folks from London, Canada should know that, “London, Canada?” she called out, “who’s ever heard of London, Canada!”Her performance in Ottawa was an extravagant affair combining music and theatrics that overwhelmed the senses. The opening performance with dancers clad as monks ringing in the artist, set the stage for what was about to come… Opening with Girl Gone Wild before changing direction, shooting her way  out of  the confessional that enclosed her with guns and rifles as she led into Revolver with the singer and her dancers packing heat. The dark mood continued with Gang Bang, before the affair transitioned into the next choreography section, with Madonna stepping onto the stage in a cheerleader uniform, offering a lighter tone for rest of the evening.

From dancers performing on slacklines,to drummers suspended in mid-air, and segmented platforms raising up and down, it was hard to tell what would come next, Madonna and her entourage did not slow things down to simply deliver a song, except for one serene yet sultry performance of Like a Virgin, as I’ve never heard before….