Untitled - Madonna

02 MADONNA’S LETTER
05 THE VALIDATOR
06 CELEBRATION
11 MY MADONNA SHRINE
29 HEATHER GETS STICKY & SWEET
39 FAN PROFUSION
Dear Friends,
Welcome to this new issue of Icon Magazine. The past
months have been busy ones for Madonna… The tour
ended a few months ago and it’s time for us to thank
our girl for the incredible time she gave us during the
summer! So many souvenirs are still floating in the air…
Guess we just all can’t wait for the DVD to be released!
In the meantime, keep an eye on the News section
of the site as a special tour issue of the magazine is
coming your way soon!
Madonna’s Greatest Hits Celebration has just been
released as a 2-CD set and features two new songs,
including the title track, which was co-produced
by Paul Oakenfold. Icon is set to celebrate this new
release; get ready for exciting contests and other
related surprises!
Talking about Icon, this issue includes great stories
from our “Madonna Shrine Contest” winners, as well as
behind the scenes photos and great live ones. Make
sure to read about Heather’s trip to Belgium back in
early July. She attended Icon’s Soundcheck Party and
has a lot to share with you.
Last, but not least, the whole Icon team worked hard
to come up with a new community space, which
now allows you to run your own Madonna blog and
multimedia page. We all hope that you enjoy the
new functionalities and get to make even more new
friends!
That is all for now, and stay tuned — there’s a lot more
in store for you this year!
xoxo
Johann
ICON MAGAZINE #52 - Quarterly publication of The Official
Madonna Fan Club - Web: www.madonna.com - Honorary
Madonna - Edited by Johann Delebarre - Assistant Editor
David Marion - Additional contributions by Madonna and Liz
Rosenberg - Art direction, layout & design Johann Delebarre
& David Marion - Additional Graphics by Mr Brainwash Photo
Credits Steven Meisel, Guy Oseary, Frank Micelotta and Joe
Scarnici - The usual suspects Madonna, Guy Oseary, Liz Rosenberg, Sara Zambreno, Arman Austria, Christophe Caron,
Magali Devernay, Bibi & Krys, Théo, Lola and all Madonna fans
around the world... - This issue is dedicated to the «Guy who
takes those amazing pics for our eyes to see». Copyright ©
2009 Boy Toy, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without
written permission is prohibited.
Greetings my Iconers:
Have you heard? The Sticky & Sweet Tour has ended. Yeah, I know you knew that already.
Four minutes to recover and on to the MTV Awards – more on that later. As exhausting as the
tour was for Madonna, just days after it ended she told me she already missed her touring
family. “I keep looking around for them,” she said to me of her dancers and her Sticky & Sweet
team. But waking up every day in New York, the city that she loves and the city where it all
began for her seems like perfect timing in light of “Celebration”’s release. Full circle.
And can we Madonna fans CELEBRATE” the release of the ULTIMATE, DEFINITIVE, MEGA STUPENDOUS MIRACLE that is “CELEBRATION”? Altogether now, YES YES YES YES. What a trip
down memory lane for all of us. There really is something amazing about listening to these
remastered tunes one after the other. Touched for the very first time – over and over. Covering
me with velvet kisses…..well the lyrics alone could make up an entire validator column but I’ll
spare you.. Love how the tunes work so well in non chronological order.. I remain a fan first and
foremost but no matter how much you love a song, they don’t all
stand the test of time – except for Madonna’s every single one
of them. The timelessness of Disc 2 (which I’m listening to right
now – dancing around my office – and then going back to my
computer – not a pretty site) with Dress you Up, Material Girl, La
Isla, Papa Don’t Preach and Lucky Star - phenom. For me, part
of the Madonna magic is that she can make you feel like you’re a
great dancer. Just an extra bit of magic she performs besides writing, producing, singing and so on. Can’t wait for the DVD. That
really will take me back in time. Just thinking about all the video
shoots I was at all around the world working till 6am – not having
a clue how they would be received always hoping for the best but
expecting an onslaught of media ‘opinion’ to put it tastefully. This
is not to say that there aren’t plenty of Madonna fanatics out there
in the press..Trust me. They called me every day with the songs
that HAD to be on “Celebration”.
So poor Madonna did not have a minute’s rest and stayed up
for three nights wanting to write the perfect tribute for Michael
Jackson which she would deliver at the start of the MTV Awards..
They told her she had 45 seconds.. How can you sum up the genius of that man in such a short time? It wasn’t possible. MTV
found some more space for her speech. And so great that M had
the chance to talk about the time she spent with Michael awhile
back and really remind people of the human being and how their
paths were often so similar and how she understood the sense of
isolation so well.. It came from so deep in Madonna’s heart. Great
response from the audience. Madonna then stayed on the side of
the stage and got to watch Janet Jackson and the Michael Jackson
Tribute. She wanted to visit with Janet right after her performance
but she’d left Radio City immediately.. Madonna did have a lovely
visit beforehand with Jack Black in his heavy metal persona – fake
muscled arms and all. She wished her kids were there because
they think Jack Black is the coolest. Wish I could give you the dets
on what Madonna is up to next..She’s happy to get to spend more
time on her work in Malawi and the building of a girl’s academy
there. And Madonna is also writing, exploring lots of options and
no chance she’s going to take a break anytime soon. And if that’s
not something to be thankful for, I don’t know what is.
Some things I have learned from Madonna: Fearlessness, Courage,
No regrets, Work hard, Have fun, Read Take a stand, Commitment,
Have more fun, But take life seriously Loyalty, You Can Dance if
you want.
And Madonna – Take a bow and a big thank you from me and
your fans for 26 years on life’s dance floor…..More More More.
We’re never telling you to stop!!!!
Your ever lovin’ Validator
Liz R.
ICON 52 - 5
Madonna’s Celebration Greatest Hits, spanning over two decades of success, has just
hit the stores! From “Everybody” to “Revolver,” this compilation takes you on a journey
of music, dance, souvenirs and fun. Are you ready to Celebrate?
We were all waiting for it, and it happened! Madonna and Warner Bros. carefully picked 34
songs out of the Material Girl’s catalog and put them on a 2-CD set, making sure that we would
all get to find the songs we all fell in love with back in the day or during the past few years. If you
thought it would be all about remixes or new versions of the songs (just like with The Immaculate Collection), you were wrong. The goal here was to include all of Madonna’s most famous
hits in their full original glory, to take you on a trip down memory lane, listening to the exact
same version you (and the whole world) first heard on the radio. To include 36 re-mastered
songs on just two CDs was quite a technical challenge, and that is why a few of them are radio
edits. Some will say that “Miles Away” should have been replaced with “Give It 2 Me,” but did you
know that “Miles Away” was the best-selling single in Japan over the past 12 months? This is a
greatest hits package made for a world-wide Celebration for every Madonna music lover.
Available as an 18-track CD, Celebration has also been released as a 2-CD set (including “Revolver,” featuring Lil Wayne and co-produced by Frank.E), and as a 47-track, 2-DVD set! The DVDs
includes all of Madonna’s most famous videos, but also some that have never been released
on DVD before. Get your DVD player ready, Iconers! The digital release includes a bonus track
named, “It’s So Cool,” which was co-written by Madonna and Mirwais, and co-produced by Paul
Oakenfold. At the end of the day, Celebration can be considered as the ultimate Madonna
collection, offering an extended view on her amazing career, while including new songs and
rare videos as extras. Isn’t this the perfect Madonna mix for the overall fan community and a
more global audience?
The title track, which was picked as the first single, also was co-produced by Paul Oakenfold
and released digitally on July 13. Guess we all fell in love with it from the beginning — the song
being a perfect celebration of Madonna’s 80’s Pop sound with additional touches of the current
club scene one. As always, some killer remixes were produced by talented deejays such as Johnny Vicious, Felguk and Benny Benassi, along with a club version of the song by the one and
only Paul Oakenfold. We just can’t wait for all of them to be released as a CD maxi-single in the
U.S; as the artwork created for it by Mr. Brainwash (who also is behind the stunning album co-
ver) uses one of our favourite Wayne Maser photo from
the Erotica days…
When it comes to the video, Madonna made it big for us
all as she was in the middle of her ‘Sticky & Sweet Tour’
but still found time out of her crazy schedule to film one
(using the Benny Benassi remix of the song) and to get
Jonas Akerlund to direct it. The only guideline here was
to make it a real celebration and her tour dancers brought the final touch of fun it deserved. Dressed in a glittering and sexy Balmain micro dress, Madonna knows how
to move and she once again proves it! A second version
of the video features some of her most enthusiastic fans
and was made for them.
Released on September 29th in the USA, the compilation was released internationally the day before. Some
European countries got an early release, Celebration
being available by September 18 in Germany, Italy and
the Netherlands. More than a follow up to 1990’s The
Immaculate Collection and 2001’s GHV2, Celebration is
the ultimate tribute from Madonna and Warner Bros to
all of her fans around the world. Those who loved her
8 - ICON 52
music back in the early 80’s, those who would become
die-hard fans the minute they first heard her on the radio, those who would fall in love while dancing to one of
her songs… We all have Madonna related souvenirs, and
Celebration has a little something for each and everyone
of us… Please keep that in mind when you play it for the
first time as that’s what happened to me when I did :-)
Above: Madonna filming the ‘Celebration’ video Photography by Guy Oseary
Iconers! We’ve just launched a brand new
contest for Platinum members only.
This new contest allows you to win your own
“Celebration Fan Pack”, which includes 6
different ‘Celebration’ releases!
