Customer Reviews

Madonna - The Girlie Show (Live Down Under) [VHS]

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I remember travelling to London to see Madonna's opening night of this Tour in September 1993. I was very excited & moreso because up until that point I thought that the Blonde Ambition was the most lavish spectacular ever brought to stage & screen. What could Madonna do next? The Girlie Show is definitely not a duplication of Madonna's 1990 Tour. Lavish, yes, but it does not go the Greatest Hits route. Madonna at the time was getting a lot of bad press due to the nature of her Sex book (which is very bland really) & her Erotica album (which I feel is one of her best). The Girlie Show therefore had to be something else & it is. Lipsyncing aside (Erotica/Justify My Love/Vogue), The Girlie Show is an impressive hommage to spectacles of old from harlequins to troubadours, 70s Disco & Deitrich, Madonna's Tour demonstrates her cultural awareness & her influences. The show, like the Blonde Ambition Tour is divided into segments.
SEGMENT 1: The Dita files. A series of darker dance numbers performer by Madonna in her Dita outfit. Erotica, the show's opener is Madonna's sole presence on stage, with dancers in the background. Good for what it is. But does not get the juices flowing, as the songs lyrics promise. Fever rocks - not one of my fave songs by Madonna, but she gives it plenty of life & sings it live! as well - she lipsynced to this one in London. Quite a sexy routine also with 2 dancers. Madonna flirts with the crowd. Vogue is an elaborate spectacle, with Madonna, Nikki & Donna wearing what look chandeliers on their heads, & indulge in artsy dancing. Cool. Rain demonstrates Madonna can sing & harmonise.
SEGMENT2: 70s DISCO. This part of the show is a partayyyy sequence with a totally blinding version of Express Yourself, moving into the feather boa dance routine of Deeper & Deeper, before slowing down a bit for Why's It So Hard & then In This Life, which has Madonna alone on the steps singing about lost friends. Bless.
SEGMENT3: WHAT IS GOING ON? SECTION: Madonna does Like A Virgin as Marlent Deitrich, dressed up as a man flirts outrageously with dancing girls on Bye Bye Baby & then proceeds into the most unexpected live! song ever - I'm Going Bananas. Nuts.
THE HITS: We then move into a wondrous rendtion of La Isla Bonita, spanish dancing et al & then a Military version of Holiday, which gets the audience livened up & Madonna genuinely appears to be enjoying herself & smiling without force.

The traditional expression save the best for last is true here. The encores are two very different sounds & images. Madonna goes to Ascot Horse Racing is the theme of Justify My Love, a very decadent type of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, with eloquent top hats, tails & lavish dresses (which is more 1920s than 1780s). Madonna's outfit is a combination of man-woman. The song is sultry & one I would never have imagined to be done live. It livens up at the end with the dancers all performing a hand-clapping routine. Bonkers. The showstopper is again a song I was not expecting, yet one of my faves. A totally reworked version of Everybody which breaks into Dance To The Music & then becomes all funky. It is euphoric & the total climax to the show IMHO. Add to this a secret clown who turns out to be Madonna & you have the impression that depsite the lack of greater hits like Papa Don't Preach/Open Your Heart, etc that Madonna does want to entertain her crowd & moreover interact with them. She does so well, or at least as warmly as I've ever seen her. Bad press asides, the sheer content of the show alone is enough to remind fans why they attended the show (& there are A LOT at this show - & she played 4 nights at this cricket ground as well as performing in other Australian cities!!!!) & why Madonna is one of the best at her game

Madonna is well known for her fantastic and extravagant stage shows, and this tour was no exception.

Filmed in Australia in 1993, this was Madonna's last world tour for 8 years (until the Drowned World Tour) and followed her stunning and adventurous Erotica album.

Highlights of this show include the start: a topless dancer climbs seductively down a large go-go pole, and as she disappears into the stage, Madonna appears in sparkly hotpants, top and s&m mask, brandishing a whip as she turns seductively and in time to the sexy single, Erotica. Its a truly stunning and exciting entrance...

She moves through a range of hits, 'Fever', 'Vogue', 'Rain' and in Express Yourself, she appears from the top of the stage on a large disco ball, complete with purple afro, set to a fantastic and energised 70's remix of the song.

