The Madonna in Miami Report

As expected, Madonna and Co. arrived in Miami last week to play the last two American nights of her “Confessions Tour” at the American Airlines Arena, which made a nut-nut out of this fan.

One of my spies (and fellow Madonnaphile) spotted tour dancers Cloud and Tamara walking hand in hand down Lincoln Road in South Beach last Thursday. He said they looked very casual and very hot. Then on Friday, Stuart Price, Madonna’s co-producer and “partner in crime,” held court at Social at the very happening Sagamore Hotel in Miami Beach where her BFF Ingrid Casares was hosting a party (little brother Christopher Ciccone was there, too).

On Saturday, Gloria and Emilio Estefan were seen taking their floor seats at the arena; ditto Casares, Ciccone, and Guy Oseary. During the concert, Madonna dedicated "Paradise (Not For Me)" to her brother, which made her all the more endearing.

The following morning, Madonna and her daughter Lola hit the beach at the Shore Club in Miami Beach (she reportedly stayed at The Setai, where she had no less than 30 rooms at her and her entourage’s disposal). No one knew she was on the beach and no one noticed her until she and her five bodyguards got up to leave. She was covered in towels, by the way, probably to protect her royal skin – a smart move since Sunday was bright, hot, and oh-so steamy (as would be her concert later on).

Quick side question: Where were Guy Ritchie and Rocco?

Sunday night’s concert was amazing. The Queen of Pop turned it up for her second night at the AAA. She was enjoying herself quite a bit as she appeared from within the crystal ball during "Future Lovers" and was smiling a lot during "Get Together."

During "I Love New York," she pointed toward the people in section 3 on the floor right after singing about L.A. being for people who sleep, and then said, "but not you." Lucky rascals! Then she pounded her guitar like there was no tomorrow. It was sooo hot!

Toward the end of "Let It Will Be" I think her mic pack came undone because she seemed a little distracted, but not frazzled. While she was out in the middle of the arena, she sang something along the lines of, "Now I can tell you / that I'm supposed to sing this song." When she was done, she sat on the steps on the main stage, catching her breath. "It’s hot in here...it feels like global warming has caught up with us...maybe I should have a chat with Mr. Bush about it," she wisecracked.

Oh, cut to me, forgetting that she started that bit by saying she was indeed having some technical difficulties, which had kind of sort of affected her brain (Price gave her some punch line music much like he did in I'm Going to Tell You a Secret) and seemed to have affected her crew as well (followed by more punch line music). Then she talked about Bush, which was kind of cute and funny.

Before "Ray of Light" Madonna demanded that we jumped and put our hands in the air, which he happily did. She did say, "This isn't a barbecue," after all. When she was done with "Sorry," she said, "I don't have a problem with men. I have a problem with stupidity!" The audience loved that – it was classic Madonna.

The whole show was spectacular, but my favorite number, I think, was "Drowned World/Substitute for Love," which was a beautiful showcase of her voice. "Ray of Light" and "Music Inferno" were definitely the show-stopping numbers of the night, especially the latter – Miami couldn't get enough of it.

There was no bigger show-stopper than Her Madgesty herself, though, and there never will be.

Photo: Madonname.com.