CRAZY ASS SPOILER WARNING! Brief Report from the Full Dress Rehearsal

Amazing night. This tour will be a smash.

It's so late in L.A. (I am still on NYC time) and have much to do before I head back, and using a Mac, so forgive the brevity and the typeface, grammar, and lucidity issues:

Madonna came out before the show started, promptly, at 8:00 PM, and thanked her "friends and family" (about 3,000 by the end) for coming and said that She had woke up this morning thinking the show was not ready. (Drama queen.) The sound was a bit off in the beginning (nearing pitchy), but it seemed fine by the end, though Madonna could not hear Her guitar at one point in the I Love New York / Ray of Light rock-out and said, "You gotta take the rough with the smooth."

We were second row, which were amazing seats, although people who sit in the "pod areas" or directly near or in front of the central catwalk will be thrilled with their location. Madonna spent the entire opening at the end of the main catwalk, draining the energy from the front of the floor, actually, and confusing half the room. But then She spread the wealth around, except She barely ever went to the side catwalks for any large period of time. (The dancers pop up there - literally, in fact - several times.)

Other quick thoughts, in no by means any sense of chronology:

Costumes are great... some standard leotard stuff, but the "equestrian" duds are pretty damn fierce. The dancers act like horses and the whole thing has a surreal vibe.

Her disco entrance is awesome and one of the highlights.

Jump has some gymnastics poles set around the stage, where the limber guys fly around and twirl and slide, showing off impressive, crowd-pleasing acrobatics.

The mostly industry crowd - it hit every demographic, from insane front-row fans fan to bored old men - was relatively into it, considering that the Forum was not at all near capacity. Madge did have to ask, "Are you guys awake??" at one point.

During I Love New York, She of course amended the lyrics to say "Los Angeles is for people who sleep, but you guys are great!" I'm sure She'll say something to the same effect in every other non-NYC city. At MSG, of course, our collective head will explode.

The mix from Lucky Star to Hung Up as the finale manages to sneak in a fun James Brown reference.

Drowned World/Substitute for Love and Paradise (Not for Me) duet with Isaac are lovely downtempo numbers.

The body? Flawless. The hair? Gorgeous (extensions?). The crowd interactivity? Pretty light.

Live to Tell has Madge-as-Jesus with crown of thorns and crucifix and all, following a heavy piece with three dancers dramatizing troubled youth stories.

The rollerskating interstitial is ridiculously well-choreographed.

There is a quick, inspired cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" that is nothing short of sublime.

I didn't even notice Her back-up singers until the end. (Sorry, Donna! Where the heck were you guys? Maybe I was so out of it focusing on Madonna the whole night.)
Biggest laugh: George W. Bush on the video screen during Sorry remix, edited to blink uncontrollably.

Three things I missed: Where was Holiday? The krumping dancer Miss Prissy? Any of the American Life album?? Wow.

It was a full two hours. An exhausting, incredible two hours.

More, including photos, to come when everything is processed and I get back to NYC.