More hits follow, 'Deeper And Deeper', 'Why's It So Hard', 'In This Life', 'The Beast Within', until she appears dressed in a mans suit, for the Marlene Dietrich inspired Like A 'W'irgin (yes, I spelt it right).

'Bye Bye Baby', 'I'm Going Bananas' follow, and then a fantastic flamenco dance sequence for La Isla Bonita, followed by tour classic, Holiday (she alters this for every tour).

Justify My Love is extraordinary, as Madonna enters the stage in an amazing outfit (she appears to be 15 foot tall!), inspired by the horse racing scene from My Fair Lady, a truely surreal moment in the concert, with the song turning very 60's towards the end!

She finishes with Everybody / Everybody is a Star, and leaves you wanting more more more...

This is an exciting, sexy show, and even in the humourous moments (I'm Going Bananas) thoroughly enjoyable. It makes me wish I could live it all again! (oh...I can...I have the dvd! ha ha)

(No DVD extras)

Though I've never been to a live Madonna concert, watching this DVD has made me recognize all the preparation, costumes, coreography, etc. that go into her Girlie "Super" Show. Virtually every song requires a new costume change. The dancing is tight. She performs a rather peculiar rendition of "Like a Virgin", a fun retro version of "Express Yourself", her classic and stylish "Vogue", and other 80's to early 90's Madonna-fan favorites--basically up to her Erotica album.

The sound quality is probably better than being at the show, since you can actually hear her and the band perform over the screaming crowd. With a combination of camera cranes and Steadicam shots, you get a great on-stage perspective of her show.

Madonna fans should not be disappointed with this DVD at all. In fact, you can crank up the volume on your surround-sound home theatre system and lose yourself in the great video and audio presentation of her show.

I only wish now that I had seen one of Madonna's concerts in person, but I doubt that I would have been able to get close enough to REALLY see her in all her glory as in this DVD. Even with the shortest of hair, Madonna is still visually stunning with all the EROTICA songs acted out by her and her dancers. I am TOTALLY mesmerized each and every time MADONNA is on stage and the choreography is mind-boggling! Madonna never gives anything but 100% and this DVD will knock your socks off! LOVE YA, MADONNA!

1. Introduction/Girlie Show Theme
2. Erotica
3. Fever
4. Vogue
5. Rain
6. Express Yourself
7. Deeper And Deeper
8. Why It's So Hard
9. In This Life
10. The Beast Within
11. Like A Virgin
12. Bye Bye Baby
13. I'm Going Bananas
14. La Isla Bonita
15. Holiday
16. Justify My Love
17. Everybody Is A Star/Everybody

I expected a lot from this DVD. And for "a lot" I mean good sound quality and some kind of screen play.

The good side: Madonna is great, as it's his music. The bad side: The making is a disaster. The sound is *nothing* compared to live CDs, there are few cameras, and bad placed.

For the people who liked this, check out Tina Turner Live from Amsterdand Arena (if possible, in DTS). That's how a concert should be filmed. And check out Eagles' Hells Freezes Over for sound quality.

Really, I didn't expect this DVD to be as good as any of these, but it's *nothing* compared to them. I wish Madonna can get a concert filmed and recorded in the way she deservers.

In 1993, Madonna put together THE GIRLIE SHOW TOUR 1993, her fourth tour. On November 19, 1993, Madonna performed in Sydney, Australia, and then put that concert on this amazing DVD.

EROTICA
The show starts off with the band the music to this song, while one of Madonna's female dancers (having four female dancers & four male dancers) descends a go-go pole, topless. She reaches the bottom as Madonna comes up to perform this incredible version of "Erotica". She wears a black sequenced bikini top, a black half-top muscle vest, black gloves, black sequenced shorts, fishnet stockings, gothic black stilettos, a black eye mask, and her hair in a boyishly styled haircut.

FEVER
After finishing "Erotica", Madonna descends a staircase, taking off the vest and mask, leaving on the bikini top, shorts, stockings, and boots to perform the video version of her rendition of the Peggy Lee classic, "Fever". While performing, two of her male dancers join her on stage.

