The 4 Big Madonna Tampa Concert Complaints
Here’s the thing about the people who had Madonna Tampa concert complaints. They didn’t even go. They had no plans to go. Why are they complaining? I think you know.
Many just have personal issues with Madonna. I get it. Some don’t like her free spirit attitude when it comes to sex. Some don’t like her politics and how vocal she is for women’s and minority rights. Instead of risking being labeled sexist, racist or homophobic, instead they went off this week on how late Madonna was getting on stage. They complained about the time she went on stage… even though they had no plans to go in the first place. Isn’t that a little weird? Here’s the kicker. Madonna was not late.
#1: The biggest Madonna Tampa concert complaint: she was 2 hours late?
False. When you go to a concert that starts at 7pm, the headliner doesn’t go on at 7pm. Normally there are 2 opening acts. The headliner goes on around 9. Madonna’s concert didn’t have a start time of 7pm. The tickets clearly said 8:30. Madonna, like most headliners, went on 2 hours later.
Is 10:30 late for a performance to start? Yes. Absolutely. We even had fun with it on Q105 doing that contest having listeners guess what time she’ll finally get on stage. But it’s normal for the headline act to go on a couple hours after a show begins.
I will say this though. Madonna didn’t give the crowd much for an opening act. It was just a DJ and a drag queen. For many Madonna fans, that’s enough. But really for a show on this level, there should have been a traditional opening act. I would’ve loved to see one of the acts like we have coming to Freestyle Explosion Throwback Jam. Our friend Debbie Deb lives in Pasco – she would have been a great opener. Just having a DJ play Madonna songs BEFORE Madonna gets on stage was just pretty lame.
But the ones complaining that Madonna went on at 10:30 … didn’t even go. Had Madonna gone on at 8:30 Thursday night, there would’ve been riots at Amalie Arena. Many didn’t even take their seats until shortly before 10. The internet has been around for 30 years. Fans knew Madonna was going to go on stage around 10 and planned accordingly.
#2: Madonna made Amalie Arena turn off the AC?
Mostly false. If Amalie Arena had turned off air conditioning, with all those lights and thousands of fans filling every seat, the temperatures inside would’ve been over 100 degrees. It would have been miserable. Does Madonna have them reduce the air conditioning? Yes. Word is she insists on it to protect her voice. While I’m used to a very cool temperature inside Amalie Arena for Lightning games and other concerts, the temps were never oppressive. I did sweat a little bit but I’m a big almost 300 pound dude who climbed steps to the top of the arena because I had crappy seats. And I would say the warmer arena kept most like me from standing up and really getting into the dance music. But no, Madonna did not have them turn the AC off. Did she have them turn it down? Definitely.
#3: Ticket prices were too high?
Mostly false. I posted on the Q105 socials that tickets were available for $70 the week of the show. $70 for a concert on this level in 2024 is pretty reasonable. Were there crazy high ticket prices? Sure. If you had to be in the first few rows near the stage, those seats were going from $500s into the thousands if you bought from a ticket reseller. Tickets were sold out for months. But once they got the staging in, Amalie Arena released more seats the week of the show. I love it when they do that. It messes with ticket scalpers who are trying take advantage of desperate fans.
Fans in 2024 don’t just want to see an artist sit in a chair and sing. They want a full production. And Madonna’s concert staging, light show and special effects were top notch. Plus the costs of an arena show are not cheap… there’s insurance, staffing and of course those ticket agency fees we all love. As for the artists, it’s how they get paid these days. Back in the day when concert tickets were cheap, you went to the record store and bought full albums. You don’t do that anymore. The business model changed. Artists make very little from their music – even when you download or stream it legally. The reason you see older acts from the 70s and 80s still touring is because it’s their 401K plan now. Merch and ticket sales are how they pay the mortgage. Do you really think Mick Jagger and Keith Richards want to still be on the road touring in their 80s?
If there was any complaint to be made about prices, it shouldn’t have been about the tickets. The merch prices made my jaw drop.
#4: Madonna lip sync’d?
This one’s open for debate. The only other complaint I’m seeing over and over, but again by people who didn’t even go, is that Madonna lip sync’d on stage. How do you know if you didn’t even go? I’ve been to hundreds of concerts over the years. I’m not bragging. Going to concerts like this one is a fun part of my job. Almost all concerts are run by a computer these days… the light shows, pyro, and yes the music tracking is all set digitally so they precisely go together. Again, concert goers in 2024 want a production. They don’t want to see an artist sit on a stool all night with one spotlight. They want Instagram moments.
Madonna’s mic was on during every song. Were there backing vocals? Absolutely. There was no band on stage pretending to play. The instruments and beats were clearly coming from a computer and Madonna made no attempt to disguise that. But there were some pretty great moments when she sang with nothing behind her and I was impressed how well her voice has held up over the years. Most acts that have been around this long don’t have the clear, crisp vocals they had in their prime. Listen to Madonna’s performances I posted, especially when she sang “Crazy For You” raw. It was fantastic.
Was Madonna’s show the best I’ve ever seen?
No. Far from it. But I didn’t get to see Michael Jackson or Prince before we lost them. So checking this one off the concert bucket list was one I had been wanting to do for a while. No big complaints from me. You won’t find many who DID go to the show complaining. Madonna didn’t do the whole “here’s an hour of music from my new album” routine. She played the hits the crowd at Amalie Arena wanted to hear. The ones complaining didn’t even go.
No one who went to the Madonna concert regretted it. No one who didn’t go to the Madonna concert regrets it. And the ones who did go did not miss the ones who didn’t go. And with all the social media attention this show got, Madonna got talked about… so she’s happy. Wins for everybody all around.
Madonna's 2024 Celebration Tour Concert Set List
