The night before Confessions II officially became Madonna’s 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, the Queen of Pop transformed Queens’ Knockdown Center into the New York City edition of Club Confessions on Saturday (July 11) night to celebrate her latest album.
Despite being nowhere near a subway stop (or much else, unless you’re in the market for a chandelier), Knockdown Center plays host to some of the hottest dance music tickets in town, so it’s not a surprise to see big crowds outside the sizable venue. Even so, the lines for Madonna were beyond the norm, extending several blocks down the street. But for a free (yes, free) party boasting Madonna, Stuart Price (who co-produced Confessions II and 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor), Honey Dijon (a frequent Madge remixer who contributed to the Confessions II: Afterhours Edition release), Fcukers, Junior Sanchez and Sam-E, what the hell do you expect?
As on Club Confession’s previous London stop, entrance to the affair involved walking through a giant inflatable of a woman’s lower torso, legs spread, with speakers subbing in for the NSFW anatomy. After that, you strolled through a green laser-laden forest, evocative of the “Good for the Soul” portion of Madonna’s Confessions II short film (directed by TORSO), both of which served up TikTok/Instagram fodder for attendees.
A fantastic Fcukers set had the fashion-forward crowd (which, over the course of the night, included Kim Petras, Pabllo Vittar, Sky Ferreira, Christian Sirano, Julio Torres, Bob the Drag Queen and Plane Jane) moving, but when Stuart Price took the boards to usher in the entrance everyone was waiting for, the temperature in the room shifted. Madonna hit the stage at 1:10 a.m. (fairly early, considering the doors didn’t even open until 10 p.m.) with a declaration and a challenge: “New York, I love you so much – but are you ready?!”
Fans, many of whom stood in line for an hour, responded with a roar of love and a sea of cellphones. “It’s mother” intoned a deep voice over a thumping beat. Between Price’s deft ability to keep a crowd moving and Madonna’s larger-than-life aura, school was indeed in session at Club Confessions thanks to the seasoned dance club faculty on stage — including Honey Dijon, who took the decks toward the end of Madonna’s appearance.
Confessions II songs occupied most of the setlist, with “Get Together” from the O.G. Confessions and a few choice vintage cuts (“Thief of Hearts” from Erotica and “Physical Attraction” from her self-titled debut) making appearances. Highlights included hundreds of people singing (and feeling) the chorus of “I Feel So Free”; Madonna head-banging next to Honey Dijon during a “Love Sensation” remix; and the Queen of Pop gyrating her hips and mouthing along to the 1983 throwback “Physical Attraction.” But “Danceteria” was the standout cut. Even though the album has been out just over a week, it seemed like everyone at Club Confessions knew the lyrics to “Danceteria,” right down to the pointed pauses (“He’s the DJ / hide the cocaine”) and her laundry list of early ‘80s scenesters. Beyond that, the experience of listening to the autobiographical “Danceteria” while dancing in front of Madonna herself was a surreal treat.
After Madonna and Price left the stage, Dijon delivered a phenomenal set that led the room through ecstatic release – sure, Madonna was the main attraction, but when she left the building, so did just enough people that you could truly dance on the dance floor. (As opposed to body bumping — not that there’s anything wrong with a little body bumpin’.)
Less than 12 hours after Club Confessions New York City closed up, Billboard reported that Madonna’s Confessions II had debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking her 10th No. 1 on the chart and her biggest streaming week ever. That win also puts the Club Confessions host in an exclusive club of artists with 10 or more albums to their name – something only 11 acts, Madonna included, can boast.