VOGUE
After finishing "Fever", Madonna goes back for one quick costume change. Madonna's backup vocalists, Donna DeLory & Niki Harris, appear on stage, wearing the same outfits as Madonna in her first two songs performed, but they are also wearing black beaded headdresses. All eight of Madonna's dancers are wearing black sparkled Arabian vests, along with black Arabian baggy-like pants, sort of like Aladdin and his Genie. Madonna comes out to perform an Arabian styled version of "Vogue", wearing the same shorts, boots, and stockings from the first two performances. Her top is different, for the section covering her chest is made up of gray beads, where the top's straps are black. On her head is a gigantic black beaded headdress.

RAIN
After finishing "Vogue", Madonna, Niki, & Donna put on black see-through dresses over their "Vogue" outfits. They grab three stools, take a seat and give a beautiful rendition of "Rain". If you listen to the album version, you'll hear a two-way spoken interlude by Madonna, but since Madonna couldn't do that two-way spoken interlude live, she decided to sing a verse from the infamous Marvin Gaye hit, "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)". After the JMI interlude, Madonna goes back into "Rain". As she finishes the song, some of the dancers come out and dance to a ballet version of Fred Astaire's, "Singin' In The Rain".

EXPRESS YOURSELF
After finishing "Rain", Madonna descends to the stage, while sitting on a huge 70s Disco Ball, wearing a 70s Purple half-top w/ bell-bottom sleeves, purple sequenced shorts, pink 70s styled high-heeled shoes, complete with a blonde Afro wig to perform a 70s Disco rendition of "Express Yourself". She is joined by Donna & Niki, who are also 70s dressed.

DEEPER AND DEEPER
After finishing "Express Yourself", Madonna, Donna, & Niki, still in their 70s outfits are joined by the eight dancers, who enter the scene wearing 70s outfits, where Madonna performs "Deeper And Deeper". She sings the song up until after the bridge, where Madonna, Donna, Niki, & the dancers have a dance-out, leading into them rolling over the stage, grabbing each other sexually, having just one big orgy.

WHY'S IT SO HARD
After finishing "Deeper And Deeper", Madonna's 70s Disco Sex Segment turns into the plead for peace, where she takes off her afro wig & 70s purple top. She leaves on her shorts, shoes, and a flowered-like bra to perform "Why's It So Hard".

IN THIS LIFE
After finishing "Why's It So Hard", Madonna goes solo by singing the next song by herself; a song Madonna had written and recorded for two friends of hers, who have passed away due to AIDS.

Dancers Interlude: JUSTIFY MY LOVE (THE BEAST WITHIN MIX)
After finishing "In This Life", Madonna goes for another costume change as the dancers dance to Madonna's "Beast Within Mix" of "Justify My Love", where the dance consumes of Love, Hate, Sex, Passion, & Destruction.

LIKE A VIRGIN
After Madonna's costume change, Madonna comes out in a 1920s tuxedo, complete with tails and a top hat, to perform "Like A Virgin". Madonna, instead of singing the song, speaks the song in a Marlene Dietrich German accent, making the song Marlene Dietrich influenced.

BYE BYE BABY
After finishing "Like A Virgin", Madonna remains in the tux and is joined by Niki & Donna, who are dressed as Madonna is to perform a Lesbian burlesque version of "Bye Bye Baby". The Lesbian burlesque dancers are three of Madonna's female dancers.

I'M GOING BANANAS
After finishing "Bye Bye Baby", Madonna, Donna, & Niki have a foul-mouthed discussion about women and they head into the Latin-flavored "I'm Going Bananas", where the three take off their tux tops, to reveal Madonna in a blue & white horizontally striped muscle shirt.

LA ISLA BONITA
After finishing "I'm Going Bananas", Madonna gives a great performance of "La Isla Bonita", finishing with a dance finale with all four of her male dancers.

HOLIDAY
After finishing "La Isla Bonita", Madonna, Niki, Donna, and the dancers come out in military drag to perform a military styled version of "Holiday", where Madonna shows her James Brown impersonation.

