We took T to his first concert, Madonna’s Celebration Tour, and it provided a needed holiday.
Our family had a challenging start to 2024 and this show was a ray of light during gray days.
We prepped T for his first concert by looking at photos of the venue and show and speaking about what to expect before, during and after the show.
M starts her shows way past T’s 8:30 bedtime. So we took him out of after school care so he could rest and have a soothing bath beforehand.
We also took him out of school the day after the show (Friday), coordinating with his teacher to complete all his homework and end-of-week spelling test (13/15 🙌) by Thursday.
With T prepped, off we went to the show!
We drove and parked near a subway station five stops from the venue – to save on parking and minimize the transit commute after the show, fully anticipating T would be overstimulated after.
We set the bar very high for T’s first concert – as M’s shows are produced to the highest quality and with powerful heartfelt messages.
We arrived at Scotiabank Arena close to 9 pm and enjoyed the preshow DJ set and popcorn.
The hubby and I were annoyed to realize we left T’s noise-cancelling headphones in the car. Oh well!
The show started at 10:15 and she opened with “Nothing Really Matters,” one of her less widely-known singles from the late 90s about her reflections on being a first-time mother.
She’s never performed it on tour so this was such a treat for diehard fans, 25 years after its release.
The show was a joyous poignant ride through the life of an artist I’ve long admired – celebrating her ups, downs, successes, setbacks and constant reinventions in an unparalleled four-decade-and-counting career.
“Nothing takes the past away like the future
Nothing makes the darkness go like the light.”
– “Nothing Really Matters”
Having attended all-but-one of her tours since 2004, this show felt extra special because it was an autobiographical celebration of her life and included four of her six children; her eldest two kids were featured on previous tours.
David Banda accompanied her on guitar in two numbers, including the crowd pleasing 80s hit “La Isla Bonita” (below).
Mercy James, now 18 (how is this possible?!), played the piano during “Bad Girl” (below), the first time M has performed this early 90s ballad on tour.
M has long used her art as a form of expression, protest, advocacy and celebration.
The most moving part of the show was when she performed her 80s ballad “Live to Tell,” atop a platform that floated across the arena, while giant photographs of those who’ve passed away from AIDS were projected on massive screens.
It was a beautiful tribute and provided a reminder of her AIDS and LGBTQ advocacy in the 80s, a time when it was considered career suicide to do so.
Her music has inspired me in different ways in my life; today, in my journey to advocate for T and the FASD community.
Music provides comfort during hard times.
Another moving part of the show was when M and David Banda performed “Mother and Father,” a deep cut from her 2003 album, “American Life.”
A recurring theme in M’s work is about how the death of her mother, also named Madonna, when she was 6 profoundly shaped her life.
Her performance, featuring large photographs of her mother and David’s birth mother, paid tribute to both their late mothers.
Watching this performance, less than a week after my Ma passed away, was quite emotional.
“Faster than a speeding light she’s flying
Trying to remember where it all began.”
– “Ray of Light”
Music also underscores the joyous moments in our lives and as M sings in her #1 hit, “Music,” it also makes the people come together.
It was amazing for us to immerse T in an arena packed with 13,000+ other fans – mostly adults, I saw less than a handful of kids – in a celebration of life, art and community.
As the awesome rave-themed and laser-filled performance of “Ray of Light” (below) reminded us, M is, at her core, Queen of the dancefloor.
T danced along joyously to this performance and it is an image I will tattoo in my heart forever.
So you must be wondering how T did.
He had fun. He’s a fan of her music and listens to it during our drives.
He was also overstimulated. When the show started, he looked at a stopwatch app on the phone (see below) for over half the show, peeking his head up from time to time to see what was going on.
I think it was his way of regulating himself.
He let us know after he liked the show! 💕👍
The show wrapped up at 12:30 am.
I was super tired – and still jet lagged – but I felt thankful for the experience.
Little did I know last August when the show was rescheduled, due to M’s near fatal illness, that it would take place at a time when I really needed a pick-me-up.
More than that, I felt grateful to have experienced this with T and to see him experience not just his first concert, but Madonna, through his eyes.
As we were leaving the arena, a random woman went up to him and said, “You don’t know how lucky you are!”
As we expected, T was beyond overtired, overstimulated and disregulated during the subway ride back uptown.
As we waited on the crowded subway platform, he repeatedly ran up the stairs and jumped down the steps.
Then he started rolling and crawling around the platform – then repeating this on the train.
Once I got over my initial self-conscious annoyance, I thought with amusement on our drive home about how Madonna once rolled and crawled around on the stage floor during her first televised performance at the inaugural MTV Video Awards in 1984.
And the rest, 40 years later, was history.
Nice post, thanks for sharing
Thank you!
This must have been an interesting concert. Madonna’s son’s name is so Zambian😃.It was nice of you to take T to this concert. He truly doesn’t know how lucky he is!
Thanks Faith. It was a much needed uplift during a difficult time. 😊 It was a wonderful show. Her four youngest children, of which David Banda is the eldest, were adopted from Malawi!
Oh yes it makes sense. Banda is of Malawian origin and eastern Zambia.Thanks for the information
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!! Thank you for sharing the videos for us to see. You know, even if T was over stimulated at the subway, he was good for the most important part so that you all could enjoy Madonna!
Thanks Diane. I didn’t take a whole lot of photos as I wanted to enjoy and be in the moment. The hubby took a photo of T dancing along during Ray of Light and it just makes me smile whenever I watch that video. 💕
Talk about perfect timing! I have never watched any concert in my life (!), but from the videos I’ve seen online I can see why people are willing to go the distance to watch their favorite musicians perform live. I’m happy to know T enjoyed his first concert, and I’m also happy that you still went after all the happened.
