Review: Madonna mentions Aliquippa in entertaining PPG Paints Arena show

PITTSBURGH ― Early on Monday, the Madonna "Celebration" show at PPG Paints Arena promised a trip down memory lane, including a glimpse of the pop superstar's New York club days, though you know how it goes − all roads somehow end up in Beaver County.

Indeed, on two separate occasions, Madonna mentioned Aliquippa.

"My daddy grew up in Aliquippa, not too far from here," Madonna (surname "Ciccone") said as she gripped the electric guitar she used to strum for "Burning Up."

Some 90 minutes later, with the clock approaching midnight, Madonna mentioned Aliquippa again, noting that during her Michigan upbringing she'd visit the Beaver County town every summer to help the family fix up her grandparents' farmhouse.

Granddad was an Italian-American immigrant who worked in the steel mill for pennies, Madonna said, noting with pride it was people like him "who built this (swear word) country."

Grandpap would have been proud of Madonna's work ethic in Pittsburgh, as the 65-year-old singing icon delivered an exciting, grandiose two-hour-10 minute performance laden with theatrics.

Divided into six thematic, career-spanning acts − can we call them "eras"? − Madonna's voice sounded good, and she glided across and soared above the stage with precision and enthusiasm, making the most of clever choreography with up to 16 dancers.

Act I flashed back to memories of a young and broke Madonna riding the NYC subway, buying cheap biker shorts and trying to get past the bouncer at a hip Manhattan club. Musically, that brought songs like "Into The Groove," "Burning Up," with Madonna swigging from a Budweiser bottle, and "Open Your Heart," where she danced in her chair.

A glittery disco ball appeared for "Holiday," but the party came crashing down, with a male dancer dramatically plummeting to the stage ushering in Act II with ominous thunder followed by video projections showing people who lost their lives to AIDS.

Act II brought "Like a Prayer," with bold religious imagery, including a spinning merry-go-round of crosses and shirtless men in poses of pain and despair, as Madonna marched somberly across the stage in a black, hooded cloak.

There'd be a bit more religious imagery.

But much more sexually suggestive dance sequences, including a segment with topless dancers of evidently different genders, though there's a welcoming fluidity at a Madonna show. Unlike her 2012 show in the same arena, Madonna didn't seem to be so much about shock value as simply celebrating life and being true to one's self, which made Monday's show superior.

Thick dance beats echoed through the area for the Act IV hit "Vogue," where Madonna co-judged a dance contest among her cast of physically fit stage colleagues sporting flamboyant costumes. Like an Olympics ice-skating judge, Madonna frequently held up a sign showing a perfect score of "10," including a moment where her daughter, Estere, did a simple and wholesome dance before getting a hug from mom.

Three of Madonna's children took part in the show, including 18-year-old daughter Mercy James who played an excellent classical piano solo segueing into mom's "Bad Girls." Her son David, 18, wearing western gear with a cowboy hat, played guitar during 2003's "Mother and Father" in Act V.

We never saw a full band. As for live instrumentation, there were spotlight moments for guitarists, typically on acoustic, including Madonna herself, strumming while wearing a brown leather cowboy hat with silvery black cowboy boots on "Don't Tell Me," which bore a bit of the theme from "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly."

Honestly, so much kept happening, it's hard to boil it all down. There was a segment with Madonna swinging her fists in a boxing ring, and a scene depicting her getting arrested.

She belted out an abbreviated version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," and flew maybe 40 feet above the crowd in a square contraption that looked a bit like a Barbie doll box as Act VI brought the EDM/trance-ish "Bedtime Story," "Ray of Light" and "Rain" with thunderous beats and Madonna alone on stage singing.

She left out some hits, like "Borderline" and "Lucky Star." Even megahit "Like a Virgin," disappointingly, was a pre-recorded version with The Queen of Pop still backstage preparing for the final act focusing on "B----, I'm Madonna" that included a dancer in Madonna's "A League of Their Own" baseball uniform.

Ultimately, Madonna proved she's still a vital artist quite skilled at entertaining.

She brought a touch of humility, too, genuinely thanking fans for their years of support.

In assessing her 40-plus-year career, Madonna evoked characteristic candor, saying, "I think the most controversial thing I've ever done is to stick around."

It's good she did.

And in case you wondered, Madonna took the stage at 10:09 p.m. and performed until almost 12:20 a.m.

The show had an advertised 8:30 p.m. start, which began with a deejay spinning '80 club bangers.

Then Bob the Drag Queen, winner of the eighth season of "RuPaul's Drag Race," paraded through the crowd and fired off funny quips before reaching the stage to introduce Madonna.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Madonna mentions Aliquippa in bold & entertaining Pittsburgh show