If you’re ready to give it a try and to share
your ‘Celebration’ related souvenirs with us,
then just visit www.madonna.com/contest
18 TRACKS CD
Hung Up - Music - Vogue - 4 Minutes - Holiday - Like A Virgin - Into The Groove - Like A Prayer - Ray Of
Light - La Isla Bonita - Frozen - Material Girl - Papa Don’t Preach - Lucky Star - Express Yourself - Open
Your Heart - Dress You Up - Celebration
36 TRACKS 2-CD SET
CD 1: Hung Up - Music - Vogue - 4 Minutes - Holiday - Everybody - Like A Virgin - Into The Groove Like A Prayer - Ray Of Light - Sorry - Express Yourself - Open Your Heart - Borderline - Secret - Erotica
- Justify My Love - Revolver
CD 2: Dress You Up - Material Girl - La Isla Bonita - Papa Don’t Preach - Lucky Star - Burning Up Crazy For You - Who’s That Girl - Frozen - Miles Away - Take A Bow - Live To Tell - Beautiful Stranger
- Hollywood - Die Another Day - Don’t Tell Me - Cherish - Celebration
47 TRACKS 2-DVD SET
DVD 1: Burning Up - Lucky Star - Borderline - Like A Virgin - Material Girl - Crazy For You - Into The
Groove - Live To Tell - Papa Don’t Preach - True Blue - Open Your Heart - La Isla Bonita - Who’s That
Girl - Like A Prayer - Express Yourself - Cherish - Vogue - Justify My Love - Erotica - Deeper and Deeper - Rain - I’ll Remember
DVD 2: Secret - Take A Bow - Bedtime Story - Human Nature - I Want You - You’ll See - Frozen - Ray
Of Light - The Power Of Good-Bye - Beautiful Stranger - American Pie - Music - Don’t Tell Me - What It
Feels Like For A Girl - Die Another Day - Hollywood - Love Profusion - Hung Up - Sorry - Get Together Jump - 4 Minutes - Give It 2 Me - Miles Away - Celebration
Back in April, Icon launched a new contest devoted to your favourite Madonna items called, ‘My
Madonna Shrine.’ Not only was it your chance to share your own Madonna treasures with the rest
of the Icon community, but also to maybe win a signed copy of your entry. Time for us to learn
more about our winners!
As Madonna fans, we all collect her music, her movies,
videos, books, photos, items and more… But we also all
have our favourite item(s), those we would never sell,
give away or trade. Sometimes it’s an album, a single or
a postcard, but it also can be something more personal, like a tattoo or a photo taken at one of her shows.
In most cases, those are all well stored in a box or put
on display on a shelf for all of our friends to see and ask,
“Where did you get that one?” This is exactly what we had
on mind when we decided to launch our ‘My Madonna
Shrine’ contest! Why should only your loved ones get to
see what you have been treasuring for years? We asked
you to submit a picture of your own Madonna shrine; no
matter if it was made of 1 or 1,000 Madonna branded
items. Then we posted all of the valid collected entires
and let all your fellow Iconers vote. A lot of you took time
to come up with amazing entries, and voting for just one
of them must have been quite a hard task for our fellow
members… The three most voted entries were to get
printed and signed by Madonna, but when our girl noticed the efforts put into this contest, she decided to sign
all of the ten most-voted photos instead!
When it comes to pay tribute to our queen, no matter
where you live or where you come from, if you are a
Madonna fan, the only limit is your creativity. All of the
submitted photos had a special something to them.
There’s often a story behind them, which was sometimes
explained in the e-mails sent to us, but to let everyone
discover and understand it their own way was the right
thing to do. It’s like viewing a painting and the meaning
one may interpret from it. Comparing those entries to art
could sound a little weird, but it’s not, as you all put your
heart and passion into them, the same way a painter or
a sculptor would.
Our top three winners, Viktor (Finland), Zaher (Italy) and
Josh (UK), decided to share a little more about their passion with us, and we are happy to have them telling us
more about their own Madonna experience in this issue
of Icon Magazine. These guys have a totally different
vision of a Madonna shrine, one of them collecting all
of her commercial and promotional releases, one using
his own skin as the ultimate tribute to his queen, and
another focusing on her image through the years. Even
if quite different, their stories are all amazing because
they teach us about something that is not obvious in the
first place: Being a Madonna fan doesn’t mean that you
just love her for the same reasons as the rest of her fan
base. We all fell in love with the very same girl, but there
is more to her than just her music, her behaviour or her
image.
Thank you again to all of you who entered the contest
and shared a little more about themselves through their
passion for the one and only queen of pop! Do we need
to add that Madonna enjoyed this contest a lot? To see
her taking the time to review them all and to sign the
most voted ones while getting ready for her tour is probably the best proof here…
ICON 52 - 11
Me: Mum! I have great news!
Mum: What? Did you find that Prada bag your sister asked you for?!
Me: forget about the bag now! I won the ultimate Madonna contest, and the queen herself will be signing my entry!!
Mum: OK, now that you’ll have your signed picture. You should sell the other stuff and stop spending your money on that
woman!
Me: She’s not “that woman”! She’s MADONNA!
This was more or less my mum’s -on the phone- reaction when she knew I won the “Madonna Shrine contest.” My own
reaction, on the other hand, was something very different. I was in total disbelief, shaking with excitement. I logged on immediately to the Icon boards, and read all of the nice comments and congratulatory messages my fellow Iconers had sent
me. It brought tears of joy to my eyes, but I also felt sad for the ones who worked hard and didn’t make it. My friends were
thrilled for me, even if they couldn’t understand my passion for collecting. “Why buy all of this stuff?,” “Why spend years
looking for a certain item?,” “Why don’t you buy something useful with your money instead!”; just a few of the numerous
questions I get from them all the time. Thanks to Icon, I finally have the chance to justify my love for Madonna, and I think
that the best way to do it is to go back in time to where it all began.
First, let me introduce myself, before I tell you my story
and how I got the privilege to be on one of the pages of
Icon magazine. My name is Zaher Katerji, I was born on
the 13th of December 1976 with Syrian origins. I’ve had
my nickname, Zoozoo (Zuzu), since childhood, and I still
use it as you might have noticed. I am an architect, and
an interior designer. I enjoy my work a lot, and one of my
dreams is to design a Madonna exhibition, or maybe get
involved in one of her tours as part of the creative team. I
have been a Madonna fan since the first time I heard “Holiday,” but my all-time favourite song would be “La Isla Bonita,” “Like a Prayer,” and “Hung Up.” As for my favourite album and video, it would certainly be “Like A Prayer.” After
twenty years, I’m still addicted to the song and still think
she looked most stunning when she donned her natural
brunette look during that era. Now that you know me
better, we can go back to our main story…
We are in the 1980s. My physical attraction for the material virgin was about to become a true blue love! The
right moment came with the release of the “La Isla Bonita” video. I couldn’t get enough of that magical video,
so I taped it to play it over and over again! All day long,
I was right in front of the TV screen, within an arm’s
length away from the VCR, pressing STOP, Rewind, and
PLAY, again. Every time Madonna vanished into the horizon, wearing her mesmerizing red Spanish dress, she
took away my heart with her. Just in time for me to press
STOP, Rewind, and Play, again. I wanted more from that
lovely story. Having the album didn’t seem enough for
me, so I had to get the single, too. I only had to convince
12 - ICON 52
“mummy dearest” to buy it for me.
Me: Mum, could I have the new Madonna single?
Mum: I don’t want to hear more about this Madonna!
You already have all of her albums, why do you need the
singles, too?!
Me: Singles have different remixes of the song… Dah!
Mum: Stop this nonsense and go finish your homework.
I went back to watching the video while trying to figure
out another way to get my hands on the single. The day
after I started saving money and finally managed to get
my all-time favourite Madonna single, which would also
be my very first collector’s item.
During that summer, Madonna came to Italy with the
“Who’s That Girl World Tour.” The Vatican was irritated by
her sexy image and feared that she would “corrupt the
morals of Italian youths.” On the other hand, I was irritated by that young brat dancing with Madonna! Why
didn’t she pick me instead?
I was eager to see the show, but my parents thought that
I was too young, and the only place I should go to was
Summer school! Every day after school, I stopped at the
newsstand to check the new Madonna magazines and
newspapers, and as soon as I got back home, I started
cutting all of the articles and pictures to add them to
my well-organized scrapbooks. The full magazines, on
the other hand, were all put into plastic bags and nobody (including mum) was allowed to read them or even
touch them. By 1989, everyone at school regarded me as
the biggest Madonna fan, and the only source for official
news about the queen (no offence, Liz). And when THAT
video came out, they were all questioning me about
the burning crosses, the black Jesus and why Madonna
made these “artistic choices”! Other kids at school started
helping me build my collection by bringing me all kinds
of Madonna pictures, magazine clippings, and posters
they could find. I even convinced some poor kid to give
me the famous “Like A Prayer” door poster, and the ‘89
fabulous calendar, in exchange for some George Michael
posters I wanted to get rid of anyway! A few days later, he
wanted to have his stuff back, but I told him, “it’s too late
— the deal was closed!” One day, a guy brought to class
the cutest CD I’ve ever seen, a 3-inch “Like a Prayer” Japanese CD. He also showed me a Pepsi can with Madonna’s
picture on it, and I became obsessed with having it! Needless to say, the guy became my new “best friend,” but
nevertheless, I didn’t get the can. He ended up giving
it to a stupid girlfriend he wanted to impress...Ten years
later, thanks to eBay, I finally managed to lay my hands on
one of these gorgeous cans!
During the erotic 1990s, Madonna made me fall deeper
and deeper in love with her, only to discover that it’s a
profoundly forbidden love…
I began the new decade in an extremely frustrated way!
Whenever I entered a store and asked about a new
Madonna release, I got the same “strange” answer that
was totally new to me! “Vogue” single: BANNED (evil single with explicit cover picture). Blond Ambition video:
BANNED (bed scene, gay dancers, that bra... need I say
more?!).In Bed With Madonna [Truth Or Dare] video: ABSOLUTELY BANNED (same as the above and a bit more).
