Dear Madonna,
We went to see you last night. This is a big deal for us. We go nowhere. We hunker. But this felt important. You only show up for important things. I knew it would be fab.
But while I think you are incredibly talented…I couldn’t deny the concerns in the room especially to my left.
Your performance was selfish and thoughtless and while I would like to come to your defense, this synopsis is not wrong, rude is rude.
You called your show for 8:30pm. You did not come on until 11:00pm. That did not sit well.
I get that you are Madonna, and I guess can do whatever you want, but I think you are forgetting the most important part of being an artist, the audience. Without an audience, you don’t exist. And all that beauty and meaning is lost. All that you have to give is gone.
And did you think about what your audience was sacrificing to be there?
I bet people drove hours. To my right was a very pregnant woman and to my left a father with a child with pediatric cancer. They sacrificed to be there and you took their phones. I’m into you taking phones away. I get it. Art doesn’t exist through a lens other than the eye of the beholder. When that eye is looking through another lens the experience is changed. But you can’t take away phones and come on hours later.
This was disappointing.
So we only stayed for 40 minutes. You gave us no other choice. We knew what the morning would bring. And I did not protest to leave, how could I? And I’m a real fan.
I will say that what I saw was clever, smart, and full of meaning. The entire message was beautiful in your raw way. And no one can deny your talent and drive. Not many people at 61 cut a record. I especially like how you got there. You moved to Lisbon to be a soccer mom. You moved not for your career but because you are simply a mother. Human just like the rest of us. I doubt it felt convenient and you also spoke about some depression at the beginning, as you didn’t know a soul. But in the end, you found music and artists that seemed to inspire you.
I bet they showed up on time to meet you.
I read that you said this concert is “about me.” That rang true for sure. I just warn you of that strategy, because you exist due to others. We all do. How you treat others will define your happiness whether you like it or not. NO ONE is above that reality, no matter how many self-help books or loving mantras you say to yourself. Humans run in tribes and our self worth is not set, but it is, confirmed by others.
You will get what you give in life.
So I leave you with the first slide from my 5th grade public speaking seminar.
“Does a tree make a sound if no one is around to hear it?”
I would simmer on that one Madame X.
Respectfully yours,
Abby
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