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The stage looked so plain under the Centrum house lights, a smooth gray sheet broken only by a pair of drum kits.
That was before the lights went down, the gears went up and Madonna entered via an elevator to sing her 1989 hit "Express Yourself."
For an hour and a half she roamed the largest stage ever used for an indoor show, 75-by-70 feet. At times, it didn't look large enough, what with a six-piece band, seven male dancers, two female backup singers and enough props and sets for a season on Broadway.
The band was intentionally left in the wings so as not to get in the way of the frantic action onstage.
This wasn't as much a concert as it was a Broadway musical, with changing sets, changing costumes and lots of dancing. It was a musical with several acts, a half dozen dancers dressed like Dick Tracy, a velvet bed and some crucifixes.
STAGE, COSTUME CHANGES
It was also a show with a stage that...