I forgot to tell you one tiny detail. In the early 90’s, it was
destined for me to live in Saudi Arabia, where Madonna
was and still is considered a threat to virtue and morality!
The theme of that phase of my life was: CENSORSHIP.
October 1992, Madonna fans everywhere were celebrating the release of Erotica and the Sex Book. Meanwhile, I
couldn’t even get my hands on a copy of the damn CD!
When the Erotica finally hit the shops, the booklet was
completely cut off, and the back cover picture was censored with a black marker! I had to have my copy, and I
had to figure out a way to “smuggle” it into the country!
My best friend and I decided to try our luck and go to
the headquarters of the biggest music store in town.
We came up with a reason to get into the building, and
as soon as we were inside, we tried to sneak around to
find where they were censoring the CD’s. Right away, we
were blocked by a security guard who looked more of a
bouncer, and asked us if we were looking for someone
in particular. I began explaining the story about the un14 - ICON 52
censored CD’s, only to be interrupted by his laugh as
he told us that it was impossible to have them because
all CD’s got censored before they entered the country!
Meanwhile a guy, who seemed to be a manager, entered
the room and asked me if he could be of any help. I went
with him to his office, and started telling him my “tragic
tale,” and how I would die if I didn’t get an «immaculate»
Erotica CD. I spent a full hour begging and imploring
him, which eventually paid off, and I ended up getting a
hand full of all Madonna’s UNCENSORED CD’s!
So, I went back home, tired and drained, but at the same
time ecstatic with my “victory,” While I was in the taxi, I discovered another surprise. Inside the CD booklet, I found
out, for the first time ever, about the Official Madonna
Fan Club! The next day, I sent a letter to the late Marcia
del Vecchio, and shortly after I received my application
form. My only problem then, was how to get a Madonna
magazine, without forcing her to get dressed in black, by
some imbecile with a black marker in his hand! I had to
figure out how to “import” the magazine without passing
through the censors check! Luckily, with the help of my
friend’s sister, who lived “outside the siege,” I had all of the
magazines sent to her address, and when she visited her
family, she brought them to me, by hiding them in her
suitcase! Yes, that was how much I had to go through to
get my first Icon magazines!
On her first visit and after months of waiting, I finally received Icon 9 and I got the chance to participate in my
first Icon contest (it took me seventeen years to finally
win one, but I’m not complaining ;-)). I can’t remember
what the award was, but I think it was one of those wonderful Dita party invitations.
Icon opened a new collecting horizon for me; the “Boy
Toy By Mail” catalogue was full of gorgeous posters, Tshirts, CD’s, vinyl’s and everything else. I ended up trading many items with other Iconers that I came to know
through the “back stage” feature in the magazine. My favourite traders were definitely Japanese guys! They packaged everything perfectly, and all of their items were in
absolute MINT condition! I wondered if they ever played
their records, and if they did, I wanted to see how on
earth they managed to keep them perfectly intact! 1994
saw me going back to my own country and going for
college. A month before leaving, I started packing carefully my Madonna collection, all CD’s, vinyls and magazines had to go into protective plastic bags, to be doublewrapped with air bubble sheets before they could go
into the boxes! Yes, I know I’m a bit “extreme” sometimes,
but when it comes to ”the collection,” you can never be
too careful. One day while I was happily busy wrapping
some posters, I got interrupted by none other than good
old mum...
Mum: Honey, now you’re a grown up, and you don’t need
to keep all of this garbage anymore! I think you should
keep only the CD’s and get rid of all of the posters, magazines and “small silly items.”
Me: WHAT?! You want me to throw away the “Dita” poster
and the Tatler and Italian Vogue magazines!! People out
there would die for one of these!
Mum: Suit yourself, I’m not keeping this stuff for you in
MY HOUSE, so you’d better find another solution!
After hours of discussions we finally reached an agreement. I ended up keeping the posters and magazines
and throwing away the small pictures and the long
boxes of the US CD’s. Years later, I re-bought them on
eBay for hundreds of dollars. Thanks, mum! As soon as I
got back to my hometown, I fell head over heels in love
for the very first time in my life! Fortunately, it happened
during the sentimental Bedtime Stories era. I remember
listening to the CD night and day, and fantasizing about
living happily ever after with my Forbidden Lover. Needless to say, the “happily ever after” thing didn’t work out,
but the CD remains, to this date, one of my all time favourite Madonna albums. Collecting-wise, by then I had
every single commercial Madonna release and I was looking for something new to collect. I noticed that other
fans collected promo releases, so I thought, in order to be
a real Madonna collector, I had to start collecting them,
too. My first promo CD was the exceptionally beautiful
Bedtime Stories with a velvet cover that I received as a
Valentine gift (how romantic is that?!) The Patrick Demarchelier photo shot was another of my favourite elements
about this amazing album. When they gave us our first
assignment with water colours at the university, I ended
up drawing four of these pictures, instead of drawing
buildings, houses or churches (what you’d usually expect
at Architecture school). Needless to say, some colleagues
and professors were scandalized when they saw my
work. The jury on the other hand, defined it as “a very
courageous way of expressing myself,” and gave me the
highest grade in class! The Fighting Spirit/attitude Madonna taught me, started to pay off, and will continue to
do so through my life.
By the end of M’s “romantic mood” era, my own romance
was sadly over, too. The release of Ray Of Light found me
heart-broken, and songs like “Frozen” and “The Power Of
Goodbye” were the perfect soundtrack for that period
of my misery. I always knew there was a strong connection between M’s music and my own life. ;-) Fortunately,
I discovered a “magical place” where I could forget about
my ex, and make my wildest collecting fantasies a reality
– Yes I’m talking about eBay. A collector’s dream (and a
credit card’s nightmare)! Every rare Madonna item was
only one click away, all you had to do was be quick, pay
the right price, and bid, bid, bid! But even with eBay, I
still visited the traditional collecting sites (record fairs, old
shops, garage sales, etc.), and that’s where I always ended up finding most of the real gems. The first example
that comes to mind was Madonna’s one and only holy
grail, the infamous Erotica picture disc. While this item
was selling for thousands of dollars on eBay, I found my
copy in a small used record shop in Tokyo for a mere $25!
How the hell it made it across the ocean to Japan will
remain a mystery to me (not that I care when it’s mine
now). My ultimate dream is to have it signed by Madonna one day.
Hey mister DJ, it’s the year 2000, so put a record on; I
wanna dance, dance, dance, and don’t you ever tell me
to stop! New sound, new look, and tons of new young
fans! At first, I felt like an ancient fan, and was nostalgic
of my Madonna of the 80’s & 90’s. It took me some time
to get used to the fresh sound, but as soon as I was into
it, I put on my pink cowboy hat, and started to enjoy
the current impressive instant. With everything in our
lives and careers going in the right direction, Madonna
and I felt we needed to settle down by now, and each
of us did it in his own way. She met her partner during
a dinner party in an English castle, and wedded him in
a Scottish one. While I met mine during a drag queen
show (if you’re wondering, we were only watching), and
never wed him because of the orthodox Italian law. But
after a few years of mundane “family life” I started feeling
old and bored. My feet started itching me to go clubbing
and dancing out all night like I used to do. The answer
to my prayers came in the form of Madonna’s wonderful
gift of the 2000’s, the best dance album she ever made:
Confessions On A Dance Floor.
“Every little thing that you say or do, I’m hung up, I’m
huuung up on you...” Oh my God, I couldn’t get that damn
ICON 52 - 15
melody out of my head — or maybe I just didn’t want to!
The Confessions era had just started, and I didn’t want it
to end! To make things even better, Madonna decided to
go on her greatest tour ever! Yes, EVER! The Confessions
Tour. As soon as the tour was announced, my office turned into a small travel agency. My full time job turned
into buying concert tickets, and booking hotels and flights. My boyfriend was angry because we had to cancel
our long planned Canary Islands vacation, but after some
time he had to accept the fact that whenever Madonna
is on tour, all other plans are cancelled automatically.
After a fantastic European tour, I had to say goodbye to
Madonna, as she had to leave for Russia and Japan. I too
had to get back to my job, if I still had one. I went to the
last Prague show with Iconer Vincy, and we had the time
of our lives there. I got to hold M’s hand on “Get Together”
and she wore my hat — for the third show in a row —
during “Let It Will Be”! As soon as the show was over, and
while I was still saying goodbye to the other Italian guys,
my phone rang.
Me: Pronto?
Mum: Hi dear! How was your Madonna show?
Me: Great mum! The best ever! She picked my hat again!
Mum: Did she give it back to you this time?
Me: Nooo muuum, she threw it to the crowd like she
does every night!
Mum: AGAIN!! You went to see all of her shows, and
didn’t come to see us instead and that’s what you get
back from her!
Me: Mum, I can’t hear you, my battery is dying…
*switch off*
After the tour was over, I had the time to relax a bit and
work on my collection. The Confessions era proved to be
not only a dance floor utopia, but also a collector’s paradise, too! There were heaps of rare releases, and I managed to get them all! Thanks to my contacts, and above all,
thanks to my shameless nagging attitude I’ve developed
through the years! When I want a Madonna item, I don’t
accept a NO for an answer! When Confessions first came
out, I asked every music store in town if they could reserve on one of the dazzling life size Madonna displays,
and give it to me when the promotion of the album was
over. They all said no, and I was really frustrated knowing
that these displays will get destroyed a few weeks after.