JUSTIFY MY LOVE
After "Holiday", Madonna comes back for Encore #1. She, Niki, Donna, & the dancers are dressed in 1870s Victorian outfits from the Horse Racing scene in the film, "My Fair Lady". With these outfits, Madonna performs, "Justify My Love"

Medley: EVERYBODY IS A STAR/EVERYBODY
After "Justify My Love", Madonna comes back for Encore #2. Madonna wears a yellow shirt, with short blue jean shorts and low-ankle boots. She starts off by singing the second verse of Sly & The Family Stone's "Everybody Is A Star", which leads into Madonna singing, "Everybody".

This concert is for every Madonna fan alike around the world and back. The costume changes are great, the setlist is great. What more can you want, I mean, besides wanting more Madonna?

THE GIRLIE SHOW TOUR 1993 Set-List for Whole Tour:

Erotica
Fever
Vogue
Rain
Express Yourself
Deeper And Deeper
Why's It So Hard
In This Life
DANCERS INTERLUDE: Justify My Love (The Beast Within Mix)
Like A Virgin
Bye Bye Baby
I'm Going Bananas
La Isla Bonita
Holiday
Justify My Love
MEDLEY: Everybody Is A Star/Everybody

Having seen the Girlie Show Live in Istanbul, I can assure you that this DVD is the next best thing to actually seeing her perform. The DVD has outstanding picture and sound clarity/quality, probably because it was shot digitally back in 1993 to be mastered for Laserdisc. There were, however, a few shortcomings of this DVD that dissapointed me. The first disappointment was its simple and not very visually appealing navigation controls. Secondly the errors and omissions in its subtitles can become quite annoying if you are an avid Madonna fan. Also, this DVD could easily have had lots of extra footage (such as a tour schedule, interviews, etc.) but apparently the producers chose not to go into any additional production and decided to include nothing other than the show itself. Putting aside the few drawbacks I listed above, this DVD is fantastic and a must have for any fan or music lover.

Almost 17 years passed since Madonna hit the road with her amazing Girlie Show, promoting one of her best ever album Erotica. It was all so special....the songs, the mood, the quality, the times. And I was only 18... Madonna then had guts to produce high quality, hi-end music, without caring about commercial aspects.

Now to the show - this was one of the greatest shows of 90's, both musically and stage-wise. The sound quality (note: not on this DVD) of the actual show broke all the boundaries of the existing expectations. Live acts of Fever, Erotica were breathtaking. So many years passed since, I feel like Madonna herself is still underestimating or discriminating the Erotica period.

I wouldn't really say I love all of the performances on this DVD, however, the tour highlights like Erotica, Fever, Rain, Deeper and Deeper, La Isla Bonita, Justify my Love makes it all special. Visually, this recording is stunning. Given the time it was show, almost 17 years ago, the colors are amazingly fresh and vivid, except for some blurry moments. My biggest disappointment is the sound quality on this DVD. AC3 Digital Sound featured on US Version is such an embarrassment for the great show and Madonna herself. I still cannot believe that Madonna, the biggest quality freak in the world, has absolutely no control over the quality of her released materials. Given the available prints of this DVD, I would highly recommend to buy the European two-sided edition featuring Dolby Digital Stereo (the best sound available).

Now to the presents times of 2010 - with all the amazing restorations available on BlueRay, I see no justification for failing to release the Girlie Show on BlueRay, having both the video and sound restored into DTS7.1! And not only this concert...common Madonna, with all the hundreds of millions of dollars that you made thanks to your dedicated and insane fans, you should really invest some money into re-releasing your greatest albums and performances in BlueRay, DVD-Audio and/or DTS CD. We all deserve it, we do!

God Bless Queen!

You can see Madonna's most powerful period as a stage performer & live singer through this highly acclaimed show. Madonna was almost invincible then. This DVD shows all.

Listen to her powerful and soulful singing in such songs like 'Express youself' 'Why's it so hard' and what about mind-blowing military version of 'Holiday'?

Madonna's perfrom is flawless, and dancers are one of the best dancers I've ever seen in any concert video, also band's playing is top-notch.

What you get is not only a well performed show, also a great musical experience, which is you never get from lip-synchers like Britney.