Madonna is coming to Las Vegas this weekend. If you haven’t bought tickets yet, you will be missing one of the most spectacular theatrical concerts ever produced. Her performance at last evening’s MDNA Tour at the Staples Center in Los Angeles not only cements Madonna’s position as the ultimate gay icon, but it shows that Madonna is not an oldies act; she is more relevant than ever.

The controversy surrounding the show since this summer has been greatly exaggerated. Viewing pictures from the show means that they have been taken out of context. The guns were appropriate for a metaphor on Madonna’s life. The stripping was not sexual in one bit; it was Madonna’s way to assert power and to give a middle finger to a sexist and ageist society.

The controversy over the setlist is somewhat legit, as the show plays too heavily on Madonna’s latest album MDNA, which is average at best and doesn’t deserve to take up almost half of the show.

The beginning of the show was very dark. Madonna opened up with a religious themed “Girl Gone Wild” and soon sung “Revolver,” which featured incredible acrobatics and gun slinging. She then went into “Gang Bang,” which featured splattered blood, foul language, etc. It was more comical than anything else and the audience didn’t seemed to mind.

The highlight of the first section was “Hung Up,” in which Madonna was dragged to a slack line by people representing demons. She walked the rope, symbolizing that there is a fine line between Heaven and Hell.

The second part of the show began with “Express Yourself” and featured Madonna in the much dreaded majorette uniform. It looks horrible in pictures, but works in concert. She sang part of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and then part of “She’s Not Me” from the Hard Candy album. Thankfully, this wasn’t really a desperate slam against Mother Monster; it felt more like a tribute with Madonna saying that they are not the same stars and people should stop comparing them.

Continue reading this review from Examiner.com.