I finally entered a small shop in my neighbourhood, and
made the same desperate request. The guy smiled and
said I could have it only if I helped him promote the CD
by walking outside his shop with the display! Needless
to say, I accepted the deal against the embarrassment
and shame of my poor boyfriend.That night, I went back
home with my magnificent display, and with some excellent marketing skills to add to my CV [curriculum
vitae], too! 2008 seemed to be a big year for me, espe16 - ICON 52
cially after signing a contract with a famous Italian luxury
brand to design their stores. Meanwhile Madonna and
everybody at Icon were celebrating the release of Hard
Candy with the two Promo Tour contests, and even
though I wasn’t amongst the winners, Iconer “babeborre”
offered me the chance to go with her to the Olympia
show! (I’ll be forever in your debt, Barbara.) When I read
Barbara’s email, I almost had a heart attack, and started
jumping like a mad man in the office! But I had a very
important work meeting on the same day of the show,
and if I didn’t show up, I would have risked my new hardearned contract, and looked like a careless fool in front
of my colleagues. Of course not going to the Madonna
show was out of the question. All I had to do was find a
convincing reason to postpone the meeting. While I was
desperately searching for a reason in my head, my boss
entered the room and I found myself telling her the first
thing that came to my mind: «My cousin had a miscarriage and I need to go to Turin to be by her side.» I noticed
she wasn’t convinced by the “gravity of the situation”; so,
I went on telling her how desperate my cousin sounded
on the phone and that I was afraid she might harm herself or something! When my boss kindly asked me about
my cousin’s husband, and why he was not there with her,
I improvised a worse lie and told her that her husband
had left her because she became intolerable during the
pregnancy period...
A few days later, my colleagues heard about the Paris
show in the news, and they were all 100% sure that I was
there and not in Turin… So by now, everyone at work
knew that I’m the worst liar and the most desperate Madonna fan! They just have no idea, that for an exclusive
Madonna show, I would do much, much more! Summer
of 2008, we’re reaching the end of our long journey and
coming full circle with my “love affair” with Madonna... A
long journey full of passion and excitement and of unforgettable precious moments..
Rome, September 6th 2008
The dancers were leaving the stage and Madonna was
preparing for her rendition of “You Must Love Me.” Suddenly, the thousands of screaming fans became calm,
mesmerized by her overwhelming beauty. It’s one of
these surreal moments; my heart started racing faster
and faster when I found myself face to face with M. As I
heard the first notes of the song, I found myself thinking
about the last twenty five years, about the difference Madonna has made in my life, and in the lives of everyone
else standing next to me. She opened our eyes, and taught us to grab life by the balls, to accept and love ourselves, and everyone else around us. I looked her in the
eyes and screamed: “TI AMO! You know I LOVE YOU!!!” She
looked back with a sweet smile on her face, a smile that
sent me back in time, to the day I fell in love with her.
We met in club and he saw my “BOY TOY” necklace. We
began to talk about Madonna and it turned out that we
shared favourite albums and styles of Madonna. He said
to me that he didn’t have Sex Book, so I invited him to
see it at my place. The Sex Book was really good bait, and
here we are now 4,5 years later. If we share our love, M
collectibles are things we don’t. So most of the items we
have double pieces. I don’t mind at all. Through my life,
I’m been expressing myself in many different ways. One
of the earliest memories of Madonna was 1990’s Blonde Ambition tour when I was seven. It aired on Finnish
national television, and my Mom said to me, ”You can
watch the show, if you don’t copy the naughty parts.”
Then I thought, “WOW! Madonna must be very cool and
impressive if my Mom noticed those kinds of things from
her.” “Like A Virgin” really influenced me a lot. So, after 11
years I performed my version of Blonde Ambition’s “Like
A Virgin” at my high school’s costume party. I was in seventh heaven on the stage. I just let go and went crazy
(especially at the end of the track). I ended up doing something against my Mom’s will. My apologizes, Mom!
After a couple of years of that ”magical” performance, I
wanted to do something more by getting my first Mtattoo. I’ve always thought that tattoos are beautiful
and I also wanted one. One became two and so on. At
first I only took symbolic tattoos, like the same word in
Hebrew that was inked on Madonna’s arm in the “Die
Another Day” video and shown in the Re-Invention Tour
programme. After that, I took the “I have a Madonna
complex” logo from the tour t-shirt & “Madonna” in Japanese, and tattooed them on my skin. I wanted everyone
to notice that I admire Madonna. I have seen many Madonna tattoos (in real life and on the Internet) and I’m in
love with all of them. Great job everybody! It’s an honour
to be in same group with all of you. Luckily I found a
talented tattoo artist called Ile from Putka Tattoos. With
him, I had enough courage to take my first realistic tattoo. The first one was my favourite picture in the Sex
Book — goddess at the beach with long blond hair. After
3,5 hours of tickling pain, I saw the most beautiful piece
of art. I was so happy and I knew that realistic tattoos
were definitely my thing. Afterwards, I’ve taken tattoos
from my favourite photo shoots. Every tattoo also has a
deeper meaning for me. For example, the Blonde Ambi-
IKTOR’S MADONNA SHRIN
Madonna is so much more to me than “an artist.” This might sound a cliché, but I’m getting lots of energy out of
Queen M work. Don’t we all! The most important thing is
that I learned from her is that you should not think about
other people’s opinions: just do your own thing and be
who you are. Be proud and express yourself in the way
you feel best for you. And I must also thank Madonna
for everything she has “given” me, including a wonderful
boyfriend who also is a huge fan.
tion tattoo — I’m thanking my Mom for her “wise” words
and warnings back in the 90’s. Without her, Madonna
wouldn’t have hit me so hard.
There have been many highlights for me being Madonna fan. First was on millennium eve. I made a new year’s
wish in Paris, “In 2000, I will get the Sex Book, no matter
how much it will cost.” 4:30 a.m. on the same night, I got
my first one, for free. It was a dream come true. A nice
Parisian man invited my friend and me to his party. He
was very interested in our home country of Finland and
also the fact that Madonna was playing such a big role
in my life. He put “Erotic” on the CD player and I said, “Do
you have Sex Book because you have this track?” He said,
“Yes.” I told him how much I love that book and some
day I’m going to have one of my own. After many glasses of wine he said to me, “You can have it,because it
means so much more to you than me.” I was thrilled. The
next day, when we were at the New Year’s lunch, I asked
him if I could really keep the book and he was, like, “of
course.” The way I got my first Sex Book was so unreal, so
20 - ICON 52
my naked Madonna tattoo is a memory of it. You should
never stop wishing, because, sometimes, your wishes
might come true. Confessions On A Dance Floor was
really huge thing for my boyfriend and me. It was the
first album that came out when we were a couple. The
Confessions tour in London was the first Madonna show
where we were together. I love the whole era and that’s
why I ended up getting a tattoo of the W magazine cover, “Madonna rides again.” I must admit that this one is
my favourite. Someday when we get married, I want him
to take the same tattoo as a commitment of our love for
each other.
In the fall of 2008, we were so lucky that we had our
very first front row experience at the Sticky and Sweet
London gig. I loved it. And right after I won Icon’s t-shirt
competition and got two tickets for second show in
Paris. Front row again. That was more than I could ever
dream of. Sticky and Sweet is definitely my favourite tour.
Madonna showed how she can do it better than ever before. That’s why I took a recent tattoo from the Sticky and
Sweet tour programme. That picture reminds me that
you have to challenge yourself if you are trying to move
forward in your life. Thanks to the bigger forces, I’ve had
been so lucky during the years. I thought that now is the
time that my luck would change. Besides that, I decided
to enter the “My Madonna Shrine competition.” The idea
of my entry came up in my head within the first minute
I read about the competition. I wanted to keep it simple, that everybody gets the idea of it from the very first
look. I named my entry “In bed with Queen/Queer.” Of
course, I wanted to get Madonna’s signature of my own.
Who doesn’t? But I thought that I hadn’t a chance to win.
There were so many amazing entries.
When the results came out, I fell off my chair. The prize
is so unbelievable and I’m the lucky winner. There are
no words enough to thank you for voting for my entry. I
love you all. Of course, I also would like to thank Icon for
the most fascinating competition ever. It’s an honour to
be part of this fan club. Together, we praise our Queen.
Also I’m more than happy for all the support I’ve received
from the members of the Finnish Madonna community,
“Madonna Foorumi.” After twenty years, I see myself inked from head to toe. I’m so glad that Madonna is my
idol. She has millions of different kind of looks so it’s extremely hard to choose which ones end up on my skin.
If I were, for example, a Celine Dion fan, how boring that
would be that I had the same picture again and again,
Blah! Thank You, Madonna, for being the master of re-invention. I got plenty of free skin left and Madonna got
plenty of styles, so there will be much more pain ahead
for me. Luckily, there aren’t many days left to go until the
opening of the Sticky and Sweet round 2 tour, and I can
see her live performance once again. And I don’t have to
settle for looking at my tattoos.
Ain’t nothing like a real thing.
Wonderful tour summer for all the Iconers!
Ps: I haven’t decided yet which tattoo I’m going to get
next. Madonna could you please decide for me. You have
my e-mail!
ICON 52 - 21
Hey everyone! My name is Josh Brandao and I’m 29 years old. I’m originally from Brazil but I’ve been living in London
for almost 10 years and I am at moment a Performance Design student. I saw Madonna for the first time on TV when
I was 7 years old. They were showing the Virgin Tour on after my favourite Saturday afternoon show. Even though I
was only a child I was immediately drawn to her magical beauty. Her voice, her dance moves, her looks…I felt like I was
taken to a different dimension. And my life was never the same again since then.
After that day I couldn’t stop thinking about Madonna.
Actually I had no Idea who she was but I wanted more of
her. I started to draw her from the images I remembered
from the show and to hum the songs I could remember.
