On Gaga, Madonna, Canceled Shows And Twitter

In 1990 I had tickets to see Madonna in concert on her "Blond Ambition" tour. I wanted to see the show desperately, having seen her from a distance at Veterans Stadium for the "Who's That Girl" tour. This time she was set for three shows at the Spectrum, so even if I had seats at the top I would still have a closer view. And since Madonna's music was evolving into something more than the simple grooves and lyrics of, say, "Lucky Star," and the show was more complex and controversial, it was a must-see for me.

The shows sold out quickly. I did not bother waiting in line to try and buy tickets in person. Unlike today, there was (obviously) no website for ticket sales. (Also, unlike today, the Vet still existed and the Spectrum was open.) I remember buying the tickets over the phone from a ticket broker. I'm not sure how much extra I paid, although the prices weren't as ridiculously inflated as they are now. The three shows were set for June 15, 16 and 17. I bought tickets for the 15th, a Friday night.

You may remember, as documented in Truth Or Dare, that Madonna was having problems with her voice due to a sore throat and canceled a few shows during the tour.

You guessed it. The June 15th show was canceled.

Since I bought the tickets from a broker, I lost some money on the deal. I returned the tickets to the box office and was refunded the face value price only. The money wasn't what disappointed me. I was sad because I never got to see the concert.

The reason this came to mind is because Lady Gaga had to cancel a show at Purdue University tonight. Just a little while ago, she logged on to Twitter and issued a series of tweets:

I've been crying for hours, I feel like I let my fans down 2nite. An hour before the show, I was feeling dizzy and having trouble breathing

Paramedics came to take care of me, and told me my heart-rate was irregular-- a result of exhaustion and dehydration.

can't apologize enough for how sorry I am. I could hear my fans cheering from my dressing room, I begged everyone to let me go onstage.

My stage has complicated mechanical elements,everyone was concerned I'd be in danger during the 2hr show, since I had passed out earlier.

I am so devastated. I have performed with the flu, a cold, strep throat: I would never cancel a show just based on discomfort.

I hope you can forgive me. I love my little monsters more than anything, you are everything to me. I will make-up the performance on Jan 26.

I got no such declarations from Madonna 19 1/2 years ago. (Nor did she reschedule her show the way Gaga did.) For all I know, maybe she felt the same way then that Gaga does now. And for all I know, maybe something else happened tonight. The TMZ report I linked says she merely got on her tour bus and left, and school EMT's were turned away when they arrived at the venue.

But I love that there are celebrities on Twitter -- singers, athletes, actors -- communicating directly with the masses. They're sometimes funny, sometimes profane, sometimes pouring their heart out, but always much more fun than those whose tweets come from employees, or worse, those who just issue statements through publicists.

Madonna really needs to get on Twitter before the next tour.