Madonna Fans Flock to Yankee Stadium
By Kinvelyn Guaba
Bronx Journal Reporter
The rain did not stop fans from supporting the iconic pop star Madonna as she performed her second concert on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Madonna was the first female headliner to ever perform at the legendary sports venue.
Among the thousands of fans who attended the concert were Marisel Pedrasa, 35 and Gisela Virella, 37, who came from Puerto Rico to watch Madonna perform during the two-hour concert. They were representing Madonna’s style from the 80s: fishnet stockings, her bows and numerous bangles. “I like all the 80’s stuff, that’s really my favorite,” Pedrasa said.
Pedrasa also likes Madonna’s new style because it compliments this generation’s music. “I think that’s part of what helps Madonna moving forward. She just keeps evolving as time goes by,” she said.
Scott Takenaka, 29 from Astoria, Queens agrees. Takenaka came with a group of friends to Billy’s Bar and Restaurant where they enjoyed the pre-concert revelry.
“She is an ever-evolving, growing being of creative energy that never ever stops growing and excelling and outselling,” he said.
He loves Madonna’s old style as well as the new style. “Her first single, everyone knows it was amazing and her new album ‘The Way of Life’ was amazing and spiritual,” he said.
He grew up listening to Madonna because his older sister was a fan. This was his first official Madonna concert. He also appeared at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas where Madonna received her lifetime achievement award. “I was very young but I was there,” he said.
“I really love the old stuff, I love the new stuff too. I really like ‘Physical Attraction’, Borderline, the old school (stuff),” he said.
Other fans like Kathleen Conlin, 49 from Norwood, Connecticut, have been listening to Madonna for two decades. “I’ve been listening to Madonna since her first single ‘Holiday’, came out,” said Conlin, sporting a cowboy hat, a leopard print shirt and a cross necklace.
Conlin was a college student in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1982, when Madonna’s first album Holiday was in stores.
“In my dorm, residents used to have her album. It was a big hit at that time,” she said. “We were all wearing the black bracelets and highlight jeans and jewelry. That was part of my college days back then,” Conlin recalled. “I do enjoy her new stuff. I have all of her CDs. But I do enjoy her old stuff because it brings me back in time.”
Ray Hollingsworth, 45, was able to see both concerts on Thursday and Saturday since he works at the stadium. Comparing the two nights, Hollingsworth said that Madonna’s concert on Saturday night was much better then her previous performance on Thursday. “On Thursday, she was really late and she seemed a little bit tired. She didn’t sing as many songs,” Hollingsworth said. “On Saturday, there were more songs and she was moving around like she was 20. She still looks good!”
Michele Demagio, 34, has been to six concerts since she was seven, all around the tri-state area: Madison Square Garden and Atlantic City. “This is the first I’ve seen her do an outdoor event,” said Demagio. “I bought them went they went right on sale.”
Other fans like Romell Cabugo, came from Connecticut. He has been listening to Madonna since he started learning about music in the early nineties. “My favorite song is ‘Stick it Sweet,’ from the last tour she did before this one.”