Then I heard her on the radio and soon I saw the premiere of the video for “Papa Don’t Preach” on TV. That year,
my aunt gave me as a birthday present the True Blue LP. I
was still asleep when they put the record on and I woke
up to the sound of “Papa Don’t Preach.” And even today,
every time I hear the intro I immediately remember how
I felt that morning.
From that time on I was completely hooked on Madonna and I played that record a million times. I couldn’t wait
for the next album and I wanted so much to one day
go to one of her concerts. But in 1993 finally my prayers
were answered. Madonna announced she would come
to Brazil with the Girlie Show. The day I heard about it I
screamed so loud all the neighbours could hear me.
I got my ticket but then my Mom told me I couldn’t go. I
was only 14 and it was all happening right at the time of
all the controversy of the Sex Book and the album, Erotica. Besides, the concert was in Sao Paulo, 1 hour away
from my hometown. I tried to convince her anyway but
it seemed there was nothing I could do to change her
mind. And she didn’t. But of course that wouldn’t stop
any true Madonna fan and I decided that nothing could
keep me from seeing my Idol live. The concert was supposed to be on a Wednesday, 3rd of November 1993.
On the Sunday afternoon before that, I told my Mom I
was going to be in a friend’s house working on a school
project. I packed a rucksack with some biscuits and got
on a bus to Sao Paulo. I literally ran away from home so I
could see Madonna. For me it was very important to be
as close to her I could get and I was certain I would be
22 - ICON 52
the first one in line getting there 3 days before the show.
Well…I really wasn’t !! When I got to the stadium there
were already a lot of people queuing up. And some of
the fans were even dressed up as Madonna, performing
her numbers and playing her songs on portable stereos.
That for me was already very exciting and the atmosphere was so nice I didn’t even mind I wasn’t the first in
line like I wanted to. A couple of hours later, a TV station
came to do a live report on the event and on all the fans
camping to see Madonna. Because I was the youngest
around at that point I got the attention of the TV reporter. One my neighbours saw me being interviewed live
on TV and called my Mom straight away. And that’s how
my mother found out I was actually in another city in line
to see Madonna. She called my aunt who lived in Sao
Paulo and asked her to pick me up and take me back. But
there was no way I was going to leave my place. I had
already made friends with the other fans and they all told
my aunt they would take care of me, including some very
nice and motherly Drag Queens! My aunt came everyday
to check on me and even brought snacks and drinks for
me and for the other people in line too. At the end it was
all like a big family and I had the best time of all my life
singing and dancing to every Madonna song! And that
wasn’t even the actual show yet!
The day of the concert finally arrived and I can still remember my heart beating so fast waiting for the gates
to open. When they finally did, I ran like I was running for
my life and I made it to the front row! Wow! Right in front
of the cat walk! All the waiting (and knowing I was going
to have to face my mother’s fury!) paid off and I got the
place I wanted all along. I was just about to see Madonna
live for the first time! And right in front of me! The show
was amazing and I couldn’t believe how beautiful and
incredible she was. It was definitely one of the best days
of my life!
Since I started to like her, back in 1986, I started to collect everything I could find with Madonna in it. Newspaper articles, magazines, flyers and loads and loads of
drawings I made myself. There was a point where I almost
had no space in my room to keep my clothes because of
so many “Madonna stuff” I had. And over the years I collected thousands of photographs, literally anything with
Madonna in it.
When I heard about the “My Madonna Shrine Contest” on
Icon, I thought I could do something different to enter
the competition. The idea was to create a mural of photos but that I was part of it, too. As if the mural and I were
one. I printed loads of copies of my favourite Madonna
photos (most of them I took myself during the tours) and
I invited a great friend of mine who’s also a Madonna fan
to help me out. I borrowed a set of lights in my University and we spent a whole Saturday afternoon preparing
my livingroom that turned into a true photo studio! Listening to Madonna on the stereo all the time, we made
the mural and after that we stuck the other photos on
my body with tape. Another friend was in charge of taking the photos, while I posed completely mummified
by the pictures of Madonna. Just the process of making
this was already worth all the work because we had so
much fun in that afternoon and at the end the photo
looked so beautiful. But when I saw my name on Icon as
one of the winners, I literally screamed and jumped from
so much happiness. Having a photo with Madonna or an
exclusive autograph is something that every fan dreams
about but it seems practically impossible.
Knowing that she will see my work and sign it just for me,
it’s something really priceless. This photo will definitely
be my most special piece of memorabilia!!
After the Girlie Show, I’ve been lucky enough to be on
every other tour and even going several times to the
same concert (which of course it’s never the same!).
Spending cold and rainy nights camping outside the venues to be in the front row, meeting fans from all over
the world and making new friends. It’s the best feeling
ever! Sometimes I can’t believe that more than 15 years
after I saw her live for the first time she is more active
than ever and surprising us with every new show, every
new album and everything else that she’s involved in.
I think Madonna is the most complete artist of all time. I
love her with all my heart and I am very proud of being
her fan and also an Iconer!
Above: While Iconers voted for their 3 favourite entries, Madonna decided
to sign not only the 3 of them but all the 10 most voted photos!
ICON 52 - 25
Heather won the Belgium Flyaway contest launched by Madonna.com, in association with Spinearth.tv back in June. She travelled to the European capital city and covered Madonna’s Soundcheck Party and concert in Werchter on July 11th.
While you’ve probably watched some of the clips she created, which were posted to the Spinearth.tv website from late June to late July, we’ve asked Heather to share her whole experience with us through a devoted article. Want to know how it feels to win such a contest or to sit on
Madonna’s throne? Just read on…
Little did I know how one email that popped into my inbox in early June would change my life. “Belgium Flyaway
Contest” from Madonna.com and Spinearth.tv. And I only
had fifty words to convince them that I should be the winner. I knew from the very start that it would be an extremely
difficult contest to win, but there was never a question that
I needed to enter. I thought for three weeks, “What is my angle going to be?” “How can I word mine differently to stand
out?” “ What can I say in just 50 words that will put my entry
at the top of the pile?” I asked friends, family, my hairdresser, everyone I could for help. And they all came back just
as stumped as me. I knew I had to think outside the box,
go a completely different direction… I had a list of things I
wanted to somehow include, which was about seven items!
HA! I always knew that I would give some sort of shout out
to Spinearth, and on the last day of the contest, I found their
slogan, “Discover. Experience. Connect. A World of Music.”
(that slogan changed right after I got back). There it was. That
was my focus.
It took me literally two hours (not to mention all the time
throughout the day jotting down ideas) to write my fifty
words. But I wanted it to be perfect! And it was very tricky to
condense the wording to make sense, and also express what
I wanted fully. When I sent in my entry, I took a deep breath.
I knew it was a risk, but I was also very happy with what I
wrote. And I was able to squeeze in all seven things!
Then the wait happened. First we thought it would be announced on Friday, then Monday, 29 June. Allllllllllllllllllllllllll
day I kept checking my email, checking the site (SpinEarth.
tv). No announcement. No email. No spam. At 5:00 that evening, I gave up hope that I was the winner. I was still curious
as to who did win, as I was hoping that I would know the
person selected. Still nothing Tuesday. I then just thought
that whoever won was just being quiet about it, so after that
I didn’t think anything of it.
Until 4:40pm 02 July. I was getting ready to meet my brother
and his fiancé for dinner, and my phone rang. I looked at the
number, and didn’t recognize it. I usually don’t answer those
calls, but something told me to pick up the phone. The gentleman said, “May I please speak to Heather?” I said, “Yes, speaking.” He said, “Hi, I am calling from Icon, Madonna’s fan club.”
(I thought, oh no… what happened? Is there something
wrong with my account? Why would he be calling me?) And I
replied, “Yes…” very skeptically. He said, “ You recently entered
a contest…” I didn’t even let him finish the sentence, as there
was only one contest I had entered! “YESSSSS…………….” I
blurted out! He responded, “I am calling to tell you that you
are a finalist!” I went SCREAMING through my house. SCREAMING at the TOP of my lungs, running back and forth. Gosh,
for a good 10 seconds I did this. Then I realized that he said
“finalist,” not winner. So I sat down on my couch, and returned with a very shaky voice, “Ok, wait… What is that you just
said to me? C-c-c-can you please say that again?”“He laughed, “You are a finalist in the Belgium Flyaway contest,
and if you can answer the next couple of questions for
me you will be the winner!”
At this point, my mind was racing, my body was shaking
and I couldn’t think straight. I thought I was going to
have to answer Madonna trivia or something and I thought to myself, “OH CRAP. There is NO WAY that I can think
about trivia, how in the HELL am I going to do this?”
He calmly said, “Can you travel next week, with the dates being…” Again, I cut him off not needing to hear the
specific dates, “Yessssssssssss…..” with a quivering voice.
(I work for myself, so getting time off is never a problem)
With a chuckle in his voice, “Ok great. Do you have a valid
US Passport?” I managed to squeak my answer, “ Yes….”
He very quietly told me, “You are our winner!” Cut to
me SCREAMING even LOUDER this time, running back
and forth, jumping up and down. My poor dog was so
confused. She really didn’t know what to make of it.
My whole body was shaking; I couldn’t stand still while
talking with the representative from Icon. I was pacing
so fast in my living room, I have no idea how many laps
I did in the course of our conversation. He just kept giggling at me, because I was freaking out so much, but he
was also so supportive, and was very happy for me. He
told me that I would need to send some information to
him for the travel agency to book my flights. I went to
grab a pen, but I seriously could not hold it because I was
trembling. He just laughed when I replied, “I cannot write
any of this down, I am shaking so much! There is just no
way!” He assured me that he would send an email with
everything I needed to know so that I could take some
time to gather my thoughts. I felt bad, as every few minutes when it would sink in just a wee bit, I would go off
screaming again. I swear, I must have made him deaf for
a day or two after he called! And of course, at one point
during the phone call, I broke down and cried. I was just
so happy, so overwhelmed, so excited. He told me that
my entry was selected out of 2500 valid entries (some
were from overseas I guess). Seriously, what are the odds
of that? I know, 1 in 2500, but it knocked me over to think
that two thousand five hundred people entered, and I
was the one they picked. People continue to ask me how
I won, and my answer is still “I don’t know!”
