Has it really been 8 months since Madonna’s iconic Super Bowl half-time performance? And over 4 long months since the MDNA world tour kicked off in Israel? Those of us on the West Coast of the United States have patiently waited our turn to see the Queen, as she journeyed through her royal European itinerary, flew across the Atlantic to visit the East Coast and Canada, before alighting on the West Coast: Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles

For worldwide tribers unfamiliar with San Jose, it is a city about a 45 minute drive south of San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley – think Facebook, Google, and Yahoo. When Madonna plays San Jose, it is her “San Francisco” stop. The City of San Francisco does not have a stadium big enough – or worthy enough – for Madonna, mostly due to limited land space in the City by the Bay. It is also the destination of Dionne Warwick’s classic “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

The many months of waiting for the arrival of the royal entourage reaped unparalled dividends! After an hour of Misha’s dj set, the Queen graced us at 10:35 PM with the monk chant/Girl Gone Wild opening. It was magical to see Madonna again on stage. Don’t you think 4 years between tours is too long? Although I can remember parts of Sticky and Sweet as if it were yesterday, the hunger builds to see our Queen live on stage. Agile, smiling, bantering with the crowd, Madonna enjoyed performing as much as we enjoyed the performance. There was an ease and grace to her dancing, to her connections with backup dancers and with the audience that increased the energy level up to 10.

So many tribers have seen a tour date – or even multiple dates – that I won’t review each piece of the set list; I’ll just highlight a few songs with my fan perspective.

• Express Yourself/Born This Way/She’s Not Me – Madonna’s rendition of this iconic classic underscores her generosity to her fans, performing a track sharing the virtues and values of girl power, while integrating sections of Born This Way illustrates Madonna’s recognition that popular music is composed of a star, yes, but also supporting cast members. She’s Not Me is the cherry on the sundae – the simultaneously comic and ironic wink that although Lady Gaga undeniably has talent both in music and in the market, she’s still just a Lady: remember, there’s just One Queen. Madonna maintained the perfect level of playfulness and light jabs without descending into dark competitiveness or meanness.

• Justify My Love video interlude – my eyes were glued to the reinvention of this black and white favorite. Updated 21 years later for the next generation of worshippers, Madonna continues her career-arcing themes of visual, seductive and artistic powers, exercising her prowess to grab and hold our attention. Although I was aware of dancers performing during the video interlude, I couldn’t tear myself away from the exemplary video presentation.

• Everybody – We were all abuzz before the show about that night being the exact 30th Anniversary of premiere single Everybody. Never in our wildest dreams did we predict a special performance of this true classic. As posted earlier on the Tribe, Madonna segued from her special Silicon Valley/San Jose speech into a rousing, bouyant rendition of Everybody. Personally I have been to every tour except the Virgin Tour and the Girlie Show, and to experience Everybody thirty years on was indeed a captivating, memorable moment. It proves Madonna still delivers once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and generously shares time and energy with her devoted fans. We’ve heard Everybody countless times over the decades, but to hear the opening chords live, with a transition into the Queen singing the royal verses transports us to another day and time: themes of youth, nostalgia, being carefree float up.

• Like A Virgin – some have puzzled over the rendition of yet another gem from Madonna’s canon. I see the performance as further pushing Madonna’s artistic boundaries. So many professional critics (newspaper and online) reference Madonna’s age, now 54, singing and dancing like a woman of 24. Like A Virgin looked forward, not backward, to a Madonna at 64, or even 74, wistful for the physical attractions and chemical reactions of younger days. Does a beautiful and inventive woman of 54, 64, even 74 still hold open the opportunities for pleasure, for creativity, for living? Indeed. It is all in what you put out to the world, how you respect yourself and others, your presence, your self assuredness. Art’s role is to challenge, to provoke. Following the arc from the Sex Book to the MDNA Like A Virgin performance, we witness Madonna’s chameleon transfigurations into multiple projections of desire, seduction and power.

I’m still on a natural high from experiencing Madonna’s tour date on Saturday night. Collectively, the whole audience enjoyed a singular and exceptional concert from our one and only Madonna.

All the best to the Tribe,

Rob from Berkeley, California USA

Thanks to MadonnaTribe longtime contributor Rob.