Madonna – Sticky & Sweet Milan (Godfather Records GR 415/416)

 Sticky & Sweet Milan (Godfather Records GR 415/416)

San Siro, Milan, Italy – July 14th, 2009

Disc 1 (56:56):  Intro:  The Sweet Machine, Candy Shop, Beat Goes On, Human Nature, Vogue, Die Another Day (Video Interlude), Into the Groove, Holiday / Billie Jean, Dress You Up, She’s Not Me, Music, Rain” (Remix) (Interlude), Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You

Disc 2 (56:36):  Spanish Lesson, Miles Away, La Isla Bonita, Doli Doli, You Must Love Me, Get Stupid (Video Interlude), 4 Minutes, Like a Prayer, Frozen, Ray of Light, Give It 2 Me

Madonna’s Sticky & Sweettour part two continues where last year’s tour left off with pretty much the identical setlist and stage show including the same video interludes.  Sticky & Sweet Milan on Godfather contains the Milan show taped in San Siro Stadium and serves as a companion piece to last summer’s Sticky & Sweet Rome.  The recording is very good at picking up the atmosphere in the stadium.  It is loud, distant with lots of audience cheering and a deep stadium echo surrounding the music.     

There was quite a bit of drama and intrigue a month before the show, casting it in doubt.  On June 12th the local authorities responded to the noise complaints by the residents close by the stadium by limiting the volume to 78 db and by imposing an 11:30pm curfew.  Robert De Luca responded by threatening the cancel all live events including the Madonna and U2 concerts.  He received permission to raise the level to 80 db, which is considered technically satisfactory, but says it’s getting virtually impossible to work on the concerts because of an increasing “atmosphere of terror” around the events (according to the article in Corriere della Sera).

The show begins with “The Sweet Machine” video introduction which contains elements of “Manipulated Living”, “4 Minutes”, “Human Nature” and “Give It 2 Me.”  “Candy Shop” and “Beat Goes On” follow in quick succession before the show slows down a bit for “Human Nature,” which has an excerpt from “Gimme More.”  “Vogue” leads into the video interlude “Die Another Day.”

The next two oldies serve to create several medleys.  “Into The Groove” runs into “Toop Toop”, “Body Work”, “Jump”, “Apache” and “Double Dutch Bus” while the following song “Holiday” contains elements of “Celebration” and “Everybody”, with excerpts from “Jam”, “2000 Watts”, “Billie Jean”, “Another Part of Me” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”  The show has a nice build up to the finale.  There are hints of “4 Minutes,” the big single from Hard Candy, scattered throughout the entire show until finally it is played in full followed by “Like a Prayer.”  Given the scarcity of good Madonna boots this is a good release by Godfather even though it seems that the real star of the tape is San Siro itself.