I then called my brother to tell him why I was running a
tad late. My voice was still trembling from crying, “R-RRoger?” Without a second of hesitation, he asked, “You
won didn’t you?” So of course, I was bursting out all the
details of what just happened, and he was so sweetly
overjoyed for me. He and his fiancé told me that I was
in no frame of mind to drive, especially with holiday traffic and rush hour. They told me to stay home and call
30 - ICON 52
friends, and celebrate my win! Needless to say, my Facebook exploded when I put it on there, my friends were
calling from all over, and I spent the better part of that
evening shocked. I was saying the words, I was reading
the congratulatory messages, but it just was not sinking
in (and I can say, even after going on the trip, and editing
the videos, writing this and being back for a couple of
weeks, it STILL hasn’t sunk in!). Calling Larry was another
incredible moment, as I was able to see someone else
experience what I had been through the day before. He
too was speechless, shaking, and stunned. I loved hearing the exhilaration in his voice, and sharing my excitement with someone else is so rewarding.
So I spent the next six days in a dream (well, it was really
a month, but we’ll chat about that later!). I could barely
think straight; it was hard to concentrate on anything but
leaving. I did not listen to any of the new additions to
the show, but I did start listening to recordings of the
2008 version non-stop. I cried every day. Sobbing crying,
as I was so incredibly overwhelmed with the thoughts
of what was really happening to me. I walked into work
crying one day after listening to Like a Prayer, and my
colleagues were so confused! I kept telling them they
were tears of joy. Hilarious. Listening to the opening of
the show, and LAP probably made me cry the hardest. I
could not bring myself to play You Must Love Me. I would
have been weeping had I listened to that one!
« We got our flight confirmations on Monday,
and left about 36 hours later. It all happened so
fast, I could not believe it! »
I never suspected I would be able to make it to Europe this year, and I was so sad about that thought. Now
I was going. I was so honored they selected me, I was
so excited to see the show again, and I was thrilled at
seeing friends and meeting new people. Traveling to a
new country. Experiencing a different culture. I have the
best times at shows, I am happiest when I am there, and
to think that I was going to be in the middle of it all once
again just electrified me. The emotions that I had, and
still have, are indescribable. I have tried so hard to put
them into words… Intense, strong, fulfilling, excitement,
anticipation, nerves, life-affirming. Dreams really DO
come true. That’s about as close as I can get. If anyone
has had eye contact with M during a show, think about
how you feel, then multiply it by about a million. That’s
what I was feeling.
I also knew I had a big responsibility to report back to
the website, and wanted to be fully prepared for it. I had
back up for everything, cameras, computers, batteries,
memory. My entire carry-on bag held all the electronics
for the reports! I started right away sending in videos for
the site to kick it all off. I was working at the time the site
went live online, and one of my clients brought in screen
captures of the main page of SpinEarth. To see “Heather
Biede wins Madonna.com Belgium Flyaway Contest” on
that main page was like seeing my name in lights on a
movie marquee. I just did not know what to think! Then
there was the entire page just for my reports. I have just
one word for that. Wow.
« I was going through the motions but it still
just seemed like I was watching someone else »
We got our flight confirmations on Monday, and left
about 36 hours later. It all happened so fast, I could not
believe it! The next thing I knew, I was on a double-decker plane (which I have never traveled on before), and
on my way to Europe. I felt that the special treatment
already started… we got wine with our meals, the food
was actually decent, especially for airplane food, and we
had so many movies and television selections, it kept me
busy! Although I also spent a lot of time preparing myself, ideas for the video diaries, things to say, interview
questions. I listened to quite a bit of music to begin “choreographing” the videos, so that I would have ideas for
shots to film during the show and during our adventures
around Belgium. And of course I cried on the plane! I did
explain to the people sitting next to me the reasons for
my travel. I also filmed the flight progress (which you see
in the video!). They were so supportive and sweet!
When I landed in London, I had a three-hour layover, but
the London airport has plenty to keep travelers occupied
during downtimes. I thought about getting a massage,
as the concierge on the flight told me there was a shop
in the airport that had massage services. I did not find
it right away, but I did find the Mac store, and thought
it would be fun to get a mini-makeover to prepare for
the show Saturday. I was SO glad I did!!! It felt like a massage for my face, and I loved the tips the makeup artist
gave me. I bought most of what she used on me, so that
I could replicate her style, it made a big difference! Soft
but edgy was how she described it. Perfect. It was what
I needed.
I then hopped on a commuter jet down to Belgium, just
a one-hour flight there. Stepping off that plane, I stood
in wonderment asking if this was all real. I was going
through the motions but it still just seemed like I was
watching someone else. Almost like a movie. I retrieved
my bag, and met the gentleman picking me up from the
airport. (TOTALLY hot by the way, Italian and French I believe. His name is Jean-François. Eeeeeek! He’s also our
driver for the show, and is in the video. LOOK FOR HIM!).
I am so used to taking trains in Europe, it was humbling
to have ground transportation to pick me up! It was such
ICON 52 - 31
a treat!II arrived at the hotel, concierge met me at the
entrance. It seemed like everyone knew why I was there,
it was surreal! They were very accommodating and attentive to my needs, again, just fantastic. I gathered the
keys, and headed up to my room. Only to bump into
Larry in the hallway!!!!!!! Of course both of us jumped into
each other’s arms, as we could not believe that we were
there, that it was happening and that we really made it.
He arrived very early that morning, had spent some time
exploring, but also napping. It worked out, as he found
some places for us to eat and shop. We went into the
room, filmed a little video for the site, and ate some of
the most amazing strawberries and chocolate I had ever
tasted. Yep, we were really in Belgium, and what they all
said about the chocolate being the best was certainly
the truth!
We walked around for a bit and found an alley that felt
like a circus! It was lined with restaurants of every nationality you can think of, each with a manager or headwaiter at the front luring people in. They offered discounts
on food, free wine, anything to entice you to join them
for dinner. We settled on one place, and had a nice relaxing meal. The restaurant was rather quiet, but the manager of our establishment kept fighting with one across
the street, as they were squabbling over customers. At
least so we thought, as they were speaking in French. It
was quite the entertainment really to watch how these
guys heckled people to draw business. It was intense
competition. After dinner, we found some chocolate
shops, and tasted several different kinds. My favorite was
the caramel with sea salt! We also tried one with caramel
and honey…. Just delicious.
« People were hanging out at their cars, partying before, eating and visiting with friends.
They would have to walk several kilometers to
the venue and back before the day was done »
The next day we walked around quite a bit, through the
Grand Place and all its side streets. Went shopping at an
outdoor mall with many different kinds of shops. Found
Manneken Pis, waffle stands on every corner with the
most decadent toppings I had ever seen, and plenty of
pubs. We thought we would meet with Johann that day,
but he was not able to make it to our hotel. I did talk to
him on the phone, and he assured me that he was going
to take very good care of us the next day! (which made
my heart flutter!). We did meet with the Belgium correspondent named Justin from SpinEarth, who would also
be filming us on our adventures. He took us to a very old
pub just around the corner from our hotel, Mort Subite.
It obviously had quite the history from the old wooden
tables to the detailed lighting fixtures to the majestic
staircase in the back. I am not a beer drinker at all, but
I was determined to try beer while in Belgium, and hopefully discover one I liked. Well, Mort Subite has their
own brews, and the one Justin recommended to me was
raspberry. I LIKED IT! I also tried a cherry one that was
enjoyable, but the raspberry was incredible. I somewhat
liked Larry’s beer, that was just a normal brew of some
kind, but Justin’s was TERRIBLE! Hey, I gave it a shot.
The next day, Larry told me he wasn’t happy with what
he brought to wear to the show, and neither was I, so we
went shopping again. Friday, I saw a jacket that I loved,
but it was rather expensive, so I walked away from it. We
went back to the same store, I showed Larry the coat and
tried it on. He said, “I would never push you to buy something that wasn’t stunning, but you look amazing in that
jacket. I think you should get it.” So I did, yikes! But I honestly felt like a million dollars in it, not to mention that
it was a bit cold outside (mind you I live in Los Angeles),
and it would rain later that day. I was actually very happy
I bought it. Larry got a really nice dress shirt with his jacket he bought Friday, we felt extraordinary!
We got ready, and met Justin at 2:30. Jean-François was
waiting for us, and we headed for Werchter. It was about
a 45-minute drive from our hotel, it seemed out in the
middle of nowhere! Fields of crops lined the road leading to the venue, then suddenly a makeshift parking
lot would appear in a field of grass. People were hanging
out at their cars, partying before, eating and visiting with
friends. They would have to walk several kilometers to
the venue and back before the day was done. It was crazy. I had never seen anything like it. The street leading
directly to the venue was closed off, so we walked the
rest of the way, which I loved. There were small cafes and
pubs that were overflowing with concert goers, food
stands serving hot dogs or bratwurst and the like and
people having a marvelous time before the show. Once
we arrived at the front of the venue, we found the sound
check party sign right away so we knew we were in the
right place. I was thrilled to meet up with fellow Iconer
Dazza, who is a dear friend of mine. We saw a number
of shows together last year, so I was elated to find him
amongst the thousands of fans already there.
