Madonna Celebration Hits Sweden - REVIEW

The show’s high point arrives courtesy of an achingly beautiful rendition of 1986’s “Live to Tell”, during which Madonna floats above our heads as the screens fill with images of the many talented gay men lost to the Aids epidemic, including Keith Haring and Martin Burgoyne. These were her dear friends – and as Mary Gabriel’s huge new biography of Madonna attests, their deaths devastated her. It is a deeply moving acknowledgement of the community in which she learned her signature moves, the same community that continues to hold her aloft today. She gets into a boxing ring to deliver “Erotica” (1992) – reminding us that the freedom to choose who we love was a real fight. It’s a shame so few young people appear to be in the audience tonight because this is a show that proves Madonna still matters.