Thanks Bama. It was wonderfully timed for sure. Life works out in strange unexpected ways. And it ended up being a great experience for T.
We’re very lucky to have accessible venues. If a concert is on your bucket list, I hope you get to experience one one day. Who would you like to see in concert?
If you ask me who my favorite musician is, I really don’t know. I enjoy most kinds of music. However, after their first ever concert in Jakarta a few months ago (which looked amazing from the videos I saw), Coldplay is that one band whose live performance I’d like to watch in person one day.
Yes, Coldplay is on my bucket list too. Their stadium show did indeed look amazing!
Sounds like a great night and totally worth it. I’m glad T managed despite all.
It was a wonderful evening and T did enjoy it despite the overstimulation. 😊
What a fabulous idea to take T to see Madonna in concert. The bar is definitely set pretty high in terms of concerts as Madonna is a legend. Glad to hear T enjoyed it! Sorry to hear that he was crawling and rolling on the TTC platform afterwards. Gross!! But I guess that’s kids for yah. By the way, I am super impressed at how many of her tours you’ve seen.
Thanks Linda. The timing worked out well. Her show was originally last August but was rescheduled due to her illness; I had pneumonia then and would’ve missed it if it went as planned. Life works out in mysterious ways!
She always puts on a great show and is worth the splurge and wait.
PS. My vacation requests for the year are approved. And we are eyeing either Utah or Banff in the summer. I’m so excited. I’ll be reviewing your blog posts as we map out our itinerary! 😊🙏
For sure. Sounds like the timing worked out well then. And glad you were able to attend and share the experience with T.
Thats exciting that you have the time booked off already. Happy trip planning. Happy to help if you have any questions. We’re hoping to drive out east in April and spend a couple weeks in PEI and New Brunswick.
I may very well pick your brain. We decided on Banff as there’s only so much of looking at rocks in Utah that I think T can stomach. 😆
The East Coast sounds wonderful. Your little Wandering Canadian is off to a good start!!!
Good call on Banff. I don’t imagine Utah would be much fun in the summer when it’s scorching hot. Have fun trip planning and good luck booking accommodations! Are you planning to camp or stay in a hotel?
Hotel. 😆
I’m so glad you got to go and that all of you had a good time!!!
Thank you, Jill. It was a really great show and made extra special because it was T’s first concert. 🙏
Jumping, rolling, and crawling publicly…. you were so patient!
Thanks Serena. I think he was overtired and overstimulated as it was 5 hours passed his bedtime and he had a long day at school already. So while it was annoying, it was also understandable. And most importantly, he had a good time. 🙏
That would have been awesome, wonderful memories. 🥰
It was an amazing show, Gary. 😊 I seem to recall you and Hawklad did Iron Maiden in recent times. These are the things that fill up our cups with joy.
What a incredible experience, both for you and for T! And what a blessing the delayed tour turned out to be. I’m sure this is a special memory T will cherish for the rest of his life. 🙂
Thanks Erin. It was indeed and will be a special memory that we will all cherish for a long long while. It could not have come at a better time in our lives. 🙏
WOW! What a fantastic experience! Thanks for sharing – And quoting a Madonna song – I am CRAZY for YOUr writing!
Thanks Vickie. I am so thankful for the experience and memory. 😊 And she did perform Crazy for You too! First time it was part of a concert setlist since 2004!
Ah…when you wrote the experience was “tattooed on your heart” I felt every bit. What an experience for all three of you and I agree…Madonna…her artistry, her shared name with her mom and her reverence for life, mothers everywhere. It must’ve filled the venue and in a way, provided a celebratory tribute to your Ma. Thank you for taking us along. T was yet another superstar that night. Amazing. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you Vicki. It certainly is tattooed in our hearts. It was a strangely surreal experience to be at the show so fresh from my Ma’s passing. I’m thankful it came at a time when we needed the ray of light most. 😊🙏
Hugs and love to all of you. ❤️
What a great experience and very timely. I wonder what the next few weeks will be like for you and how T will reflect on this concert once he is over the over-stimulation. Ueah, i also remember M crawling on the stage 🙂
Thanks Margie. It was very timely and needed in our lives. T has since had a few random moments of crying and grieving and we let him have the space and time to let it all out. We know it’s healthy and part of the grieving process.
I was 3 when she crawled on the MTV stage. 😆 Didn’t become a fan until about 1998 with her Ray of Light album and haven’t stopped being one since!
First, you had amazing seats! I think in all my years I’ve maybe had seats that close to the stage at a concert once so yay for that! I can only imagine what this was like for T and I am really proud of his ability to manage an evening like that. Honestly I may have been rolling around the subway platform myself in a way past midnight haze. So, so happy that you all had a great time 🙂
Thank you Deb. We were blessed to have the seats we did. 🙏 I know I recently shared on your blog about being frugal. There are things I do splurge on – mainly experiential memories such as this. 😊
T did really well considering he had a full day of school and it was way past his bedtime. The subway rolling around was nothing but him being overtired and disregulated and I can’t fault him for that. The happy memories are what will last in time. 😊
Splurging wisely and making memories- I love that Ab!
Love this, Ab! Knowing what a big Madonna fan you are – and then to be able to go with T and your hubby right after your Ma passed. How incredibly special! And also incredibly brave with a show that STARTED at 10:30. Whew! Love the music and moments you’ve written about. So awesome!
Thank you Wynne. It was a very special evening and thankful it came at a time that it did.
The show did start late but we knew it would so we planned ahead and made the most of the experience and came out of it unscathed. 🙏😊