I began filming some of the scene around the box
office, and suddenly I heard a voice behind me,
“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeather, stop filming!” At first I thought
“who is this talking to me?” I turned around and he said,
“Heather it’s Johann!” Iconers, he really exists!!!!! I was so
happy to finally put a face to the name that I have known
for several years now. We then gathered all the winners
together and Johann handed out our gold circle wristbands and concert tickets. During this time, I was able to
talk to all the winners, and we truly had an international
ICON 52 - 33
gathering. Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, USA, Germany,
France, Switzerland, Czech Republic. Funny that when I
asked how they were feeling about the day, almost everyone used the same word…. Excited! Once we were all
checked in, we had a few moments before an extraordinary adventure was about to begin.
Johann then led the group into the area that was behind
all the food vendors. He was very secretive about what
we were going to see, so we all were anticipating the
moments immensely. They were playing music on the
stage, songs from the show, but M was not onstage. I
think it was to check sound balance. While we were walking towards the back, Larry was stung on his neck by a
bee! (I saw a number of them yesterday) I knew it was
bothering him, but thankfully it didn’t swell too much.
His neck was a bit red and there was a small bump where
the bee stung him. We kept an eye on it throughout the
afternoon, but were relieved that he didn’t have an adverse reaction to the sting. We then got to the backstage
area. I seriously started crying. I couldn’t believe that I
was seeing the stage again, I was stunned that we were
really going in that area. We stood behind the stage,
which was on our left, with the production offices and
offstage dressing rooms to our right. The security asked
us very specifically not to take photos or videos of anything backstage, or they would immediately ask us to
leave. I quickly put all cameras away so that there was
no question.
They split us into two groups to make it a bit more manageable. One group went to the dressing room and office
area, while the other went to the stage area. Going through the dressing room area, we were treated to seeing the
wardrobe department, complete with Tony, M’s dresser.
At the time we were there, he was working on a black
leotard, but then at one point he passed our group by
with the GORGEOUS gypsy costume. To see that dress
up close like that just sent chills down my spin. It was
stunning, and I knew who would be wearing that dress
just a few hours after I saw it! They explained in wardrobe
that they are constantly maintaining the costumes with
a crew of nine staffers. Each dancer has two sets of identical costumes that they wear on alternate shows so that
the clothing doesn’t wear out. Doing 85 shows, I can understand why! But they also emphasized that they wanted to make sure that the costumes look perfect each night they go onstage. They are cleaned and washed and
checked for any rips or tears, and fixed accordingly.
We then headed into the hair department where the
girls were diligently working on the Material Girl wig.
They did stop when we all walked in to talk to us. We also
got to see the hair extensions for the gypsy section. We
asked whose hair was the most difficult to style and they
said Sofia’s!!! (sorry girl!). But they said that her hair takes a
34 - ICON 52
long time to dry, which then makes it the most difficult.
We then saw the outside of the production offices,
which they said was the heart and soul of the tour. It was
basically a regular office, computers, printers, desk and
the like set up for the staff to organize the logistics of
each part of the tour. Transportation, hotels for the cast
and crew, catering…. Every detail was handled in there. I
swear it was a little city in this backstage area! We turned
around to go back to our meeting place, and I also saw
areas for massage, “doctor love”, and the female vocalists’
dressing room. But then the granddaddy of them all…..
Madonna’s dressing room. It was in the middle of all of
this, and it was a rather large space built with walls covered in tarps and a plastic type of material. There was
a sign that read “Madonna’s dressing room.” At the entrance stood two guards to make sure no one entered
who shouldn’t be back there. We never knew if she was
in there when we walked by, but it was stunning to see
that nonetheless.
« We then got about the biggest treat any one
of us could have imagined…. We each got to
go onto the platform and SIT IN THE CHAIR!!!! »
Then came an experience so unique to fans, something
so few people see. Chris Lamb took us on a tour of the
entire backstage area. Chris told us a little about himself,
that he has toured with M since the Who’s That Girl Tour.
And he said that each tour just gets better and better. At
times, it was difficult to hear him because of the music
onstage, but to see the whole world behind the stage
was breathtaking. We started with the technicians who
run all the video backdrops and screens. Computer equipment everywhere! Most of them had more than one
computer monitor in front of them so they could watch
and control multiple aspects of the screens. He explained
that there are videos on all the musicians at all times so
if something goes wrong they can fix it right away. One
monitor I saw had four pictures on it, one frame for the
cameras above each of the musicians, with their name in
the corner. They just think of everything!
We then stood directly under center stage and saw how
the whole thing is on hydraulics. Steel beams going
every which way to not only support the stage, but also
to move it depending on the point of the show. Chris
said that this was how they made the set changes when
needed. Spectacular to see that! He then led us to a very
special set of stairs…. Stairs that lead to the stage itself.
We got to actually walk up onto the stage!!!!!! I nearly fell
over at this point…. Until I saw the throne. There it was
in all its glory, set for the top of the show. Facing upstage
ready for M to be there. Chris explained how she gets
into the chair, and then the platform turns around to re-
veal her to the audience. We then got about the biggest
treat any one of us could have imagined…. We each got
to go onto the platform and SIT IN THE CHAIR!!!! Chris
also invited us at this point to pull our cameras out, and
that we could take pictures in the throne!!!!!! The whole
group nearly DIED! We were so blown away that this opportunity was given to us, none of us expected it! So, one
by one, each person went up there and took a beautiful
picture in THE throne, M’s throne. Surreal. ABSOLUTELY
SURREAL! (I took pictures of everyone in my group, so
those are coming!)
Chris then led us over to the Beat Goes On car. It was
gorgeous up close! He explained that it was a real car, a
real Rolls Royce that at one point had a full engine in it.
Real tires and all. What none of us knew was that Hypnosis doesn’t really drive it! There is another driver who sits
in the space where the engine once was and is able to
see out the grill in the front. He lifted the engine hood to
reveal a small seat and steering wheel rigged inside the
engine cavity. It was almost like we saw a magic secret
right in front of us. He then led us down under the stage,
which seemed like a huge maze. Padding on all of the
supports so no one would hit their head on hard metal.
There were quick-change dressing rooms everywhere we
looked, places for the dancers and M to touch up their
makeup and hair. We saw places where M is lowered under the stage, and then makes her way to the dressing
room for her costume change. She then returns to the
stage through another trap door. Chris explained to us
that there is just as much choreography going on under
the stage, as there is on stage. Each person, cast or crew,
has to know exactly where s/he is going, at exactly what
point of the show to avoid traffic accidents that might
cause injury. It’s a tight squeeze down there, and I can
only imagine if one misstep happens what might soon
follow!
We then saw the underside of the catwalk down to the B
stage. Mind-boggling. He showed us a skateboard type
contraption that the dancers and M take to get to the B
stage quickly. It was certainly wider than a skateboard,
but it was a padded board covered in black vinyl on
wheels that sat on a track that easy slides up and down
the length of the catwalk. A technician helps the performers with the board so they get up and back safely and
quickly. That was also quite a spectacle to see. No, we
didn’t get to take a ride, bummer!!!!!!
Out of the maze we came and were then escorted into
the open, empty venue. The dancers and vocalists were
already onstage, waiting for M to arrive, and they were
completely goofing around! So funny to watch. The boys
decided to have a speed walking race, first across the
stage, then the perimeter of the entire stage. Paul pulled his shorts up as high as they would go, Hypnosis had
his pants on backwards, and they were all just laughing
and having a great time. Nicki was typing away on her
computer, but I finally got her attention! Aw, she is such
a sweetheart! I told her about my win with the contest,
how I didn’t expect to see the tour this time around and
how thrilled I was to be there. She was so supportive and
sweet about it, so happy for me that it worked out. She
then told me about how she made peace with her shoes
(they were really bothering her during rehearsals), and
things were better there. She also talked of the musicians
and how they were making jokes that she could hear in
her ear monitors, but no one else could hear. They all
seemed to be having loads of fun, and also came across
as family. It was great to see.
We then were escorted back to the mixing board area,
which was basically in the middle of the gold circle. We
had to stay there for a good part of the sound check.
We were also told very specifically NO videos during the
sound check (sorry everyone…). I don’t know that I stopped taking pictures once we saw that M arrived. None of
us saw her enter the stage specifically…. Suddenly there
was a petite-framed woman, wearing all purple, with
blonde hair tucked under a purple hat in the middle of
the stage. She then turned around and started singing,
and we all cheered and screamed for her!!!!!
She started with Holiday/Celebration, of course complete with the Michael Jackson tribute. I was thrilled to see
that still in the show. I think all of us were in shock that
we were seeing this and the cameras were clicking away.
Then some music started that I never heard before, and I
heard the lyrics. “You’ve got style….” OHHHHHHH DRESS
YOU UP!!!!! YAY YAY YAY! I love this song. I was there when
she first sang it in the request section in Valencia, so it
was thrilling to see it in full on stage. I LOVE that song.
For a bit of time, we couldn’t hear what she was saying to
the others on stage, but quickly she got her microphone,
so we were able to hear her aside jokes, and various things
she said to the cast and crew. Stephanie, who I believe is
the assistant choreographer, was helping M with a step
that she was practicing. A booty bump type of move. It
was HILARIOUS! She then asked for Into the Groove and
pulled out all the jump ropes. Stephanie, Jaime King and
M got into a jump rope contest, and even started moving around each other as they jumped rope. I think M
won…. Ha! Right after this, we were told that we could
head to the stage. Most of our group went to the right,
but I saw M going left, so I followed her. I was the only
one over there. It was right at the top of the song, and
she asked if I was there to see her, pointed right at me
and gave me a huge smile. I screamed back, “YES!!!!”, and
pointed right back at her. Whoa, I WISH I had that on film.
Or a photo, but I will ALWAYS have that in my memory.
She then went back over to the other side, so I ran over
ICON 52 - 35
there…. It got to the point in the song for the sing along,
so I managed to get some great photos of her with the
Iconers. Just at that point, we realized that the audience
was on the way in, so we had to grab our spots. Larry
and I went to the end of the catwalk, knowing that the
stage was high. But we also know there were some very
special moments there and we wanted to see them. I
was hoping for a broader view of the stage, but we also
had some speakers and a heater in front of us, so it blocked quite a bit. Nonetheless, the moments down there
were priceless during the rest of the sound check and
the show itself.
She then sang Miles Away, and some of the looks and
smiles we got were just stellar. She was happy to see all
the fans there, they were of course thrilled to see her too.
Everyone was singing along. And having a great time.
Of course the fans who queued got a special treat with
seeing part of the sound check. And it seemed that M
enjoyed having them there. I was thrilled and surprised
to see Frozen, as I specifically remained spoiler free when
I learned that I would be seeing the show, so I hadn’t
heard what the new mix of Frozen would be, same with
Holiday and Dress You Up. I knew they were coming, but
didn’t know what they would look like or sound like. SO
glad I did that! It was such a surprise. Frozen is intense,
has a driving beat, and the choreography matches it.
And there it was right in front of me. It just drove right
through my body, and I couldn’t wait to see it during the
show. (I hope I am not forgetting anything, it was all such
a dream!) She ended sound check, and the cast left the
stage. The long wait began. During this time, the rain set
in, it really came down at one point. I have to say that the
roof over the stage actually helped keep us relatively dry,
so I was thankful for that. The crew came out to cover the
stage with tarps to try to keep it as dry as possible. They
also laid down bit of thin carpet type of material around
the edges and on the four platforms for safety.
I started having fun with the fans in the audience, and interviewing people around me on film. I saw a number of
Iconers around the catwalk, not just those who won the
sound check party, but other Iconers as well. They recognized me, and gave a huge shout out and wave to the
cameras. I really wanted to get them on film, so I ended
up passing my camera down the entire front row and
up one side. I only got to watch the footage when I got
home, and it was amazing to see! Everyone just kept interviewing each other, it was hilarious! Most participated,
which was so exciting. (Those videos are coming!) I was
thrilled to include more than just the people around us.
I have no idea when the show actually started (sadly, I
lost my phone!), but I know it was around 10pm. I loved
all the new additions to the show, the videos, the songs.
I think that what stood out for me the most was how
36 - ICON 52
much fun M had. It’s not that she hasn’t enjoyed herself
in previous shows, but this one just takes it to a much higher level. It is immensely inspiring and heartwarming to
see that. She gives everything of herself, and then some
more when she is onstage, and you cannot help but be
completely consumed by it all. It fills me with so much
joy, I just cannot get enough of it. And I am forever grateful to be a part of it.
I concentrated quite a bit on gathering footage, and
capturing moments other fans had with M. It was difficult though with the stage being so high. But I was
determined to get some good stuff! Made for quite the
challenge. Something I did remember to do for myself
was take time to enjoy the parts that meant so much
to me. YMLM was one of those moments where I just
enjoyed the performance. An inner peace came over me
when I looked into her eyes again, she consumes you
when her eyes meet yours. There is nothing else like that.
Her smile was so gracious, genuine, and loving, and you
cannot do anything but allow her to wrap you up in her
warm energy. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I broke
down and cried at this moment! It meant so much to me
that I was there, that she acknowledged me, and that I
was surrounded with support from friends and people I
met that day. Feelings that again, are indescribable. I am
sure someone else in the front row can share in my sentiments… M mouthed the words, “I love you too!” I was so
happy for the person to whom she said this. I know the
feeling all too well, and I love seeing others experience
that too!
When I first saw the backdrop video online for Candy Shop, I didn’t really like it. But WOW! It worked
sooooooooooo well live. It added an entire dimension to
the song itself, more color, but less movement from the
video. It complimented the choreography greatly, and I
really enjoyed it! Dress You Up was such a delight as I
said before in the sound check. But I adore that song and
hearing it live and in full this time, I couldn’t have been a
happier fan. Then of course, back to the roots of Holiday
and all the flashbacks of timeless songs. It was fresh, innovative and just pure class. The tribute to Michael Jackson
was flawless, the dancer has his movements perfectly. I
thought it was a poignant moment in the show that she
would take the time to pay tribute to him. I was taken
aback at the visuals presented on stage, specifically the
silhouette of the dancer portraying MJ, and astonished
at the thought that this segment was added to the show
within a week of opening night. A definite highlight of
the show.
I was stunned watching Frozen, I couldn’t take my eyes
off the stage. (I actually forgot to get some footage during this song, I think I have only one picture from it!).
It blew me away watching how strong M and the dancers looked. The intensity radiated off the stage and the
performance captivated the audience. It was so unique.
So different. I was in awe of the spectacle of the choreography, the video and the remix of the song. Powerful.
Incredible. The show was fantastic, everyone had such an
amazing time. We were exhausted afterwards, but it was
so worth it. I started losing my voice that night, and it
was completely gone the next morning. It was the worst
case of laryngitis I have ever had. BEST!!!!!! What a fantastic reason! I did manage to talk to a few people after the
show, one person of note… Prince Laurent. He said that
he had a blast at the show! Royalty seeing royalty. What
a sight to see. I also found Sebastian, one of the sound
check winners, and he was ecstatic as he got to sing with
M during Into the Groove, his favorite song. I was thrilled
for him, he and Manuela are such sweet people.
The logistics of dispersing 75,000 people out of a small
town in the middle of nowhere was a nightmare. We
managed to finally find Jean-François, but we didn’t
arrive at our hotel until four o’clock in the morning. We
heard from some of the police directing traffic that many
streets were blocked off for pedestrians so we ended
up barely moving for several hours. It was crazy. I ended
up falling asleep in the car even before we officially left
the Werchter area. Some of my friends said they walked seven kilometers back to their hotel, so I can only
imagine what everyone else had to go through to get
back home. I just hope the public transportation didn’t
stop at a certain time to accommodate the crowd. The
next morning, I woke up at 9am, and started writing my
review from the sound check and editing the photos
together for the website. I spent most of the day at the
hotel diligently working until Larry dragged me out to
dinner that evening. One thing I really wanted to do was
go back to Mort Subite for another raspberry beer! It was
just so tasty. But it was good for me, as I was having some
problems with my computer (what timing!), so I had to
find ways around the glitches. And I needed some stress
relief from that!
Monday we hopped on a train in the late morning and
went to Bruges. It is an enchanting, picturesque, and oldfashioned town just an hour outside of Brussels. There
were houses and buildings centuries old, each one unlike the next. The streets were lined with cobblestone,
the architecture was reminiscent of Old World Europe,
and the canals that ran through the streets were calm
and peaceful. There were tours of the city via bus, boat
(through the canals) or even in a horse-drawn carriage!
It was so charming! We spent a good part of the day just
walking around, admiring all that we saw. As we started
to leave, we found a charismatic, animated and spirited
old man who was playing the pipe organ. If you tipped
38- ICON 52
him, he would allow you to play his instrument. So I did!
It was hilarious, as he sang along with the music, a folk
song of sorts. He barely had any teeth, only the front two
from what I saw, but he had a heart of gold and a childlike personality. I felt like I had stepped back in time.
That night, we ate dinner at our hotel, which Justin told
us is one of the best restaurants in the city. We had a lovely dinner complete with the most delicious wine I have
ever tasted and food that melted in our mouths. It was
so relaxing and serene, it was the perfect way to end the
trip. We spent the evening reminiscing about each step
of the way, and remembering a trip that couldn’t have
been any better. Larry left early the next morning (VERY
early!), but I had a few hours to pack up and do some
final shopping. I brought home 14 boxes of chocolate
for thank gifts and gifts for friends and family. I managed to get them all in a bag that I packed specifically
for the chocolate, which was smart!. Leaving was hard
though… Deep down inside, I wish I had a plane ticket
to Udine for the show that night!!!!!!
I arrived home at 9pm Tuesday night and went to bed
only an hour later. Thankfully the next day was a light
day for work, so it eased me back into reality slowly. I
spent the next two weeks video editing for the diary. It
was hard to believe that the videos I was watching were
really mine, I felt like I was editing them for someone
else. It was brilliant though, as I relived the entire week
I was in Belgium. The adventure to Europe, meeting the
Iconers and Johann, the backstage tour, the show, Madonna. Seeing her again. The audience around me. I felt
like the dream continued, really for the entire month of
July. (well, it still continues, but I have stepped back into
life at this point!). I was in a fog, in a daze; I just couldn’t
describe what happened, as it was seriously a once in
a lifetime event. Every person I have told about this is
dumbfounded and shocked at the story. And again, even
though I have told it many many times, I still find myself
speechless at the end of it. And I continue to not have an
answer as to how it all happened!
I have said it numerous times, but I just cannot thank
everyone who made this happen for me enough. It
meant more to me than anyone can ever imagine and
I will always be eternally grateful for everything. What I
experienced was priceless, magical, and dreamlike; some
of the most immense joy I have ever felt. I was also completely humbled and honored that my entry won, as I
know it must have been some fierce competition. Thank
you again to everyone involved, thank you for following
my story, thank you for the words of love and support.
It was so heartwarming to see so many people from all
over the world cheering me on! I cannot wait to do it all
again on the next tour… I will see you all then! Love and
light to everyone, Heather.
FAN PROFUSION
How long have you been in love with Madonna?
What is your favourite Madonna memory?
Favourite items in your collection?
Which Madonna song reflects your own spirituality the best?
Favourite Madonna album?
Favourite Madonna song?
Favourite Madonna video?
Favourite Madonna movie?
Favourite Madonna tour?
Favourite Madonna quote?
How important is Madonna in your alldays life?
If Madonna would grant you 3 wishes, which ones would they be?
Time for you to leave Madonna a personal message: